There are few people who touch every part of our business more than dispatchers. Dispatch is involved with overseeing and monitoring all departments, especially after hours. Long after most people have gone to bed, employees like Dispatcher Diana Pollard are monitoring multiple systems to ensure that Conway Corp continues to deliver the best utility service possible. From the OMS (Outage Management System) map and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) for electric, EntraPass for property access and alarms and WatchDog for surveillance capabilities, dispatchers are alert.
“We assist crews who are doing scheduled work by calling 811 in order to locate trouble, keeping our customer service team informed on water and power outages, road closures and providing useful information to assist them with customer issues,” Diana said. “We speak to customers, gathering information and trouble shoot to see if it is an issue we can resolve on our own. If we are unable to, we dispatch the appropriate crew to restore service.”
Safety and reliability are always at the top of mind for Diana and the entire dispatch team.
“Another impactful part of our role is that we are excellent record keepers. Anytime someone checks into our substation, any time our services are interrupted, we learn how long the service was out, what caused it and other important information that needs to be documented for future reference. Our services are monitored 24/7 and there is a dispatcher on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
When services are interrupted, the pressure is on to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
“The adrenaline can get real during these times, but you have to take a deep breath, stay focused and do your job to the best of your ability,” Diana said.” At times when I speak to frustrated customers, I think about how I would feel in their shoes. I let them vent and do my best to come up with a resolution to their problem.”
Diana, who has worked at Conway Corp for more than 18 years, has seen many changes. From the installation of AMI meters and the launch of OMS map, technology has provided more reliable and efficient ways for people to do their jobs, therefore better serving our customers.
“We used to have to send trouble men out to collect payment and reconnect power after hours,” she said. “We didn’t know we had a power outage unless a customer called in to report it. Now we are able remotely reconnect power from the office and know when and where power is out instantly using the OMS map. In addition, the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) has been a big change for the way customers have to report a power outage. They have the option of texting information about an outage or calling through our automated phone system. Either method reports the outage into the OMS. Our live outage map shows what areas are impacted, the estimated time of restoration and the cause of the outage. With the use of texting, we are now able to notify customers ahead of time when there is going to be a planned outage of power or water.”
Having technology like this in place allows us to communicate with our customers and to handle service interruptions quickly and effectively.
Conway Corp continues to build our reputation day in and day out. We strive daily for excellence in our business so that you can safely mind yours. As we reflect on our core values, reliability is constantly top of mind. By offering around-the-clock service, we hope to continue to earn the trust of Conway’s residents, businesses and partners. Employees like Diana exemplify dedication and reliability, consistently ensuring smooth and efficient service daily.
