How to Deliver a World-Class Demand Management Program: Lessons from the Field. June 24, 2015

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How to Deliver a World-Class Demand

Management Program: Lessons from the Field

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Speaker Introductions

 Robert Duval – Senior Director, Program Administration

– Directs Tech Services, Call Center, Fleet, Safety and Centralized Support for Comverge programs

– Previously worked at Southern Company (GoodCents Program) and Florida Power and Light

– Mechanical Engineering Degree from Georgia Tech

 Julie Prince

– Manages Centralized Operations Support for programs across the U.S. The Centralized Support team is responsible for dispatching technicians for installs, repairs and removals, technician support, outbound scheduling and 2nd tier customer service

– Prior to joining Comverge, worked for the Apartment Guide for nearly 13 years with her last role being Product Operations Manager

– Proud grandmother of new baby grandson

 Pablo Bauleo, Ph.D

– Currently the lead of the Load Management and Demand Response programs at Fort Collins Utilities and member of the Advanced Meter Fort Collins Management Team

– Previously was a Staff Scientist at the Argentinean Atomic Energy Commission

– Ph.D. in Physics from Buenos Aires University with a specialization in nuclear physics and astrophysics

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Areas of Focus for Today’s Discussion

 Evaluating program delivery options including outsourcing vs. using local contractors

 Hiring and training field technicians and call center staff to provide the best

possible customer experience

 Installing seamlessly load control switches or smart thermostats

 Using scorecards to measure performance

 Driving safety incidents down to zero

 Keeping program costs down by improving field service efficiency

 Program support and customer care

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Evaluating Vendor Options

Use Internal

Resources

Potentially good option for small

programs

May not have the time and necessary skill sets required

Hire Local

HVAC

Contractor(s)

Typically know the area and have technical skills Conflicting priorities, especially in the summer months

Hire a

Turn-key Provider

Can provide turnkey program services and minimize utility resource needs Outsourcing key customer-facing operation to third-party

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Field Management System Integration

Customer Acquisition

Measurement

and Verification Enrollment

Installation

Customer Care System Control

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Technician Hiring Practices



Field technicians will be the “face

of the utility” in many cases



Need both technical and

interpersonal skills



Should conduct the following at a

minimum:



Drug tests



Criminal background check



DMV Motor Vehicle License check



Telephone screening



In-person interview



Normally want to hire local

technicians – create jobs in the

community

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Technician Training



All technicians should go

through a rigorous training

session



Include classroom training,

testing, and field training when

possible



Many states will require that

technicians be licensed



Ongoing safety training is a

must!



Scorecards can be used to

track and improve technician

performance

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Customer Feedback/Satisfaction



Focus on customer

satisfaction is key metric



Techs trained in customer

service and program

details



Customer satisfaction

surveys



Call center surveys



Customer complaint

resolution process

Customer Survey – Technician Evaluation

Max Score= Actual Score= Courtesy of Tech 10 9.8 Professionalism 10 9.8

Work performed in safe manner

10 9.8 Responsiveness to Questions 10 9.8 Property Care 10 9.8 Site Clean-up 10 9.8

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Installation – Best Practices



Utility branded

 Vehicles

 Uniformed employees



Standardized process and

procedures



Locally licensed



Customized safety standards

by utility/solution



State-of-the-art software and

field tools



GPS tracking/routing in all

vehicles



Quality control procedures to

ensure dependable

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Mobile Field Tools



Technicians can manage entire

installation process through

mobile application



Work orders



Device commissioning



Inventory management



Provide direct interface to work

order system



Work orders closed onsite in

real-time provide improves customer

satisfaction and efficiency

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Pre-Installation A/C Inspection



Installers should pre-qualify the air

conditioning unit before installation

begins:

 Check the age of the AC (a unit too old could disqualify)

 Checking the outside appearance of the AC for excessively damaged cooling fins missing door panels, overall condition of condenser

 Checking for a disconnect and its operational condition

 Checking the line set for leaking oil, Ice or freezing up (freezing is an indicator of low Freon or other problems with the unit)

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Technicians should do the following:



Perform pre-installation inspection



Disconnect power from unit



A/C must have an outdoor disconnect



Install the device and verify operation



Commission the device



Check communication capability of

device



Verify device is properly receiving

signals and implementing control

functions



Close out work order and add any

relevant notes



Provide any leave-behind materials to

customer

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Safety – Best Practices

 The most important aspect of program delivery

 Create a culture of safety with field technicians – Mandatory weekly safety meetings

– Provide proper equipment, training, and documented procedures

– Initiate safety programs which reward top performers

– Driving program (including ride-alongs) will provide huge benefits

• Smith System is very effective

• Insurance companies can offer assistance

• GPS tracking also an effective tool

 Establish performance metrics – Experience Modifier Rate (EMR)

– Vehicle Incident Rate (per million miles)

– Speed Violations (from GPS tracking)

– OSHA Rates

– Accident Claims

2011 2012 2013 2014

Experience Modifier Rate (EMR)

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Inventory Management



Inventory management is through

the work management system



Inventory should be tracked at

both the location level and by

disposition

– Inventory levels should be

maintained down to the technician level



Pre-assembly of some

components will result in a higher

quality installation

– Consider adding “whips” to control switches in the warehouse

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Customer Care – Centralized Program Support

 Team can support multiple customers

– External

• Utility company (for 3rd _party

provider model)

• Home owner/end user

– Internal

• Field Service Supervisor(s)

• Field Technicians

• Program Manager

• Call Center

 Call volume can be seasonal

– Increases during control season

– Increases at start of cooling and heating season (especially for thermostat programs)

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Centralized Program Support

 A Centralized Program Support team is critical to successful program operations

 Typical functions include:

– Provide support for call center operations (Tier 2 support) – Optimized routing and

dispatching of technicians – Handle same-day service

requests (no heat/AC)

– Primary interface with field technicians

 Will normally have access to program support tools

– Customer care system – Routing software and tools – GPS tracking of vehicles

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Routing & Dispatching



Routing should be done based on

the following criteria

– Appointments vs. non-appointments – Age of work order

– Type of technology and skill set required

– Minimize drive time for technicians



Software systems are available

which optimize routes for

technicians and should be utilized

when possible



Consider hiring technicians based

on geographic location for large

service territories



Provide note flags in system to

inform technician of special

requests

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Call Center Service Considerations

 Typical Call center service offerings:

 Provide Inbound / Outbound Services

 Tier Two & Transitional Services

 Operational & Performance Reports

 Automated Scheduling Applications

 Appointment Call reminders

 Automated Sales Process

 Automated Call Blast

 Automated Surveys Design & Processing for Customer Satisfaction (optional)

 Appointment Scheduling

 BRC & Sales Enrollments

 Email Support Submission

 Automated Dispatch Services

 Management Oversight of Call Center – Best Practices

 Performance metrics are managed on a daily basis through SLA reports, and daily staff meetings

 Develops and monitors policies and procedures

 Customer calls are reviewed live on an ad hoc basis for quality

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Data Exchanges

Utility Contractor

Customer Data

Work Order Data

Data Reconciliation Standard Reports

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Disclaimer

The City of Fort Collins does not endorse or recommend

any commercial product, process, service, or manufacturer.

Mention of any specific trade name, trademark, or

manufacturer in the following materials are provided for

informational purposes only and do not indicate favored

status by the City of Fort Collins.

Such statements shall not be used for advertising or

endorsement purposes and do not represent the views,

position, or practices of the City of Fort Collins.

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Fort Collins Utilities Customers

• Population about 155,400

• Customers:

-

70,500+ electric;

-

35,000+ water;

-

35,000+ wastewater;

-

44,000+ storm water

• Educated community

• High rental community

• Median Household Income - $53,359

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Fort Collins Utilities

Light & Power

• Electric Distribution Utility

• 1850 miles of distribution lines

• About 55 square miles

• Power purchases (wholesale)

• 61% of our operating cost

• Demand charges about 40% of power purchases

• Monthly coincident peak charge (hourly demand)

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Peak Partners

Program Design

Programs tend to be designed based on a

single idea and then try to get customers to

adopt it.

“Square peg in round hole”

Consider multiple dimensions of customers’ needs & interests when

designing the program (technology, savings, end-use, Wi-Fi/cellular,

mobile devices, incentives).

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Program Planning

Know your Customer Base

• Analytics driven program design

• AMI data, CIS data

• Premise segmentation

• Found premise DR value

• Match network to premise

• HVAC/Thermostat  Wi-Fi • eWH  Cellular (3G) High DR value, 26,000 Low DR value, 17,000 Medium DR value, 12,000 Unclassfied, 5,000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% eWH HVAC