Figure 1: Westar Energy and PSEG Long Island outage reporting Westar Energy (A) and PSEG Long Island (B) allow customers to report an outage by selecting their address on the outage map. However, in the examples we’ve seen, customers can only make a report for known outages that show up on the map, and when they opt to make a report, they must then sign in and complete the standard outage-reporting form. However, Gruber is interested in restoring this capability in the future.īeyond Orange & Rockland’s app, the closest example we have to location-enabled outage reporting is when customers report outages straight from the utility’s outage map ( figure 1). The merged digital team prioritized creating consistent website and app experiences across the two entities and didn’t have the time or resources to support the feature. KUBRA (iFactor at the time of development) partnered with Orange & Rockland for the feature.Īccording to Scott Gruber, project specialist in the utility’s digital communications department, the app was retired when Orange & Rockland merged with Con Edison. To do so, customers needed to enable location services so their coordinates could be used to pinpoint the damage. Customers were able to use geolocation to report outages and attach photos of damage and send them to the utility. Orange & Rockland briefly supported a location-enabled reporting tool.
#KUBRA IFACTOR LOCATION VERIFICATION#
Most utilities allow customers to report an outage via a variety of channels, but customers either manually input their address or it’s pulled into the report through other verification information (such as the account number or phone number). Incorporating this capability into your mobile app is a valuable way to elevate the user experience and provide an experience that’s comparable to that of other companies your customers interact with.Īlthough it’s not exactly location-enabled outage reporting, several utilities offer a My Location feature on outage maps, and KUBRA, a popular utility customer experience management system vendor, offers an incident-reporting product that allows customers to report streetlight outages and other infrastructure issues from their current location.
I can tell you with great confidence that KUBRA will be among one of the leading companies to watch.Q:Are any utilities allowing customers to share their location on a mobile device to report a power outage?Ī:We’re not aware of any utilities that offer location-enabled outage reporting, but many organizations outside the energy industry allow customers to share their location on a mobile app to complete a task.įor example, Lyft and Uber customers use this feature to hail a ride, and AAA customers can use location services to request roadside assistance. We will continue investing and developing scalable products on both platforms with the aspiration of forming the most advanced Customer Experience Management solution in the marketplace.Ģ016 boasts of exciting evolutions in technology and offerings and you can expect to watch companies capitalize on limitless growth across the mobile technology and payments platform. KUBRA will be providing our clients the opportunity of direct and more meaningful interactions with their customers. Harnessing the tremendous depth and talent of our combined technologies and service departments, we will catapult these agile technologies into extraordinary industry heights and client experiences. Broadcasting power outages, informing of energy usage and billing and payments, iFactor and their team of 70 people strong continue to successfully deliver. The addition of iFactor’s communication excellence will enhance the robust portfolio of KUBRA products.Īcknowledging a communication gap from utility provider to customer, iFactor addressed the necessity for communication services direct to customers using a variety of mobile methods. We have been monitoring iFactor’s impressive technology, its people and their remarkable growth to realize the prospective superior product offering potential to our clients, Our People and our shareholders. The start of 2016 brings with it the start of a new and exciting year for KUBRA.Īs of January 1st, 2016 I am tremendously excited to announce that KUBRA has acquired leading-edge customer communication provider, iFactor.
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