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Customer First Initiative |
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Our Customer First initiative is more than a phrase; it's a mantra we're committed to—at all levels of our organization. You are our top priority, and everything we do is with you and your satisfaction in mind. We dedicate this recurring column to our most important audience, our customers.
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Customer First
Checklist
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Process |
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Initiate new programs and procedures |
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Be a data-driven company |
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Improve communications |
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Quality |
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Deploy thorough product testing |
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Develop prioritized product roadmaps |
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Maintain continuous process improvement |
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People |
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Attract and retain top talent |
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Strengthen teamwork |
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Drive KPIs across the company |
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Speaking with customers is one of my greatest joys as president of Sensus. Nothing can top hearing firsthand what's on your mind, how our products and solutions meet your needs, and even how they don't. Such conversations are priceless, and I was pleased to have so many while in Phoenix at the 2014 Sensus Utility Conference.
Whether we had the chance to speak directly or not, it's my hope that you understand our deep-seated commitment to our Customer First initiative. We know our success depends on your success, and that's not just lip service. Every day we're adding new capabilities, and initiating new programs and processes driven by your feedback. That commitment is manifest in a myriad of projects throughout the company.
For instance, we recently migrated to a more fully automated test suite that will result in higher quality solutions released to the market place. (You can read more about that initiative in "Making the Grade" found later in this newsletter.) We're also tweaking our new product introduction process and developing prioritized product roadmaps that meet real customer needs and satisfy real customer requirements.
What all these efforts have in common is a solid commitment to quality. We intend for quality to be our differentiating factor—the way we set Sensus apart from the competition. I introduced the many Six Sigma initiatives in the last newsletter, but the topic bears repeating now. The Sensus program is one of the best I've ever seen, with 85 projects currently in process and 15 already completed. This work is leading to a culture shift at Sensus, making us a more data-driven company and one organized around continuous process improvement.
Behind it all is our team of dedicated, hard-working people. We're committed to hiring the best people we can and doing all in our power to foster their talent and expertise. We've initiated a new leadership development program where we bring on board top graduates from leading engineering schools across the nation and run them through a rotation that exposes them to every aspect of the company. We're also focusing on accountability, strengthening teamwork and driving key performance indicators companywide.
Finally, we're enhancing our communication efforts—both internal and external. This newsletter is just one of many examples of our efforts along these lines. I encourage you to join the conversation, provide feedback on the content and share your success stories for inclusion.
While there's much left to do, I think you'll agree that significant progress has been made. As long as we continue to meet issues head-on and walk side-by-side in partnership with you, I know we'll all succeed. |
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Randy Bays, President |
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Customer Spotlight:
The Borough of Monaca, PA |
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The Borough of Monaca, PA, added another brick in its road to sustainability with the deployment of a Sensus smart water network. The implementation enabled it to not only cut costs and improve system efficiencies, but also begin its journey toward becoming a leader in conservation. That work has grabbed attention and made headlines in leading trade publications like those below:
Landmark Leak Detection, Water and Wastes Digest
Leak Detection through AMI, Water Project Showcase, a supplement to Water UIM, p. 32 |
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Making the Grade |
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Here's one test we're excited about: SmartWare2, our new end-to-end solution testing platform implemented in early 2014. The result of a more than $1 million investment in both infrastructure and personnel, SmartWare2 has already enabled us to exponentially increase our software testing capabilities across our entire portfolio of products.
In fact, you could say the beauty of the platform is all about enabling the predictable "abilities": upgradability, compatibility and interoperability, to name just a few. SmartWare2 offers a host of customer benefits including:
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Real-world scenario testing on all products
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Smoother, faster product installations and upgrades
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Fewer defects in new product releases
A mobile solution requiring only an Internet connection, SmartWare2 has surpassed our initial expectations and opened the doors to many new opportunities for us and for our customers.
"The power of this platform is amazing," shared Rick Daniel, director of global testing. "Because it enables us to look across our complete range of solutions and services, we've decreased the time required for new product development while significantly improving product quality. As a result, customers will spend less time on acceptance testing, experience fewer defects and be able to deploy new products and upgrades more quickly." |
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Share Your Ideas. We're Listening! |
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Your feedback comes to us in a variety of ways—from phone calls and emails to suggestions on trade show survey forms to back-of-the-napkin sketches during dinner. This variety makes systematic follow-up a challenge and limits our view of the relative popularity of any one idea.
That's why we've created Ideas, an open forum for the My Sensus Connection community to share suggestions for new features or functionality, request modifications to existing products or propose new products that might not even exist yet.
In addition to submitting your own ideas, you can comment on those of others and vote for the ones you think are the most valuable. We'll track submissions in real time as they pass through defined review stages so you can follow their progress.
Submit your idea today by clicking the 'Ideas' icon on the My Sensus Connection home page and then clicking 'Share My Idea.' Fill out the form with the name of your idea, a short description and a few examples of how you would use your idea. Then click the 'Submit' button to share your idea with the community. |
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Communications Toolkit for
FlexNex System Deployments |
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There's more to a successful FlexNet™ communication network deployment at your water utility than just installing towers, base stations and sensors. You also need to explain what the technology is all about, how the new system will benefit your utility and customers, and how the deployment itself will play out over time. And we're here to help.
We've developed a Communications Toolkit for FlexNet System Deployments that gives you a proposed timeline and templates for creating the various communications pieces you need to effectively inform your customers, town officials, the media and the public at-large about your upcoming deployment. It's packed with tools you can use, including:
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Customer letters
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Postcards
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Door hangers
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Bill inserts
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FAQs
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Web page templates
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Photos
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Sample news releases
You can access the toolkit from My Sensus Connection by going to the 'Manuals' section and searching the Information Sheets Library for 'Customer Communications Toolkit-PDF'. Download the PDF and customize the information to meet your specific needs. |
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SFUG Announces New Leadership and
Theme for 2015 |
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The Sensus FlexNet User Group (SFUG) elected new officers during its annual business sessions at the 2014 Sensus Utility Conference. Officers for 2015 are:
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Chair–David Anglin, Atmos Energy
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Vice-Chair–Mitch Cason, Georgia Power
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Secretary–Dominic Longo, Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc.
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Past Chair–Kevin McCauley, Utilities Kingston
The SFUG executive committee also adopted a theme to guide the group’s efforts in 2015: Rename, Recommit and Re-energize.
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Rename–Leadership is committed to finding a more fitting name that better reflects SFUG membership and portrays a strong, professional image for the organization.
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Recommit–Members are urged to actively participate in the coming year. Engage in the various subcommittees, provide input, and share your experiences and successes with Sensus products.
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Re-energize–Start improving today! Each member is encouraged to find a role and re-energize their involvement with the organization.
Let’s keep things moving and make 2015 SFUG's best year ever. David Anglin welcomes your feedback and invites you to reach out to him at 972-964-4110 or [email protected]. |
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Change for the Better |
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At the 2014 Sensus Utility Conference, we invited you to go beyond giving and make a real impact in the world by redeeming commemorative coins. And did you ever! Collectively, you created big changes in the protection of our natural resources by committing to provide:
Keep the momentum going by pre-registering now for this year's event which will be held October 25–28, 2015 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®. |
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On the Road with Sensus |
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Sensus will participate in the following conferences the first quarter of calendar year 2015. Be certain to stop by our booth and attend the session we're speaking at while you're there.
DistribuTECH 2015
February 3–5, 2015
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Booth #1801 |
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TechAdvantage 2015
February 23–26, 2015
Orlando County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
Booth #1231 |
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Energy Thought Summit – ETS15
March 25–26, 2015
AT&T Executive Education
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Austin, TX
Sensus Chairman Lou D'Ambrosio is among the featured speakers. |
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In Other News |
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About Customer Connection
Customer Connection is a quarterly e-newsletter created with you, the Sensus customer, in mind. Here we'll share important company announcements, initiatives, product information and upcoming events. It will also be a place where you can learn from your peers and hear about how Sensus products and services help them achieve their organizational goals.
If this issue was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive future issues, you can subscribe by completing this form.
Share Your Feedback
We want the sharing to go both ways and encourage you to recommend your success story for coverage in future editions. Send that information to Paula Dickerson. All submissions will be captured and considered for future newsletters. The next customer success story you read might be your own! |
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