Denton Municipal Utilities launches new outage management system to handle utility emergencies

by PegNews wire

On December 1, Denton Municipal Utilities (DMU) Emergency Utility Operations launched its new Outage Management System (OMS) designed to enhance DMU customers’ ability to report power and streetlight outages, water and wastewater emergencies. The new system includes an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System in addition to an OMS. With the launch of this new system, a new Utility Operations phone number has been activated. Now customers can call (940) 349-7000, an easy-to-remember phone number, which replaces all other existing Utility Operations contact numbers.

When a customer calls Utility Operations, the customer is given a series of options including reporting a power outage, downed power line, other utility emergency or to speak with utility operations. If the customer calls from the home or business phone number listed on his/her utility account, the IVR can access the customer’s service address and account information. If calling from a cellular phone or alternative phone number, the customer can simply enter his/her service address phone number listed on the account to report the emergency. The customer has also the option of entering an account number or meter number, if he/she does not know the service address phone number. The IVR is also able to handle up to 300 customer calls at one time.

“In a matter of seconds, the IVR has established who the customer is and what address they are calling about,” stated Terry Jones, System Operations Superintendent for Denton Municipal Electric. “After that, if it is a power outage, for example, the Outage Management System records the information and sends a notification to our grid system that there is an outage at that location. From there, we are able to have service crews responding to a pinpointed outage location.”

If more than one customer calls to report a power outage, the OMS gives the callers the most up-to-date information about the status of the outage. It will alert callers that the utility is aware of the outage and that crews are either en route to the outage or have begun working to restore power. System Operations also has the ability to record messages with the most current outage information so that customers can call back to check on the status of an outage.

“We are excited to offer this new level of exceptional service to our utility customers,” said Phil Williams, General Manager for Denton Municipal Electric (DME). “As an organization, DME and the City of Denton are always striving to be more responsive to customer needs and having this new system will help us in our continual efforts to improve customer service.”

Source: Denton Municipal Utilities