During the recent Customer Edge Summit, Oracle celebrated utility companies that excel in leveraging modern digital technologies to improve their operations, customer experiences, and asset performances. This article highlights the achievements of three notable utilities: American Electric Power (AEP), the City of St. Petersburg, and Essential Energy, all recognized for their innovative use of Oracle’s cloud-based solutions. Each of these utilities has demonstrated remarkable leadership in embracing digital transformation, providing valuable insights into the transformative power of technology within the sector.
AEP’s Strategic Vision and Digital Transformation Journey
American Electric Power (AEP), serving 5.6 million customers across 11 states, received the Strategic Vision Winner award. AEP undertook a significant transformation by transitioning from outdated systems to contemporary Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. This move streamlined customer interactions, automated processes, and consolidated applications, resulting in reduced total ownership costs. By strategically transitioning to SaaS, AEP has not only improved its operational efficiency but also positioned itself as a forward-thinking utility in the highly competitive energy market.
AEP’s implementation of the Opower equity and affordability solution demonstrated their commitment to supporting low-to-moderate income (LMI) customers. This innovative solution helps identify households at risk of non-payment and proactively engages them in energy education and financial assistance programs. By addressing the needs of vulnerable segments, AEP ensured that their digital transformation benefited all customers. Furthermore, AEP is poised to further modernize operations with the upcoming integration of Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service and Oracle Utilities Customer Experience for Utilities. These advancements will likely enhance AEP’s service delivery capabilities, meeting evolving customer expectations and setting new standards in the utility industry.
The City of St. Petersburg: Innovation in Disaster Recovery
The City of St. Petersburg, housing over 260,000 residents, was awarded the Innovator Winner title for its exemplary resilience and creativity during the fall of 2024, following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. By utilizing Oracle Utilities Work and Asset Cloud Service (WACS), the city managed recovery efforts and FEMA reporting with notable efficiency. This innovative approach showcased the city’s ability to leverage modern technologies to address real-world challenges swiftly and effectively.
Deploying Oracle WACS for the Public Works Department’s enterprise asset management needs, St. Petersburg effectively handled the management of 500,000 assets, tracked 50,000 timesheet entries, and produced FEMA-compliant reports seamlessly. The city’s proactive approach not only facilitated disaster recovery but also highlighted the significant role of advanced asset management solutions in municipal operations. Additionally, Oracle Field Service ensured timely dispatch of appropriate resources, significantly enhancing operational efficiency. Through these initiatives, the city set new standards for dealing with disasters, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and technological innovation in managing unforeseen events.
Essential Energy’s Comprehensive Asset Management Framework
Essential Energy, operating across 95% of New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland, serves over 900,000 customers and won the Initiative of the Year award. Facing the challenges of aging technologies from predecessor organizations, Essential Energy required a robust solution to streamline asset and work management processes. The utility’s successful deployment of Oracle Utilities WACS played a pivotal role in revamping its operational framework to address modern challenges effectively.
The deployment of Oracle Utilities WACS enabled Essential Energy to create a cohesive data environment, providing automatic forecasting, preventative maintenance, and standardized failure profiles from inspections and condition assessments. This strategic initiative involved extensive training and retiring obsolete systems, marking one of the largest implementations of WACS globally. With these improvements, Essential Energy has significantly enhanced its ability to manage assets and operations efficiently, ensuring reliability and service excellence for its large customer base. The implementation stands as a testament to the value of integrating advanced technological frameworks within traditional utility operations, paving the way for modernization on a large scale.
Common Themes and Industry Trends
At the recent Customer Edge Summit, Oracle honored utility companies that have successfully harnessed modern digital technologies to enhance their operations, customer interactions, and asset management. This article spotlights the accomplishments of three distinguished utilities: American Electric Power (AEP), the City of St. Petersburg, and Essential Energy. These organizations have been commended for their innovative utilization of Oracle’s cloud-based solutions. Through their efforts, these utilities have shown extraordinary leadership in adopting digital transformation, offering valuable insights into the significant impact technology can have on the utility sector. By embracing Oracle’s advanced solutions, they are setting benchmarks in improving efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall performance. These achievements underscore the transformative power of modern technology in today’s rapidly evolving energy landscape, illustrating the critical role digital tools play in driving progress and sustainability within the industry.
