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PSC Approves Stipulation For Utility To Maintain Real-Time Website For Retail Suppliers To Streamline Customer Turn-On, Other Appointments Requested Through Retail Suppliers
The Georgia PSC approved a stipulation among Atlanta Gas Light, PSC Staff, and several retail natural gas suppliers in AGL’s Integrated Capacity and Delivery Plan (i-CDP) proceeding that among other things addresses a real-time web interface between AGL’s Georgia Customer Management Application (GCMA) system and retail suppliers’ customer information systems, which allows for the real-time scheduling of service order appointments.
Under existing AGL service orders for customers (turn-on; switch; reconnection; shut-off for nonpayment (SONP) reconnection; turn-off, etc.) retail suppliers must switch between their own CIS and GCMA.
Retail suppliers have called this current process inefficient and have said that the current process creates the potential for longer customer wait times and increased opportunities for mistakes.
“For online enrollments, Marketers make many assumptions about appointment availability because orders must be worked by a live agent after the customer completes the order transaction. Marketers also make assumptions that the customer needs to be home for all turn-on appointments, but that is not always accurate, as in the case of delayed matches, wherein the gas was left on for the next customer and, after AGL works the order, it becomes apparent that there is no need for an AGL field service representative to physically turn on the gas1. Not having a ‘real time’ interface with GCMA causes countless situations where customers must change plans when a Marketer agent contacts them after processing their order to reschedule a turn-on because the customers’ selected time slot was not available when the order was worked by the Marketer.”
Retail suppliers reported that there are more than 675K annual turn-ons with 40%+ of those conducted online.
AGL will start to develop the real-time web services in 2025, with an anticipated implementation date in 2027.
The approved stipulation provides that the cost related to the development of these real-time services shall be offset through AGL’s turn on and reconnect fees. As for ongoing O&M costs and any future incremental capital investment for the real-time web services, the adopted stipulation provides that the turn on and reconnect fees may be adjusted in a future rate case.
