Park Water Company

A public water utility achieves significant cost savings and greater efficiencies using the 3n mass notification solution

Park Water Company (PWC) is an investor-owned, public water utility company that serves a population of approximately 200,000 people in California and Montana. PWC delivers water to approximately 65,000 service connections through a distribution system of over 800 miles of pipeline.

Challenges

PWC needed a high-capacity communications system to notify thousands of customers in minutes during emergencies and for routine operations. In emergency situations, PWC must rapidly disseminate time-sensitive information and instructions to customers in addition to quickly communicating with employees. Routine activities such as flushing—the process of cleaning pipes through the force of water—require PWC to provide advance notice to customers to prevent an influx of calls to the call center. PWC faced several key challenges with their legacy notification capabilities:

• Inefficient processes for emergency communications. With no automated system for sending out geographically targeted messages, PWC’s emergency notification processes were slow, manual, and unwieldy.
• Labor-intensive and costly customer service notifications. To inform customers of scheduled maintenance or a planned service interruption, PWC sent out letters, posted street signs in communities, and went house-to-house placing door hangers, logging many hours of work and incurring costs for each activity. As a result, PWC had very little flexibility to change maintenance windows after they were scheduled.

Solution

PWC needed a solution that integrated with its customer service operations and delivered quick, reliable communications targeted to customers in a specific geographic area. PWC chose the 3n mass notification system to meet its stringent requirements. Geographically targeted notifications enable PWC to send public safety alerts and maintenance notices to customers in affected areas in minutes. Instead of alerting all residents unnecessarily, the system is capable of targeting a specific area by zip code, street address, radius, or by using a polygon to select a neighborhood or other location.

“…3n fit our needs. Not only do we save time and improve customer service during our routine activities, but we also know we have a quick and reliable way to communicate with our customers and employees during an emergency,”
– Mary Young, Senior Vice President of Administration

Results

• Substantial time and cost savings. With the 3n mass notification system, PWC has been able to eliminate costly community outreach efforts, including expensive and labor-intensive door hangers, letters, and community signs, saving the company significant money and labor resources.
• Enhanced customer service and reduced inbound support calls. PWC has been able to improve its customer service and satisfaction levels by proactively keeping residents informed of pending service interruptions and routine maintenance, decreasing inbound call-center calls and preventing customer complaints.
• Improved emergency preparedness and response capabilities. PWC demonstrated its concern for public safety with the implementation of the 3n mass notification system, which will enable them to respond quickly to any emergency, minimize the customer impact, and allow the company to manage the crisis more effectively.