Project Approach
At Keystone Utility Systems our mission is to achieve a new tier in project attentiveness and satisfaction for our utility contracting clients. We have the utmost confidence in our technicians and office staff to represent our company, our clients, and our customers. If KUS is chosen as the installation contractor for The City of Yonkers, you can rely on us to provide quality installation through cutting-edge project management tools and our attention to detail with our deployment. This document’s purpose is to outline and accent the installation and management skills possessed by KUS’ project team. In addition to this, we can provide the convenience of handling warehousing, staffing, project implementation, meter testing, register head removal and any other aspects of project completion “in house.” By controlling these aspects of the operation, we can provide quick and accurate information to all concerned parties, on an “as needed” basis, in a prompt and efficient manner. Our Work Order Management System experience and use of mobile devices in the field for data capture provide our technicians with up to the minute installation details, and it allows our team to report any and all aspect of installation to our clients’ while on-sight.
Project Ramp-Up
Although each utility contracting project is individually assessed for deployment, typically our management team would choose one Project Manager and one or two Field Supervisors from our current pool of experienced and professional managers and technicians. The Project Manager will travel to Yonkers for pre-deployment discussions and to coordinate with utility staff members associated with project implementation. They will then review sample job sites in the area and organize the service area into zones or districts with the guidance from City Staff and the Program Manager in order to approach the project efficiently. At this time, we will contact local authorities and notify them that we will be working in neighborhoods during certain deployment times.
Once this initial assessment has taken place, the supervisor(s) will work with our main office to finalize a coordinated plan for project completion. A warehouse space for project inventory (proposed 2 month working supply to limit size) and housing of vehicles will be acquired and organized to provide our technicians with workspace, equipment, and supplies they may need for the duration of the project. Our data processing department at our office in Luzern PA will coordinate with IT and Project Managers, so they can together determine the best way to format, organize, and submit data. We have nightly reporting processes for installation data and will adjust this process to the needs of the utility. Once we have the point of service information, we will import it into our system and create the work-order management system (WOMS) supplied by H2O analytics which will digitally collect all of the installation data and report it back to the project team. Our team at H2O analytics can write processes to integrate with billing systems if required. An online portal is available for real-time project viewing and reviewing installation photos/data. Our appointment database, which we can easily adapt to any contract needs, simultaneously controls inventory, schedules, data submission, and other installation information. We also have experience interfacing with customer data systems of billing vendors and smart metering companies. KUS can utilize several work-order management systems that operate on a variety of devices (Android, IOS, etc.)
The final portion of our “ramp-up” will involve acquiring our inventory from any vendors involved in the project. Any literature and mailers will be submitted for review and printed upon approval. We will then coordinate a time for our field supervisor and foreman to meet with the supervisors in the city/municipality who are directly in control of this project. These meetings will be used to inform the supervisors that we have completed the ramp-up and are ready to begin the project approach. Our level of preparation helps ensure that we will have the highest possible level of success.
Customer Communications
KUS has vast experience in appointment setting and indoor installations. We utilize outbound/inbound calls, letters, door hangers, email appointments, and online appointment setting. For mailers, KUS proposes to use full-size mailers with “Utility Notice” in red on the envelope. This allows the requests for appointments to stand out in the mail. In addition, we utilize our in-house call center to place outgoing phone calls for the duration of the project while simultaneously managing email appointments and the influx of appointments that are captured on our website. KUS offers multiple options for customer to set an appointment and we even use live 3rd party language services to assist customers that may need language assistance.
Our team will use a minimum of 3 letters, followed by a phone call for each round, and 1 physical visit. When and where emails are available, those will be used regularly to garner online appointments. Our appointment service also includes email or text reminders.
Our call center is located at our home office in Luzerne Pennsylvania and is staffed by experienced AMI/AMR call center employees. Our office manager has 7 years of experience in AMI/AMR call center support, and our team can appropriately and broadly support your utility efforts.
Keystone Utility Systems communications process will include a minimum of 3 mailers, 1 phone attempt, and 1 physical attempt before accounts will be returned to the utility as non-responsive.
Keystone Utility Systems will utilize a full Covid-19 action plan with call screening and proper PPE for all customer interactions if that is still required at the time of deployment.