Connecticut Light & Power Company

The power of customer focusKeith Regan learns how Connecticut Light & Power CompanyÔÇÖs focus on the delivery side of the industry has enabled it to improve its customer service both in quiet times and during the worst storm events. ┬áConnecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) handles the distribution of electric power to 1.2 million customers in 149 communities across Connecticut.   Part of publicly traded Northeast Utilities, CL&P, according to Ken Bowes, vice president of customer operations, has a laser-like focus on delivering customers what they want and need. In turbulent economic times, those customer demands include finding ways to reduce energy costs. That means that like many utilities, CL&P finds itself in the position of helping customers use less of its product, but it has embraced that role and become a go-to source for information on energy savings and sustainability issues. ÔÇ£Good outreach programs are essential,ÔÇØ Bowes says. ÔÇ£The new landscape means we have the task of separating kilowatt-hour sales from revenues and finding ways to grow revenues even as we help our customers find ways to reduce their energy consumption.ÔÇØ Those efforts include conservation and load-management programs, incentives for innovations such as distributed generationÔÇöwith large customers generating their own power on siteÔÇöas well as new construction programs that encourage builders to build more energy-efficient homes and programs aimed at limited-income customers. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre a trusted source of information on those issues,ÔÇØ Bowes adds. ÔÇ£Our customers look to us to provide recommendations and services in that area. Customers look to their electric utility to be the most knowledgeable people about energy issues.ÔÇØ Of course, customers also want their electricity to always be available to them, and a huge part of the work of the customer service team at CL&P involves being ready to restore service as quickly as possible during minor or major storm events. Many of the companyÔÇÖs 2,200 employees have dual roles and have to be constantly prepared to shift from routine duty to emergency restoration service on a momentÔÇÖs notice. Mock storms are staged to keep everyone sharp for when the real thing strikes. Much of the effort is about keeping information flowing freely from customers to the utility and back.┬á ÔÇ£I like to say restoration of power is 51 percent communication,ÔÇØ says Bowes. ÔÇ£A big part of what we practice and drill on is getting timely, accurate information out to the media, our key customers, town officials and the general public.ÔÇØAnother level of preparation is in place for major storms, such as the relatively rare Northeast hurricane, with the utility coordinating with local and state emergency management agencies. Using the media is a key component of the severe storm strategy,┬á as well, because customers still want to know the status of the efforts to restore electricity. ÔÇ£They want to know where the resources are being deployed,ÔÇØ Bowes adds. Alongside the storm preparation work, CL&P is also constantly gearing up for the annual peak demand period, which in Connecticut occurs in the summer months. Work to analyze the previous yearÔÇÖs peak and to prepare for the next round of strain on the system begins as soon as the previous summer ends, Bowes says. That work can help CL&P determine where to deploy resources to meet new demand, which is happening largely due to growth in two areasÔÇöthe Stamford region of the state just north of New York City and the far eastern part of the state, where the enormously successful Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos are driving economic expansion and electricity demand. Technology plays an extensive role in improving both the day-to-day customer service and the way extraordinary events are handled. An electronic outage management system is tied in with the customer call center, and a graphical system helps pinpoint where customers have lost power and identify trends as events unfold. ÔÇ£Technology gives us a huge advantage in analyzing and providing information for the dispatching of resources to solve problems. But we still drill on paper because we have to be ready for those times when the technology isnÔÇÖt available to us.ÔÇØUsing the Web also enables both customers and the news media to get information on a self-service basis, with data such as outages by town constantly updated. ÔÇ£We work very closely with the media,ÔÇØ Bowes says. The utility runs a ÔÇ£storm schoolÔÇØ for members of the media each year and invites electronic media to set up shop during storms inside the emergency operations center. Technology also assists with preventive maintenance meant to make sure wires remain free of obstructionsÔÇöwith infrared sensing used in addition to manual inspections by certified arboristsÔÇöand has transformed the way meter readings are collected. The utility moved several years ago to an automated collection system. Instead of a field team of some 200 meter readers, CL&P now uses a fleet of vans that travel pre-mapped routes to wirelessly collect readings. ÔÇ£It has increased productivity and efficiency, and it has cut down on error rates,ÔÇØ Bowes notes. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a finely tuned process, and it means weÔÇÖre executing with a much smaller labor force through the use of technology.ÔÇØCL&P made sure those former meter readers had a ÔÇ£soft landingÔÇØ when their jobs were eliminated. First, the process of changing more than a million meters took several years, so the workforce was reduced through normal attrition and retirement. At the same time, an extensive retraining effort was put in place to give meter readers the chance to become, first, the installers of the new technology, and later, the technicians who repair them. ÔÇ£It was a gentle and planned event, so we were really able to do it without displacing any workers,ÔÇØ says Bowes. That flexibility and ability to adapt to changes driven by technology is what makes CL&PÔÇÖs workforce a valuable asset in the changing utility landscape, where deregulation and conservation are dramatically altering the industry. ÔÇ£I see our employee base evolving over time to even more highly skilled workers who are highly computer-literate and technology-focused employees who use all types of technological tools,ÔÇØ Bowes says. HeÔÇÖs confident theyÔÇÖll make that transition smoothly and points to the way employees can change roles when a storm rolls in as evidence. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a great credit to the dedication and service of our employees that they can turn the switch instantaneously from one role to the other and keep the focus on the customer. In the end, thatÔÇÖs why they come here to work, because of that strong sense of customer service. It provides them a great deal of job satisfaction to be able to turn the lights back on for people.ÔÇØ┬á