SECO News, June 2018
Duncan’s Digest
SECO Energy invests heavily in outage prevention. We spend about $10 million annually on vegetation management to reduce tree-related outages. Our storm hardening program includes diligent inspection and replacement of utility poles that won’t withstand heavy storms. We frequently upgrade the infrastructure that serves your energy needs so that you receive the most reliable service possible.
Our reliability stats are, in my view, among the very best in the nation – despite the fact that we are a Florida utility subject to a storm season that spans from June to November. We humbly recognize that even the most stringently maintained electric system sustains occasional outages for a variety of reasons such as lightning, wildlife, vehicle accidents, unexpected equipment failure, etc. With this in mind, we realized it was time to invest in new technology to give our members high-tech communications options when outages do occur. We selected technology that was smartphone and tablet friendly – because those devices continue to perform during an outage.
SECO researched a number of outage map and communications vendors before contracting with Kubra – a customer experience solutions provider with a proven reputation in the utility industry. The products we have developed using Kubra’s software allow SECO Energy members to receive outage information via email, text and voice notifications. These products launched on June 1 – just in time for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. I encourage you to visit our StormCenter page online to be familiar with these tools before the next storm.
The brand-new StormCenter software consists of four user-friendly platforms to communicate about outages.
If you’re a social media user, you will continue to find up-to-date outage information on Facebook and Twitter – enhanced by our new StormCenter tools. Keep in mind that these new tools are designed for outage communications only. Energy usage, billing and payment information will continue to be found in SmartHub, our online account portal.
For a full overview of SECO’s new StormCenter capabilities, view the instructional video on SECO’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
I hope you take the time to program your communications channel preferences and that the 2018 hurricane season leaves you little reason to use them!
Sincerely,
Jim Duncan
Chief Executive Officer
Read the full June SECO News online.
