As a result of the deregulation
of the electric power business in many states, power companies are striving to
find ways to improve their business and customer service. Failure to take these
actions could result in a substantial loss of business. In 1999, commercial
electric customers in Illinois were free to choose their power company. In
2000, home users were free to choose their power company. According to Roger
Koester, supervisor of energy delivery technology for Illinois Power Company,
“A few years ago, there weren’t that many competitors. But since then, the
competition has just exploded.” Illinois Power, realizing the potential impact
of increased competition from deregulation, decided to embark on a systems
development project to build a wireless communications system to improve
customer service.
Illinois
Power is a subsidiary of Illinova Corporation, a $2.4 billion company. Illinois
Power provides both gas and electric service to almost 1 million customers,
primarily in central Illinois. Traditionally, Illinois Power received calls
from customers requesting repairs or service over the phone at 26 field
offices. This information was then placed on service and repair orders and
given to dispatchers, who coordinated the work field crews. Although the system
worked, it was slow and inefficient. After years of planning and millions of
dollars invested in the systems development effort, Illinois Power was ready to
rollout its new wireless system.
With
the new wireless system, service and repair orders are captured at a
centralized computer system. The work orders are then sent via wireless
transmission directly to laptop computers of repair and service crews in the
field. “The driver gets in his truck and instead of searching through paper,
his day’s work is loaded on the laptop,” said Koester. In addition, drivers do
not need to travel to a central office to get their work. They can wake up in
the morning, get into their trucks, and download the day’s service and repair
work. Eliminating trips to a central office has saved the company thousands of
dollars in gas, while making the crews more efficient. Each truck is also
equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) to allow a central dispatcher
to locate the truck closest to an emergency repair. With the implementation of
the new system, Illinois Power hopes to increase profits and market share.
Discussion Questions:
1.
Why did Illinois Power decide to invest in a new
wireless system?
2.
What are the benefits of the new system?
Critical Thinking
Questions:
3.
From a customer’s perspective, what could Illinois Power
do to further increase customer service and satisfaction for home users?
Can you think about the benefits to the Retail
Industry? Viz, RFID
No comments:
Post a Comment