How outage management systems can improve customer service

Abstract

This paper presents how currently, implemented outage management systems (OMS) can improve an electric utility's operations and provide additional customer services for that utility. These systems have been developed with interfaces into supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), automatic meter reading systems (AMR), utility call centers, customer information systems (CIS), and an automated mapping/facility management/geographic information system (AM/FM/GIS) systems. These systems are currently reducing the average outage restoration by over 30%, in comparison to utility control centers that do not have an integrated outage management system. OMS technology has progressed into determining "where" the actual outage has taken place. This has improved the dispatching of crews, provided the utility's customer service representatives with up-to-date outage knowledge and increased the effectiveness of outage restoration personnel. Overall reliability of the electric system has improved due to shorter outages and customer satisfaction is increased due to these shorter restorations.