Customer Connection

Business Update: Customer First & Continuous Improvement

We are listening

I value the insight from our customers, partners and employees. The feedback we receive helps us chart the course to put our customers first and continually improve every aspect of our business. For those of you attending industry events or the 2018 Sensus Reach conference, let’s chat.

We are growing

Our Sensus Analytics platform is now one of the largest cloud application services in the utility industry. Thanks to customer validation of our smart technology, we continue to add customers at a steady pace.

We are improving

The latest Regional Network Interface (RNI)™, version 4.3, the nerve center of the FlexNet® communication network, is helping you customize specific needs and goals. Let us hear more from you so we can put lessons learned to good use.

We continue to put customers first

You let us know our FlexNet RNI upgrades needed to be simplified. We listened and we will continue to monitor and answer customer questions during any upgrade process. You can read more about the live chat and knowledge base features that we launched in the first quarter. It’s a great example of how your input helps us improve our customer service.

We are focused on continuous improvement

Our Deployment Services team is your single stop for timely support that helps deliver a seamless customer journey. But don’t just take my word for it. Meet the people leading the charge and look for more results from our dedicated employees in future editions of this newsletter.

On behalf of Xylem Measurement & Control Solutions, keep the ideas coming. Together, our solutions will help build a better tomorrow.

Colin R. Sabol
Senior Vice President and President
Xylem Measurement & Control Solutions

Restoring power as quickly as possible is often top of mind for service providers, and this is certainly true for Dickson Electric System in Tennessee.

Dickson Electric wanted to speed up its outage response time for customers and chose the Sensus Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution.

By automating data collection and using that data to pinpoint the exact location of any outages, Dickson Electric can respond long before a customer calls.

Read the case study to learn more.

The next customer spotlight could be you. Contact Kim Genardo to share your story.

Congressman David Price of North Carolina paid a special visit to Sensus in March.

During his two-hour stay, we gave him an overview of our company and highlighted our community relations efforts in support of education and conservation initiatives.

Then it was off to the test facility where he witnessed our rigorous product testing and even helped perform a meter drop test. He was especially interested in the work we do to improve the resiliency of our products when faced with tropical storm force winds, intense rain and extreme temperatures.

With nearly $90 billion in disaster relief assistance funneled into the federal budget, we stressed the importance of rebuilding infrastructure with an eye towards improved resiliency. We also shared examples of how our technology has helped utilities improve their disaster recovery programs.

The 2018 Sensus REACH conference will now offer three full days of exciting content including new learning labs, product roadmaps and customer case studies.

We need YOU

Among the most popular conference sessions are those led by our customers. REACH18 is the perfect venue to share your knowledge and insight with fellow attendees. It’s a great opportunity for you to step up and be that trusted adviser who helps others reach farther.

Share a lessons learned story during the past hurricane season, discuss better ways to reduce non-revenue water or offer data usage insights that help co-ops and smart cities better serve customers. The presentation ideas are endless.

It’s easy to apply

Submit your abstract to present. Complete the abstract submission form by including a brief, 250-word description of your proposed session, your 100-word biography and a high-resolution headshot.

Abstracts are being accepted for consideration through Friday, June 8, 2018.

Visit the Sunshine State

Make your plans to join us at the Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida from October 21-24, 2018.

Sign up for the REACH18 Conference by September 13 to lock in early bird savings of $200 on the three-day conference fee.

— Anne Mushow

Within the new Customer Success organization is the Deployment Services team led by Senior Director Anne Mushow.

Anne is no stranger to customer service. Most recently she led the Returned Material Analysis (RMA) Services group. In December, she took on her latest leadership role.

The customer journey begins here

Once the contract is signed, the customer journey begins with Deployment Services. You’ll first meet a project manager on Anne’s team of 80 employees which also includes application engineers and RF engineers.

“We are your one-stop shop for full deployment,” said Anne. “Each project is unique, so our job is to successfully build out the robust communication network and ensure that your system is not only functioning but also meeting—or even exceeding—target success rates.”

Customer engagement

Timeliness and flexibility are necessary employee traits for providing great customer service. No matter the region; Canada, Northeast, Southeast or West, the Deployment Services team stays connected and continuously updates you throughout the installation and deployment process.

“Deployment Services is your go-to resource for help navigating any issue within Sensus,” said Anne. “As a point person, we can deliver timely answers to your questions. Our goal is to make your customer journey seamless.”

That’s why in our next customer newsletter, you’ll meet the team lead for Customer Service and we will share more details of our customer journey roadmap.

Kevin McCauley, Secretary of the Sensus Partner and Advisor Network (SPAN), and Director of Measurement & Communications at Utilities Kingston, credits the unique relationship between Sensus and its customers to turn a business challenge into a timely solution. Learn more about the recently deployed live chat and knowledge base features in the customer portal.

SPAN Focus Group makes a suggestion

Much like the way you might troubleshoot an issue with your home computer or perhaps correct a discrepancy with an online order—many of us have used an online chat feature for instant access to help. SPAN’s Technical Communications Focus Group suggested such a feature would be useful for Sensus customers.

“I give Sensus a lot of credit,” said Kevin. “The company culture promotes openness to discussing customer issues and finding solutions.”

Customer portal offers user-friendly solutions

The Sensus Technical Services team went to work and devised a user-friendly solution. During the first quarter of 2018, they rolled out enhancements to modernize our call center environment with the goal of continually improving customer resolution time.

As in the past, customers can reach Sensus technical support on the phone. But now there is an additional live chat feature for online technical assistance from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Customers can also email a question or refer to another new tool called “Knowledge Base” which offers written, user-friendly answers to commonly asked questions. The library consists of 300 “how to” articles and is growing.

	— Kevin McCauley

• Milsoft User Conference
  June 12-14
  Amelia Island, FL
  Booth #39

• Canadian Gas Association
  June 4- 7
  Edmonton, Alberta
  Booth #10
  Sensus Senior Product Manager, Turbo and Sonix Meters, Paul Honchar will demonstrate how the Auto-Adjust® II Turbo Meter can help diagnose normal and abnormal conditions on Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. EST


• World Gas Conference
  June 25-29
  Washington D.C
  Booth # 2103
  Sensus Vice President of Gas Sales Chris Wykle will lead a session about innovation and implementing future energy systems through technology on Wednesday, June 27 at 4:15 p.m. EST

• ACE18
  June 11-14
  Las Vegas, NV
  Booth 19043
  
  Agenda Alert: Can’t Miss Presentations from Sensus and other Xylem brands
  
  
  Tuesday, June 12
  
  
  • Utility Communications Technology Options: What are the important considerations for a Smart Water / Smart City infrastructure?
    
    2:20 p.m. Advanced Metering Infrastructure: Utilizing the Network from Smart Meters to Smart Water and Beyond
    
    4:20 p.m. Panel Discussion
    
    Travis Smith, Sensus
    
    
  • Small Distribution System: Hazards and Solutions
    
    2:30 p.m. Improving Water Quality by Identifying and Eliminating Hazardous Dead-Ends
    
    Wayne Pratt, Wachs Water
  
  
  • The Precision of Water Use: How to Control, Measure, and Change
    
    3:00 p.m. Are Your Commercial and Industrial Meters Delivering on their Full Revenue Potential?
    
    Jeff Zillmer, Sensus
  
  
  • Utility Optimization: Innovations & New Technologies
    
    3:30 p.m. Data as Innovation
    
    Travis Wagner, Pure Technologies
  
  Wednesday, June 13
  
  
  • Small Distribution Systems: Monitoring, Metering, and Savings
    
    9:00 a.m. Reach Further to Access Data Points and Get More Value from Your Network
    
    11:00 a.m. Panel Discussion
    
    Travis Wagner, Pure Technologies
  
  
  • The Results Are In! AWWA’s Disinfection Survey 2017
    
    9:10 a.m. Disinfection Technologies: Usage and Drivers
    
    Bertrand Dussert, Wedeco/Xylem
  
  
  • Pipeline Condition Assessment
    
    2:30 p.m. Longest Free-Swimming Electromagnetic Water Main Inspection in the World
    
    Tom Hankins, Homestake Water Project, Co-Authors: Michelle Antilla, Andy Dettmer, Pure Technologies
    
    3:00 p.m. Monitoring, Repairs Stop Potential Water Main Break
    
    Jorge Rodriguez, Pure Technologies
  
  
  Thursday, June 14
  
  
  • Applying Advanced Infrastructure across the Water Cycle
    
    8:30 – 11:00 a.m. Sponsored Session – Sensus, Valor Water, Xylem Analytics, Pure Technologies, Visenti
    
    Moderated by Chris Thomson, Sensus
  
  
  • Use of Risk in Pipeline Renewal Planning
    
    9:00 a.m. SAWS Uses Finite Element and Remaining Useful Life Analysis to Defer $40M Pipeline Replacement
    
    Linda Beavis, SAWS, Co-Author: Andy Dettmer, Pure Technologies
    
    9:30 a.m. Dallas Defers $70M Capital Replacement of 84-inch PCCP Water Main using Remaining Useful Life Analysis
    
    Randall Payton, Dallas Water Utilities, Co-Author: Andy Dettmer, Pure Technologies
  
  
  • Water Loss: Technology & Analytics
    
    3:00 p.m. Passive leak detection in Hendersonville, NC
    
    Zac Barker, Visenti
    

• EWEB Realizes Customer Safety and Service Goals with Sensus Stratus Electricity Meter
  (January 10, 2018)
  
  
• Sensus FlexNet EasyLink Mobile Communications Solution Provides New Flexibility in AMR for Water, Gas and Electric Utilities
  (January 17, 2018)
  
  
• Storm-hardened Communication Network from Sensus Helps Utilities Weather Winter Blast
  (February 7, 2018)
  
  
• Mount Pleasant Waterworks Creates a New Customer Service Experience
  (February 13, 2018)
  
  
• Cobb EMC Installs Smart Street Lighting Solution
  (February 20, 2018)
  
  
• Nicor Gas Selects Sensus for Meter Modernization Program
  (March 8, 2018)
  
  
• City of Azusa Looks to the Future with Selection of Sensus AMI Solution
  (March 13, 2018)
  
  
• World Water Day: Utilities Conserve Water with Sensus iPERL Meters
  (March 22, 2018)
  
  
• City of Troy Improves Customer Relationships and Billing Accuracy with Sensus AMI Solution
  (March 28, 2018)

• Hurricane Forces: Grid Responders Gain Insights Battling Harvey, Irma and Maria
  (PowerGrid, January 2018 issue)
  
  
• Lessen Leaks, Raise Revenue
  (Water & Wastes Digest, February 13, 2018)
  
  
• Stem the Tide of Non-Revenue Water
  (Water Finance & Management, February 20, 2018)
  
  
• Why HPC Matters: The Internet of Things
  (CIO, February 21, 2018)
  
  
• Winning by Losing
  (Electric Light & Power, March 8, 2018)
  
  
• Put Data to Work
  (Water Efficiency, March-April 2018 Issue)