Marisa Miralles Vice President, Business Development Information Intellect Going Beyond AMR: Using AMR as a Customer Service Tool- it’s not just for eliminating Meter Readers Anymore

The Evolution of AMR

Walk-byDrive-by Fixed Network – Level 1 Fixed Network – Level 2 Fixed Network – Level 3 Manual Functionality Value Proposition Automation in Meter Reading Historical Landscape Automated Meter Reading (AMR) Remote Meter Reading (RMR) Cost reduction - Manpower Time to Bill Improved Accuracy PLUS Allows reallocation of personnel and vehicles Outage Notification PLUS Allows time of use billing Load balancing PLUS Reduced cost per meter point Improved coverage Analog data collection RTU flexibility Infra needed One- way One service RF, Cell, PLC Telephony Infrastructure needed Point to Point Multi- service Device for each service Mesh Network – no infrastructure Two way Multi service Single device supporting all services Up to 96 reads / day Two way communication Single service Requires towers, repeaters Submetering Single service Monthly, Daily Reads Requires towers, repeaters 1 – way communications 1 read per month Requires manpower and vehicles- Device is the repeater! Reads electric, gas, water, steam from same device No infrastructure Advanced AMR (AMR) Beyond AMR

Best Practices Random survey of 13 utilities-electric water and gas ranging from 42,000 customers to 1.2 million Technology is most often referenced as a best practice Top technology Best Practices  CIS Conversion  GUI/CRM front end  Self service  AMR  Data Warehousing  GIS 46% of Best Practices referenced were technology based 27% of Best Practices are people related

AMR was considered by some as the most cost effective technology investment

Benefits of AMR Technology Meter Reading Billing Call Center

Benefits in Technology Depending on which technology you chose the benefits can have a tremendous impact on your customer service operations Not all technologies are the same Keep in mind your future customer service needs when selecting an AMR system

Benefits in Meter Readings Eliminating inaccurate meter readings Eliminate entering houses Estimating reads, high reads, open and close Tampering/theft Disconnects Time of use On demand

Benefits in Billing More timely comprehensive billing On demand reading, time of use reads Flexibility in billing options

Benefits in Call Centers Greater usage of information On demand reading, time of use reads Detecting outages earlier Reduction in volume of calls in call center, customer self-service Calling in usage Reduce call center staff

Case Studies

Empire Electric District Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE:EDE) is an investor-owned utility providing electric service to approximately 157,000 customers in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas. Empire provides water service in three incorporated communities in Missouri. Providing reads/billing for additional services Why AMR? Benefits Capture System Loss

Delano Electric and Water Delano Electric and Water services 4,000 electric and water customers in Delano, MN Manage peak power and eliminating turning on peaking units Add viewing the customer usage online Why AMR? Benefits

Greater Cincinnati Water Works GCWW supplies more than 48 billion gallons of water a year through 2,900 miles of water mains to about 235,000 residential and commercial accounts. Meter reader turnover Accessing meters Keys 15-20% reduction in call Volume Why AMR? Benefits

AMR is a Customer Service Project and it’s not just for eliminating meter readers anymore

Questions??

For any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact the Metering, Billing, CRM/CIS America 2005 management Devi Paulsen Spintelligent Phone: (US) Contact the organizers