Case Studies How Citizens Energy Group Is Leveraging Its Success with RouteSmart to Merge Water and Gas Meter Reading Routes

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	How Citizens Energy Group Is Leveraging Its Success with RouteSmart to Merge Water and Gas Meter Reading Routes

How Citizens Energy Group Is Leveraging Its Success with RouteSmart to Merge Water and Gas Meter Reading Routes

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Industries	Utilities
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Field Services
Use Cases	Fleet Management Predictive Maintenance Remote Asset Management
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration Training
Challenge	Serving nearly 300,000 customers in the greater Indianapolis area and surrounding counties, Veolia Water Indianapolis LLC, which had managed the Indianapolis Water (IW) Utility under contract since 2002, turned to RouteSmart in 2008 to manage a complete route redesign – the first major rerouting initiative in nearly 20 years. This redesign included overcoming several challenges, such as bimonthly readings for each half of the total service area, balancing billing cycles, matching routes to readers, and mapping over 23,000 customers who hadn’t been previously mapped. With a combination of fieldwork, software, and training, Indianapolis Water used RouteSmart to consolidate its 360 routes, gaining efficiency while minimizing customer impact. Fast-forward to today. In August 2011, Indianapolis Water merged with Citizens Energy Group (CEG), a utility with nearly 300,000 gas customers of its own and state-of-the-art technology, but routing challenges as well. To bring the two utilities together, the companies would have to combine gas and water meter-reading routes for over 600,000 customers without impacting the customer experience. Read More
About Customer	Citizens Energy Group (CEG) is a utility company that recently acquired Indianapolis Water (IW), which serves nearly 300,000 customers in the greater Indianapolis area and surrounding counties. CEG itself has nearly 300,000 gas customers and state-of-the-art technology. The company is focused on providing reliable utility services, including water and gas, to a large customer base. The merger of IW and CEG aims to combine their resources and expertise to improve service delivery and operational efficiency. The combined entity is leveraging advanced technologies like RouteSmart and Esri ArcGIS to optimize their meter-reading routes and enhance customer satisfaction. Read More
Solution	IW and CEG realized that they had a unique opportunity to leverage the 'best of both worlds.' IW had just completed a major route redesign using RouteSmart software – leaving its team with a depth of recent experience in the Indianapolis market. With the help of the latest mobile data capture technology, CEG has some of the richest data available on the area. As the IW team had learned in 2008, the only thing that makes RouteSmart even smarter is reliable data. Luckily, the CEG team had some experience with RouteSmart as well, but had never gone through a complete redesign with it. CEG staff and meter readers will get more exposure to the RouteSmart experience, including printed maps and using 'what if' scenarios to quickly evaluate routing changes and anticipate impacts. Former IW staff will reap the benefits of newer equipment and better data on their service area. With decades of experience, RouteSmart understands that optimizing workloads is a critical process for any utility to keep pace with ever-changing requirements for maintaining high levels of service at the lowest possible cost. RouteSmart software helps manage the multiple, geographically based work area planning and logistics considerations that all utility operations – whether investor owned or municipal – are expected to keep on top of. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Applicable Industries

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Field Services

Use Cases

Fleet Management

Predictive Maintenance

Remote Asset Management

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Training

Challenge

Serving nearly 300,000 customers in the greater Indianapolis area and surrounding counties, Veolia Water Indianapolis LLC, which had managed the Indianapolis Water (IW) Utility under contract since 2002, turned to RouteSmart in 2008 to manage a complete route redesign – the first major rerouting initiative in nearly 20 years. This redesign included overcoming several challenges, such as bimonthly readings for each half of the total service area, balancing billing cycles, matching routes to readers, and mapping over 23,000 customers who hadn’t been previously mapped. With a combination of fieldwork, software, and training, Indianapolis Water used RouteSmart to consolidate its 360 routes, gaining efficiency while minimizing customer impact. Fast-forward to today. In August 2011, Indianapolis Water merged with Citizens Energy Group (CEG), a utility with nearly 300,000 gas customers of its own and state-of-the-art technology, but routing challenges as well. To bring the two utilities together, the companies would have to combine gas and water meter-reading routes for over 600,000 customers without impacting the customer experience.

About Customer

Citizens Energy Group (CEG) is a utility company that recently acquired Indianapolis Water (IW), which serves nearly 300,000 customers in the greater Indianapolis area and surrounding counties. CEG itself has nearly 300,000 gas customers and state-of-the-art technology. The company is focused on providing reliable utility services, including water and gas, to a large customer base. The merger of IW and CEG aims to combine their resources and expertise to improve service delivery and operational efficiency. The combined entity is leveraging advanced technologies like RouteSmart and Esri ArcGIS to optimize their meter-reading routes and enhance customer satisfaction.

Solution

IW and CEG realized that they had a unique opportunity to leverage the 'best of both worlds.' IW had just completed a major route redesign using RouteSmart software – leaving its team with a depth of recent experience in the Indianapolis market. With the help of the latest mobile data capture technology, CEG has some of the richest data available on the area. As the IW team had learned in 2008, the only thing that makes RouteSmart even smarter is reliable data. Luckily, the CEG team had some experience with RouteSmart as well, but had never gone through a complete redesign with it. CEG staff and meter readers will get more exposure to the RouteSmart experience, including printed maps and using 'what if' scenarios to quickly evaluate routing changes and anticipate impacts. Former IW staff will reap the benefits of newer equipment and better data on their service area. With decades of experience, RouteSmart understands that optimizing workloads is a critical process for any utility to keep pace with ever-changing requirements for maintaining high levels of service at the lowest possible cost. RouteSmart software helps manage the multiple, geographically based work area planning and logistics considerations that all utility operations – whether investor owned or municipal – are expected to keep on top of.

Impact #1	Building on the gas utility’s billing cycles, the team is working on training staff and creating new, more streamlined routes.
Impact #2	The ultimate goal is to have one reader reading both meters along these consolidated routes.
Impact #3	Combining accurate data and the experience of a full route redesign with RouteSmart, the integrated CEG team is already making progress, especially in identifying trouble routes, mapping new areas, managing split and mixed routes, and adjusting reading frequency and the number of routes per cycle day.

Impact #1

Building on the gas utility’s billing cycles, the team is working on training staff and creating new, more streamlined routes.

Impact #2

The ultimate goal is to have one reader reading both meters along these consolidated routes.

Impact #3

Combining accurate data and the experience of a full route redesign with RouteSmart, the integrated CEG team is already making progress, especially in identifying trouble routes, mapping new areas, managing split and mixed routes, and adjusting reading frequency and the number of routes per cycle day.

Benefit #1	CEG will reduce the number of personnel.
Benefit #2	CEG will reduce the number of vehicles.
Benefit #3	CEG will reduce non-productive travel distance.

Benefit #1

CEG will reduce the number of personnel.

Benefit #2

CEG will reduce the number of vehicles.

Benefit #3

CEG will reduce non-productive travel distance.

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Overview

How Citizens Energy Group Is Leveraging Its Success with RouteSmart to Merge Water and Gas Meter Reading Routes

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit