Oracle Utilities Opower Advanced Metering Infrastructure High Bill Alert Cloud Service

Transcription

1 Oracle Utilities Opower Advanced Metering Infrastructure High Bill Alert Cloud Service Customer Service Guide E Last Updated: August 10, 2018

2 Oracle Utilities Opower Advanced Metering Infrastructure High Bill Alerts Customer Service Guide Copyright 2015, 2017, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This software and related documentation are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and are protected by intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted in your license agreement or allowed by law, you may not use, copy, reproduce, translate, broadcast, modify, license, transmit, distribute, exhibit, perform, publish, or display any part, in any form, or by any means. Reverse engineering, disassembly, or decompilation of this software, unless required by law for interoperability, is prohibited. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice and is not warranted to be error-free. If you find any errors, please report them to us in writing. If this is software or related documentation that is delivered to the U.S. Government or anyone licensing it on behalf of the U.S. Government, then the following notice is applicable: U.S. GOVERNMENT END USERS: Oracle programs, including any operating system, integrated software, any programs installed on the hardware, and/or documentation, delivered to U.S. Government end users are "commercial computer software" pursuant to the applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation and agency- specific supplemental regulations. As such, use, duplication, disclosure, modification, and adaptation of the programs, including any operating system, integrated software, any programs installed on the hardware, and/or documentation, shall be subject to license terms and license restrictions applicable to the programs. No other rights are granted to the U.S. Government. This software or hardware is developed for general use in a variety of information management applications. It is not developed or intended for use in any inherently dangerous applications, including applications that may create a risk of personal injury. If you use this software or hardware in dangerous applications, then you shall be responsible to take all appropriate fail-safe, backup, redundancy, and other measures to ensure its safe use. Oracle Corporation and its affiliates disclaim any liability for any damages caused by use of this software or hardware in dangerous applications. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Intel and Intel Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. AMD, Opteron, the AMD logo, and the AMD Opteron logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. This software or hardware and documentation may provide access to or information about content, products, and services from third parties. Oracle Corporation and its affiliates are not responsible for and expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind with respect to third-party content, products, and services unless otherwise set forth in an applicable agreement between you and Oracle. Oracle Corporation and its affiliates will not be responsible for any loss, costs, or damages incurred due to your access to or use of third-party content, products, or services, except as set forth in an applicable agreement between you and Oracle. Documentation Accessibility For information about Oracle's commitment to accessibility, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program website at Access to Oracle Support Oracle customers that have purchased support have access to electronic support through My Oracle Support. For information, visit or visit if you are hearing impaired. ii

3 Contents Introduction 1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1 Customer Experience 4 High Bill Alerts (AMI) 4 Text (SMS) High Bill Alerts (AMI) 9 Voice (IVR) High Bill Alerts (AMI) 10 Providing Customer Support 11 Viewing a Sent Alert 11 Managing Alert Preferences 12 Accessing a Customer's Web Account 16 iii

4 Introduction The purpose of this guide is to help Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) answer customer questions about High Bill Alerts (AMI). High Bill Alerts (AMI) are messages designed to help residential AMI customers save energy and money when they are likely to use more energy than usual for a billing period. The alerts can be sent through the , text message, and voice message channels. Note: High Bill Alerts (AMI) are only available if your utility supports them and customers meet the minimum eligibility criteria for receiving them. Even if a utility does support alerts, it may not support delivery of the alerts through all available channels. Check with your supervisor for more information. Note: Forecasts that indicate high energy use can also appear on the Home page of the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. This feature is available for customers who have AMI data. See the topic called "Forecast Module" either in the online help (available in the Customer Service Interface) or the Oracle Utilities Opower Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic Customer Service Guide (available as a PDF) for details. If you do not know where or how to access these resources, check with your supervisor for more information. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Why did you send me this alert? We hope these alerts can provide an early warning if you are headed towards a high bill. You'll have time to reduce your energy use before you get your next bill, so there will not be any surprises when your bill arrives. My alert says I am using more energy. How is this being calculated? We will send you an alert when your energy use and costs are projected to be at least 30% higher than this same billing period last year. We take into account energy use and cost, so you do not get nuisance alerts just because your rate might be higher over time. If you receive an alert, it means you are using more energy. 1

5 Note: 30% is the default, but this percentage may vary by utility. I see I need to start saving more energy. What should I do next? Our utility offers multiple programs to help you save energy. I can help you learn more about these programs. To see energy saving tips on your own, log in to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic and click on the Ways to Save tab. How can I unsubscribe? You can unsubscribe from alerts in a number of ways. The recommended method is to use the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic Alert settings page to change your preferences. If you unsubscribe in this way, you will be able to subscribe again in the future. From an alert, you can click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the . If you click the unsubscribe link from an alert, you will never receive s from this program again. From a text alert, you can also reply STOP to the alert. This method also blocks all communications through that specific channel. If you reply STOP to an SMS alert, you will never receive an SMS again. From a voice alert, you can press the appropriate number on your phone as described in the message. This method permanently unsubscribes you from the voice alerts, and you will be unable to subscribe at a later time. I unsubscribed from alerts. Can I start receiving them again? If you changed your alert preferences from the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic, you can subscribe again. Just go to your Alert settings in the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic and select how you want to receive alerts. If you clicked the unsubscribe link on the bottom of an alert, texted STOP to unsubscribe from a text alert, or unsubscribed in the voice alert, you cannot subscribe again. However, you can go to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic and add an additional, different address to receive alerts again through the channel. Moreover, you can always check your energy use in the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. The Home page has a module that will notify you how much energy you are projected to use and how this usage compares to the same billing period last year. 2

6 What other ways I can find out if I'm heading towards a high bill? You can receive High Bill Alerts (AMI) by , text message, and voice message. I can help you sign up for these types of alerts. You can also check your energy usage in the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. The Home page has a module that will tell you how much energy you are projected to use and how this usage compares to the same billing period last year. My bill was not nearly as high as my alert said it would be. Why? Forecasts are estimated projections. Although we try to make them as accurate as possible, we cannot account for every single variable that can affect the final cost of your bill. For example, due to a variable like drastic weather change you may receive a higher projection than your actual bill. My bill was higher than the alert said it would be even though I reduced my usage. Why? Forecasts are estimated projections. Although we try to make them as accurate as possible, they do not include costs like taxes, fees, and any additional changes. Also, we send separate alerts for both gas and electricity but not both fuels combined. It s therefore possible you were alerted on a portion of your bill, rather than your whole bill. I know someone else in this utility who can receive alerts, but I don't have the option. Why? Thank you for your interest in the program. We may expand the program to include other customers in the future. There are a number of reasons that some customers are not included in the program. For example, at this time, alerts are not available to non-residential customers, customers with two meters of the same fuel type, and customers with a limited history of energy use at a specific address. If I sign up to receive alerts, how many will I receive? You should not worry about receiving too many alerts. You will never receive more than one alert of each type ( , text, or voice) for each fuel type (gas or electric) during a billing period. 3

7 Why did I receive two alerts in the same billing period? We send separate alerts for gas and electricity use. If you have unusually high use for both of these fuel types, you will receive two alerts in the same billing period. Customer Experience High Bill Alerts (AMI) inform customers before the end of a billing cycle that they are likely to have high energy use or a high bill for the current billing period. Customers can then use the tips provided in the alert to reduce their energy consumption before the billing period ends. Electric and gas versions of the alert are generated separately for each fuel type. Channels: Alerts can be sent through the , text message, and voice message channels. A utility can specify which customers are eligible to enroll in alerts and the channels by which they can receive those alerts. Cost Information: Cost information can be included in the alerts if a utility's rates have been modeled. In short, this means that the cost of energy use, and the calculators used to generate that cost, are modeled in the Oracle Utilities Opower system. As a result, the alert changes to display the increase in energy use in terms of cost. Budget Billing: Some alerts may display a message that the customer is on budget billing. Budget billing is a type of billing in which the customer pays a set amount of money each month for their bill. The utility will look at the amount the customer spent last year, add a percentage to this amount to cover the cost of inflation, and divide the amount over twelve months. High Bill Alerts (AMI) High Bill Alerts (AMI) are digital messages sent through the channel to inform customers when they are on track for a high bill or high energy use. Electric and gas versions of the are generated separately. The appearance of an alert varies based on whether Oracle Utilities has modeled a customer's rates. The major components of the are described below. 4

8 Subject Line and From Address The subject line appears as: "Unusual [electric/natural gas] usage. Electric and gas versions of High Bill Alerts (AMI) are generated separately. The From address uses the following format by default: 5

9 Replying to the alert forwards an to the global address for the program. This, in turn, sends the to the appropriate utility parties and Oracle Utilities. Header and Footer The header includes a logo provided by the utility, the customer's name, and the last four digits of their utility account number. Most of the numbers in the account number are displayed as asterisks for security purposes. The footer includes components that provide more context about the alert. The footer consists of a manage preferences link, the utility s contact information, a copyright statement, an unsubscribe link, and a customizable disclaimer that indicates the actual bill or cost may vary. Warning: Unsubscribing through the is permanent. Customers will never receive s alerts again and will be unable to opt back in at a later time. Opting out in this way also unsubscribes the customer from other communications, including Weekly Energy Updates and Home Energy Reports. Also, note that unsubscribing through the only unsubscribes the customer from alerts. It does not unsubscribe the customer from alerts received through other channels, such as voice alerts. Forecast The forecast shows how much more energy the customer could use if they continue their energy-usage behavior through the end of the billing period. The forecast percentage is an estimate, not an exact amount, and is based on the estimated length of the bill. The billing period is provided above the forecast. Beneath the forecast is an insight about how much more energy the customer is expected to use compared to the same period last year. If a customer s rates are modeled, the forecast section shows the customer's projected cost for the billing period. Moreover, the insight beneath the forecast includes a cost value instead of a usage value. High Usage Period The High Usage Period identifies the time of day in which the customer tends to use the most energy and expresses this as a percentage, so that the customer knows when to focus on being more energy efficient. The usage value represents usage-to-date within the current bill 6

10 period. The six-hour time period with the most usage is highlighted, while the other three time periods display in a faded color. Other components of this module include: Insight Statement: The insight statement indicates when energy was used the most. The statement varies slightly depending on which time period is highlighted. Time Period: The time period is displayed near the bottom of the and describes the date range that the data represents. The time period covers the period-to-date that is, the day that the bill period began to the day that the communication was generated. Marketing Module A marketing module can appear either directly below the header or in the slot between the High Usage Period module and the footer. The marketing module can be used to promote a utility program, such as redirecting customers to the Oracle Utilities web portal or advertising a utility-specific rebate or discount. Alerts and Cost Information Cost information can be included in the High Bill Alerts (AMI) if a utility's rates have been modeled. In short, this means that the cost of energy use, and the calculators used to generate that cost, are modeled in the Oracle Utilities Opower system. As a result, the appearance of the alert changes to display the increase in energy use in terms of cost. For example, the forecast section shows the customer's projected cost for the billing period, instead of the customer's projected energy use percentage as compared to last year. Additionally, the messaging varies slightly to use the term bill instead of usage. 7

11 Alerts and Budget Billing If a customer is on budget billing, their alert will contain messages about it. Budget billing is a type of billing in which the customer pays a set amount of money each month for their bill. The utility will look at the amount the customer spent last year, add a percentage to 8

12 this amount to cover the cost of inflation, and divide the amount over twelve months. The messaging on the alert encourages customers to lower their usage since their costs may increase when their payment amount is adjusted. Text (SMS) High Bill Alerts (AMI) SMS High Bill Alerts (AMI) are text messages sent through the mobile channel to inform customers when they are on track for a high bill or high energy use. SMS alerts are only delivered if the SMS alert type is turned on in a customer's account settings, and if the 9

13 customer meets the minimum eligibility criteria to receive the SMS alert type. A customer receives a separate text message for each applicable alert type. For example, customers who consume both gas and electricity would receive separate alerts for each fuel, rather than a single alert that has information about both fuels. A static tip is also included in the alert. Alert Examples The following example is for a customer without rates modeled or who is on budget billing. UTILCO: Your recent Electric use is 14% higher than typical for you this time of year. Tip: Adjust the temp 3-5F to lower your bill. The following example is for a customer whose rate plan has been modeled by Oracle Utilities. In this case, a dollar amount is used instead of a percentage. UTILCO: Based on your recent Electric use, your projected bill is $102. Tip: Adjust the temp 3-5F to lower your bill. Voice (IVR) High Bill Alerts (AMI) Interactive Voice Response (IVR) High Bill Alerts (AMI) are digital voice messages sent through the telephone channel to inform customers when they are on track for a high bill or high energy use. IVR alerts are only delivered if the IVR alert type is turned on in a customer's account settings, and if the customer meets the minimum eligibility criteria to receive the IVR alert type. While listening to a voice alert, a customer can press appropriate numbers on their phone to repeat the message or to unsubscribe from the messages. 10

14 Alert Examples The following example is for a customer without rates modeled or who is on budget billing. Hi. This is an automated account alert from [Utility Name]. Your recent electric use is about 40% higher than it normally is for this time of year. There s still time to lower your bill. For energy saving tips, visit our website at [Utility's Website]. To hear this message again, press, 1. If you would no longer like to receive these alerts, press 2. The following example is for a customer whose rate plan has been modeled by Oracle Utilities. In this case, additional cost information is included. Hi. This is an automated account alert from [Utility Name]. Your recent electric use is about 40% higher than it normally is for this time of year, and your next bill is projected to be $280. There s still time to lower your bill. For energy saving tips, visit our website at [Utility's Website]. To hear this message again, press, 1. If you would no longer like to receive these alerts, press 2. Providing Customer Support Customer Service Representatives can do the following in the Oracle Utilities Opower Customer Service Interface (CSI) to assist with customer inquiries related to alerts: Review copies of alerts sent to customers Manage a customer s alert preferences (including unsubscribing them) Access a customer's Oracle Utilities web portal account and view and update their alert settings Viewing a Sent Alert To more effectively answer questions about alerts, you can view copies that have been sent to a customer. To view a sent alert: 1. Sign in to the CSI. 2. Find and open the customer's account. 3. On the customer's account page, look in the Customer Usage Notifications area. A list of the customer's alerts is displayed, with the most recent alert at the top. 4. Click the name of an alert to view a sent version of it. 11

15 Managing Alert Preferences You can change a customer's alert notification preferences on the customer's behalf, or the customer can change their alert notification preferences on their own. Note that there are different methods for changing one's alert preferences, some of which result in permanently blocking all Oracle Utilities Opower communications through a specific communication channel. For this reason, some methods are recommended while others are not. Changing a Customer's Alert Preferences A customer may want some help in changing their alert preferences. With the customer's permission, you can access their Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic account and change their alert preferences for them. To change a customer's alert preferences: 1. Use the CSI to access the customer's Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic account. (See "Accessing a Customer's Web Account" on page 16.) 2. Once you are in the customer's Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic, click the My Account link in the top-right corner of the page. 12

16 3. Click Alerts and change the appropriate alert settings. Task Change the address at which alerts are received. Instructions Do one of the following, depending on whether the customer has a standalone account or single sign-on (SSO): If the customer has a standalone account, then edit the fields next to Send alerts to. If the customer has a single sign-on account, then click Add alerts for another household member and fill in the appropriate fields. Change the phone number at which alerts are received. Opt in to or out of High Bill Alerts (AMI). Opt in to or out of SMS High Bill Alerts (AMI). Opt in to or out of voice High Bill Alerts (AMI). Edit the fields next to Send text message to or Send voice notifications to. Select or clear the check box under Unusual usage. Select or clear the mobile check box under Unusual usage. Select or clear the voice check box under Unusual usage. 4. Click Save. Helping a Customer Opt In to Alerts Depending on your utility's set up and configuration, customers may be able to opt in to alerts, text (SMS) alerts, or voice (IVR) alerts on their own. Use the procedure below to explain how. Explain the following to the customer: 1. Sign in to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. 2. Click the My Account link in the top-right corner of the page. 13

17 3. Click Alerts. 4. Verify and/or add the appropriate contact information. 5. Under send alerts for, check or clear the boxes depending on which type of alert you would like to receive. Select the check box to receive alerts. Select the mobile check box to receive text alerts. Select the voice check box to receive voice alerts. 6. Click Save. Note: As soon as the user enrolls in text alerts, a one-time SMS message is sent to the user s phone informing them that they have enrolled in a recurring SMS program. This feature may vary depending on your utility's specific implementation of SMS alerts. Helping a Customer Change Their Alert Preferences Customers can change their alert preferences on their own. Use the procedure below to explain how. Explain the following to the customer: You can use one of the following methods to change your alert preferences. From the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic: Sign in to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. Click My Account > Alerts. Change the alert settings as desired and click Save. From the alert: Click Change your alert preferences in the footer of the . Helping a Customer Opt Out of Alerts Customers can opt out of alerts on their own. Use the procedure below to explain how. Explain the following to the customer: You can use one of the following methods to opt out of alerts. From the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic (recommended): Sign in to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. Click My Account > Alerts. Under Unusual usage, clear the check box and click Save. 14

18 From the alert: Click Unsubscribe at the header or footer of the and follow the instructions to opt out. Warning: Unsubscribing through the is permanent. You will never receive s alerts again and will be unable to opt back in at a later time. (This restriction does not apply to international utilities. Customers at such utilities can resubscribe to alerts by changing their web account settings.) Helping a Customer Opt Out of Text Alerts Customers can opt out of SMS alerts on their own. Use the procedure below to explain how. Explain the following to the customer: You can use one of the following methods to opt out of text alerts. From the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic (recommended): Sign in to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. Click My Account > Alerts. Under Unusual usage, clear the mobile check box and click Save. From the text message: Reply 'STOP' to the text message you receive. Warning: Unsubscribing through this method is permanent. You will never receive the text alerts again and will be unable to opt back in at a later time. Helping a Customer Opt Out of Voice Alerts Customers can opt out of voice alerts on their own. Use the procedure below to explain how. Explain the following to the customer: You can use one of the following methods to opt out of voice alerts. From the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic (recommended): Sign in to the Energy Efficiency Web Portal - Classic. Click My Account > Alerts. Under Unusual usage, clear the voice check box and click Save. From the voice message: While listening to a voice alert, press the appropriate number on your phone to unsubscribe. 15

19 Warning: Unsubscribing through this method is permanent. You will never receive the voice alerts again and will be unable to opt back in at a later time. Accessing a Customer's Web Account CSRs with the proper permissions can access a customer's Oracle Utilities web portal account using the Oracle Utilities Opower Customer Service Interface (CSI) to assist with questions and troubleshooting. When you do this, you can see the web portal much like the customer sees it, except you cannot modify the customer s address or password (if applicable). To access a customer's Oracle Utilities web portal account: 1. Sign in to the CSI. 2. Find and open the customer's account. 3. On the customer's account page, in the Actions area, click View Customer s Web Account. A permission confirmation page displays. 4. Ask the customer for permission to view their web account. Once you have permission, click Proceed. The customer's web account opens in a new tab. 5. Switch to the new tab to enter the customer s web account. Note: If you and the customer are on the web portal at the same time, any changes made are preserved for the last person that commits their updates. 16