When Hurricanes Michael and Florence hit in fall 2018, getting updates on the status of their utility service became critical for millions of people who had lost power. In today’s age, being out of power with little or no communication isn’t good enough for most customers who now expect instant and transparent access to all types of information from their service providers.
“We know today that customers want to be engaged,” said Retha Hunsicker, VP, CIS – customer connect solutions at Duke Energy. “They are comparing us to so many other industries where situational transparency exists. They have a lot of control and choice.”
“I’ve worked with a lot of utilities,” explained Jerry Cavalieri, CEO of consulting firm HPC America, “and it’s rare to have as many branches as the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has.” The nonprofit entity serves 50,000 customers across the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation with electric, gas, water, wastewater, telecom, and solar offerings. “The ERP has to serve multiple utilities, each with different requirements from billing to work management,” Cavalieri said. “The NTUA has managed that complexity with a relatively small staff for years.”
Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is the most comprehensive utility service provider in Florida, with operations that span electric, natural gas, water, wastewater, and telecommunications. The utility company was beginning to transition to one shared SAP ERP system, and it had been managing its inventory system with best practices and processes in place.
