Here’s one more Interactive Voice Response IVR system focused presentation from Milsoft's 2009 User Conference informative. It was originally presented there by Buddy Johns. The Milsoft Electric Utility Solutions Users Conference is the premier event for both our users and vendors offering interoperable electric utility management services that enhance Milsoft’s Smart Grid Systems. If you’d like to receive information about our software training events, you can email: missy.brooks@milsoft.com.

1. Multi-Utility Call Centers:
Challenges and Opportunities
Buddy Johns

2. Customer Response Center
• CRC is a multi-utility call center that handles
after-hours calls for our Member Systems.
• Located at PowerSouth Energy Cooperative in
Andalusia, Alabama
• We currently have 11 members that participate
with a customer base of around 250,000.
• Use Porche IVR to manage our calls

3. Benefits for our Members
• Cost Effective - We distribute the cost back to
the participating members on a per meter basis.
• Reduction of employees
• Allows member on-call personnel to be mobile
• Allows our members access to our Porche
System, its features, and numerous phone lines
24/7, using remote software at a fraction of the
cost of establishing their own system

4. More Benefits
• Better means of handling outages, which
increases their customer service
• Convenience to switch over to Porche on the fly
for major storms or in house meetings
• Gives members a reliable means of accessing
historical data
• Activity reports every morning
• Can choose to use CRC Full-time or Part-time

5. Challenges
Challenges we faced along the way
and how we answered them…….

6. Challenge: Retention
• Challenge: Retaining Employees. Initially used
all contract employees
• Remedy: Transitioned some of our contract
employees to full-time PowerSouth employees

7. Challenge: Large Call Volumes
• Challenge: Handling large call volumes with our
budgeted staffing levels
• Remedy: Besides padding our schedule during
storms, we set parameters when members
should use their remote access and get involved
with the outages.

8. Challenge: Remote Access
• Challenge: Members having a reliable remote
access. Originally the only means was dial-up.
• Remedy: We provided them with a VPN
connection at their office and homes where it
was possible and they had access to high speed
internet.

9. Challenge: Routing
• Challenge: Routing and rerouting members tollfree numbers during emergencies and on the fly.
We originally had to call in to our LD provider
and have them do it for us.
• Remedy: Our LD provider has a web-based tool
that gives us access to switch routing on these
numbers online and on the fly.

10. Questions:
CRC is dedicated to providing
excellence in customer service to
our member systems!