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Aug 31 , 2010
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Avista crews compete in pole-top rescue
Just a quick little video. I was invited by Avista’s Safety and Health department to our training center today to watch our crews compete in an internal, pole-top rescue competition. They compete to rescue a co-worker who is stuck in some way at the top of a utility pole.
They actually let me up in a bucket truck to shoot it (preceded by a safety briefing and a securely fit harness). Pretty cool. I’ll get the full video loaded in a day or two, but wanted to let everyone know it’s coming.
Aug 06 , 2010
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Energy efficiency expert and Avista employee Tom, answers a question for Energy on the Street. |
Just a quick update on where we’re at for Energy on the Street. Today we recorded four Avista employees answering your questions about energy. The topics spanned from dam safety to energy efficiency and rates. We’ve got a full day of answer-filming next week, and then likely another day the following week.
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Bridget works in customer service for Avista and discusses
the many tools available to customers on our website. | There is still time to submit a question to us to get answered by an Avista expert on camera. Just send me an e-mail here at the Blog and I’ll find you an expert and an answer, easy as that.
Yesterday I was asked a good question online about how this project is working. The question came from a discussion forum post on the Spokesman-Review’s website. The writer implied that we might only post questions and answers that are favorable to Avista. Essentially, that we’d edit out anything that wasn’t to our liking. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Some of the discussions we had with customers on camera didn’t result in an actual question for us to answer. We aren’t using those because there’s nothing to answer. We also aren’t running questions that are duplicates. Other than that, it’s exactly what our customers said. I am very pleased with the questions we received and the specific things our customers wanted to know about.
I’m excited to share the videos on the Conversation section of our website by the end of the month.
Aug 04 , 2010
Watch video
Yesterday morning I was working at my desk when I heard a broadcast-quality voice coming from somewhere behind me. Something about a planned power outage. I heard it again. And again.
Then I went to investigate.
The voice was my co-worker, Communications Manager Hugh Imhof, recording phone messages that will be sent to customers who will experience a planned power outage in the near future. Since it’s construction season we’re upgrading and replacing portions of our system, which sometimes requires a short power outage. We want to make sure you know about them beforehand, whenever possible.
One of the best ways to let customers know is to call them, although door hangers and other means may also be applied depending on the location and circumstances.
I hear from a lot of people online who ask where Avista is tightening its belt and being more efficient – this is a great example of where it is happening every day. Hugh was recording three planned power outage messages for this week.
Our automated phone system (we call it EVP) is being used to gain efficiencies wherever possible. For example, earlier this year around 1,400 of our customers in Idaho had to be contacted by Avista. Previously two or three customer service representatives would handle the live calls – a process that could take up to a week. This year with EVP, it took two hours – a tremendous savings in time and money.
This system is also being used for updates on real-time power outages, inquires to customers about bills, and to handle many transactions when you call us at 1-800-227-9187. We want to make sure we always deliver great customer service to you, so my co-workers worked hard to make this system a reality and it’s certainly paying off.
Hugh isn’t the only voice you’ll hear if you get a phone call from us, you may also hear Communications Manager Laurine Jue and others. I invite you to watch a quick Q and A video that Hugh and I recorded about the messages he was recording yesterday.
Jun 10 , 2010
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One birthday candle for the Avista Blog's first year! |
Just about a year ago, Avista launched this blog. To be quite honest, I wasn’t certain we’d survive for more than six months or so. It wasn’t that I questioned our commitment, only that we’d never done it before – in fact very few utilities actually had a blog (and most still don’t). The idea of a blog was a foreign concept for the company, but also for customers. We’d never tried to have conversations with you in such a public way before – and we didn’t know how you’d all react.
It’s pretty clear on our one-year anniversary (or birthday if you will), that we’ve been successful. My criteria for this judgment is both anecdotal and factual. First off, this blog gets a few thousand hits each month, so I know it’s being read. Secondly, through e-mails, Twitter messages and discussion forum links, customers and other stakeholders are talking with us about the topics we’re writing about.
I often get asked about how many comments we receive on the blog. Not that many, but that’s not discouraging to me. While comments aren’t jamming my inbox – e-mails to conversation@avistautilities.com certainly are. Since June of last year, we’ve noted more than 900 individual e-mail conversations alone. We’ve made a commitment to personally respond to every customer who e-mails us. That surprises some people, who assume replies to our e-mail blasts go into a black hole. I like these interactions because people are plainspoken and honest – honest about their surprise that a large company such as ours would take the time to respond to their comments. We’ll continue to respond to your e-mails as long as you keep sending them.
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Watch a video about Avista and social media. |
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Avista's social media work - especially on
discussion forums, has recieved regional and
national attention. | Since the blog is the centerpiece of our social media work, there are some ancillary pieces that keep us going. Avista has two Twitter accounts that keep track of the 140-character world out there. The @AvistaCares account is run by my co-worker and friend Jessie Wuerst, who focuses on those in need and talking about the communities we serve. My account @Dan_at_Avista helps promote the blog and interactions with customers. It’s also about my personal life and working at Avista. Never did I think 18 months ago, that Twitter would become a valuable tool for communications. It’s an early-warning system for outages and topics just bubbling to the surface. It’s also nice because it keeps each of us succinct in our tweets – poor grammar and abbreviations included.
Another area that has drawn regional and even national attention is our participation in discussion forums, such as the comments section on local news outlets or blogs. Jumping into those discussions has been a challenge for me, given their immediacy for 24-hour-a-day responses, passionate participants and the fact that I’m often the ‘new kid’ in well-established online communities. But simply talking about the issues impacting Avista customers and providing answers when asked hasn’t been a challenge at all. It’s just a new place to talk about our company and customers, and provide direction when someone needs more information.
In our first post on June 1, 2009, I wrote this, “We hope that the blog will be a place where you can come and learn more about Avista, our actions and vision for today and the future. But it’s not all about us. We wouldn’t exist without you, and we know it. This blog will feature your stories, questions and opinions. And yes, you can disagree with us – that’s OK.
We also hope that this conversation will allow us to better respond to your concerns, while giving you an inside look into our company. Transparency is a good thing.”
Those statements are still true a year later. As I look at what’s ahead for the next year, I’m excited to continue this conversation and further integrate guest bloggers, opinions, podcasts, videos – and you. Our Conversation pages are getting a facelift very soon and I hope you’ll like the changes and join in on the discussions.
I’m just an Avista employee, like everyone else here, but I have the privilege of representing Avista online and talking to you all through each post, tweet, e-mail or comment. I know these same types of conversations are happening in person everyday with my co-workers throughout our service territory and that makes me proud. So, on behalf of every Avista employee, thank you for visiting our site, reading the blog and having conversations with us over the past year – we’re glad you did.
Jun 09 , 2010
Much like a thoughtless husband who just can’t be bothered to remember anniversary dates – I screwed up.
I forgot the Avista Blog’s birthday.
So as we are 8 days after the “official” One Year Anniversary, this is my confession of forgetfulness. I ask the Blogosphere for forgiveness. (OK, maybe that was a little too much).
I promise to write a real, sincere 1-year recap post tomorrow. Hope I don’t forget . . . I can't believe nobody got us a card!
May 12 , 2010
You may have noticed that the blog looks a little funky lately. Me too. Earlier this month, we underwent a “widening” of the Avistautilities.com website. It allowed us to gain more real estate/space horizontally on pages so we can provide more content for you, without the need to scroll as much. A great example is our homepage. Since this is a bit new, we’ll soon be finding ways to use that new space and I hope you all will like it.
Unfortunately the blog is a bit of a straggler. So, you’ll notice a rather large white band to the right of this post (using some web browsers like Internet Explorer). It won’t be there forever, but for now, just think of it as having the potential to be great, and wide.
(UPDATE May 20, 2010: The blog has now been sized to match the rest of the website. We're still tinkering with photos, but you'll notice the text and photos now fill more of the page. Yes!)
Depending on your web browser, you may have also gotten a pop-up message recently on the website that looks like the one on the right. It says that your web browser may be in need of an update and provides links to four popular browsers. Not to worry, you can still access the site with an older browser, but there might be a few features that look a little funny. To get rid of the message, just click the red “X” and it will magically disappear.
These changes are all a part of our commitment to provide you with the best web experience possible. If you have any questions or suggestions, let us know: conversation@avistautilities.com Mar 30 , 2010
We’ve been engaging with customers online for some time now and over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a bit of time commenting on the discussion forums of our local news media. I’ve tried to correct misconceptions about our activities and direct people to places online where they can find more information about the subjects they are passionate about.
These customer outreach efforts drew the attention of The Spokesman-Review recently, because frankly, there aren’t many companies doing what we’re doing online. Yesterday reporter John Stucke’s question and answer with me ran and I was honored to participate and talk about our efforts online. Read the article, " Avista social media man talks his trade." If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that it’s the centerpiece of our social media efforts. We write posts, do videos and podcasts for the blog, while promoting that work on twitter and discussion forums. We’re also participating in chats and other activities that allow you to talk with us about what’s on your mind. We even did a video earlier this year that discussed our social media focus.
When stories about Avista run in the news or people write about us in any format, we pay attention (just like any other company). I read what people say and what sparks their interest. Oftentimes the comments following these stories contain common misconceptions about how we do things, and that’s when I step in to offer some additional thoughts. Most people are simply offering their opinion and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t aim to change anyone’s mind, just offer additional resources so people can decide for themselves.
It’s certainly an interesting time to be online talking with people about the utility business – yes, even those who disagree with what we say or do. I’ll continue to talk to people online in reaction to comments and e-mails, but if you’d like us to spend some time talking about a particular subject on the blog, e-mail me at conversation@avistautilties.com. Feb 03 , 2010
Last night was great chatting with KHQ viewers about energy assistance and Avista. If you didn't have a chance to join in you can view the chat log here.
Do you find value in live chats? Should we do them more? E-mail me to offer your thoughts. We did a previous live chat in November - read about it here. Jan 25 , 2010
We don’t get a great deal of comments on this blog. I get it. Unlike most other blogs out there, your user name shows your actual first name and last initial. For example, mine says ‘Dan K’ when I reply to comments here. Most people prefer an alias and a bit more anonymity in their online participation, which is why e-mail is the most popular way customers reach the blog and that’s cool. The Avista Utilities website, as you might expect, was originally designed for customers to log-in to their My Accounts to access billing and account info – not blog comments. But through the wonder of technology, our tech folks added the blog into the mix, allowing comments on posts from customers like you from one account sign-in. Everyone can read the blog, but only customers can comment.
I’ve gotten a few e-mails (note “e-mails”) asking me why we don’t have more comments on the blog. It seems as though some believe comments are the only conversation we’re having with customers. While comments are one outlet – and one that is visible for all to see – it’s not the only one.
E-mail is definitely a popular choice and it is really a key medium that I’ve seen an increase in. Anyone who sends an e-mail to conversation@avistautilities.com will receive a personal reply and an answer to whatever question is on your mind. We’ve even featured some of them on the blog. I’ve had many lengthy e-mail and in-person conversations with customers about rates, our generation mix, billing, power outages, executive compensation, energy efficiency, smart grid, our history, our future, shareholders and profits, environmental stewardship – you name it. We’re also creating videos and sharing information through web banner ads and new content, e-mails, newspaper fliers and community events in the hopes that customers will get in touch with our Customer Service Representatives to get billing assistance, if they need it, before the trouble gets too big to handle. Billing assistance isn’t the only thing you can contact us about, but it’s a big one this time of year. So, would l like it if I had dozens of comments on every post? Yes I would, but that’s not going to happen. In the meantime, I rest easy knowing that customers can e-mail the blog or Customer Service, follow @Dan_at_Avista or @AvistaCares on Twitter, interact with us on various discussion forums, call us at 1-800-227-9187, or just have an informal conversation with an employee you know.
Energy, our services and your needs are important to us and we want to talk about all of them with you.
Are you surprised that your utility wants hear from you? Tell us why.
Jan 07 , 2010
Yesterday we released a video for Avista employees about our use of social media for customers (yes, you). Now, if you’re reading this blog you probably already know all about social media and that’s awesome, but you’re really in the minority. There are many different levels of understanding with social media - from just knowing what the different tools are to actually being comfortable and able to utilize them.
While Avista is very progressive in social media for a utility, that doesn’t mean that everyone understands social media – and that’s OK. What’s a tweet or social network? What does a blogger do? How is this good for Avista customers? All reasonable questions.
The video is titled, “Avista and Social Media.” Sure, the title’s not too catchy, but it briefly explains the most popular social media tools (blogs, Twitter, discussion forums and social networks) and how we’re using them to talk with all of you. I created the video with assistance from Communications Manger Jessie Wuerst and Director of Corporate Communications Linda Jones.
Now remember, the video was created for Avista employees to understand how we’re reaching out to customers online. So, if it seems like it isn’t directed at you, like our other videos, you know why.
If you’ve got questions or comments, drop me a note in the comment section.
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