THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406030612
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DeGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940602 LENGTH: Medium
Beginning today, 1.8 million customers of Virginia Power and North Carolina Power will join a new automated outage-reporting system.
{REST} The $200,000 computerized program, which identifies blackouts by callers' telephone numbers, will ease the process of reporting power problems, North Carolina Power spokesman Randy D. Shillingburg said.
``With this new system, we'll be able to answer calls more efficiently and provide initial assessments of the extent of outage problems,'' Shillingburg said from his Roanoke Rapids office Wednesday. ``It is a very significant improvement for us and ultimately will save customers some money.''
The automated reporting system was two years in the making. It allows customers to report outages simply by calling the local utilities and pressing their telephone numbers into a computerized databank. The system matches the telephone number to the caller's address and automatically records the outage.
Previously, customers had to report black-outs to individual operators. Callers had to identify themselves by their electric account numbers, then wait for someone to process the information.
``The automated reporting system provides the equivalent of 48 customer service agents 24 hours a day,'' Virginia Power spokesman Charles Taylor said from his Richmond office Wednesday. ``The operators will remain. But during times when phone centers aren't normally staffed, this system will be available.
``It will give us a head start on assessing the location and scope of the outage.''
In 1993, Virginia and North Carolina customers went without electricity for an average of two hours during the entire year.
``In the past, you had to wait for someone to come on the phone line, find your account number, then tell them about emergencies or lights out,'' Shillingburg said. ``Now, you may be able to report the problem simply by dialing the phone. It will take about the same time for individual customers to call in. But it will allow us to process and evaluate the calls more quickly.
``If people find it easier to call,'' Shillingburg said, ``more probably will report outages immediately.''
Virginia Power and North Carolina Power are subsidiaries of the same company. The electric utility serves 65 percent of Virginia's residents and most customers in Northeastern North Carolina. But power officials have no way of knowing about electric problems unless customers tell them.
``When thousands of people call us in the middle of the night during a storm, now more will be able to get through at once,'' Shillingburg said. ``Plus, we'll save the overtime for additional operators.''
Although the system was designed for pushbutton phone users, power officials said it also will serve customers with rotary dials.
An automated operator will ask the callers to say their 10-digit area code and telephone numbers. Then the system will verify callers via computer-generated questions.
Customers of the two power companies will receive notices about the new automated reporting system in their June bills.
Power company officials ask customers to call the number listed on the front of the bill to verify their telephone number. When calling to update phone numbers, customers will need to provide their account number.
For more information, or to verify your telephone number, call Virginia Power at (804) 771-3890 or North Carolina Power at (919) 535-6006. by CNB