Motion Tablet PCs Help Norris Public Power District Realize up to 75% in Time Savings

AUSTIN, Texas & SAN ANTONIO--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--As a provider of wholesale and retail electric service to 44 communities in five counties across southeast Nebraska, Norris Public Power District is responsible for constructing new facilities, tackling necessary upgrades and repairs, performing maintenance work, reading, repairing and exchanging meters as well as performing meter cutoffs and disabling service.

“That time savings means we can increase the number of customers we service on a daily basis and provide more efficient and accurate service in general, which means enhanced customer service”

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With its entire meter service depending on a paper-based process, Norris Public Power District knew it needed an upgrade to deliver on its goal of providing the highest quality of service possible. After an extensive search, the District came across the Motion^® J3500 Tablet PC and found exactly what it was looking for – a Windows^®-based tablet that was compatible and powerful enough to run its software, while still lightweight enough to carry and use while mobile.

Norris Public Power District relies on the J3500 Tablet PCs to provide real-time access to schedules, service orders and business-critical information as well as the ability to process meter readings and update the database from the field. If a new service order comes in at any point during the day, a customer service representative (CSR) can assign it in real time based on a lineman’s location, which is pulled from the software’s integrated GPS functionality.

“Once the linemen leave the office in the morning, they are typically in the field for the entire day and previously could only work on the service orders in their hands,” explained Ryan Krupicka, Manager of Consumer and Business Information Systems, Norris Public Power District. “With the paper-based process, the linemen would not come back to the office to get more service orders to work on, and any new ones had to be processed the next day. Now, the CSRs can assign service orders as they come in, updating the linemen via the tablet while they are in the field.”

According to Krupicka, with the real-time access, insight and communication capabilities that the J3500 Tablet PCs provide, a service order that previously took three or four days can now be completed in a single day – resulting in up to 75 percent time savings. Additionally, the District no longer worries about unnecessarily disabling a customer’s power as the CSRs can update or delete a service order in real time, which automatically notifies the linemen via the tablet. This helps the District continue to provide excellent service through improved access to dynamic information.

“That time savings means we can increase the number of customers we service on a daily basis and provide more efficient and accurate service in general, which means enhanced customer service,” said Krupicka.

Looking to the future, Norris Public Power District plans on utilizing the J3500 Tablet PC’s integrated camera for enhanced documentation when dealing with meter tampering issues. The District also plans to incorporate its outage management system with the tablets. During a storm, for example, Norris Public Power District will be able to alert the linemen in real time via the tablets when customers experience power outages, where the outages are occurring and when power has been restored. The District will be able to more efficiently manage the linemen and restore power to its customers sooner.

“What it comes down to for us is being able to enhance our customer service and increase our efficiency, and the J3500 Tablet PCs help us do just that,” said Krupicka. “The tablets streamline our entire workflow, from the office to the field and back again, reducing errors, increasing productivity and saving time and costs.”

Finding Motion at DistribuTECH
Motion is exhibiting in booth #1826 and demoing the F5v Tablet PC, J3500 Tablet PC and the CL900 Tablet PC. Stop by the booth for product information, case studies, giveaways and more.

Web Resources
F5v Tablet PC: http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_f5.asp
J3500 Tablet PC: http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_J35.asp
CL900 Tablet PC: http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_CL900.asp
Field Service: http://www.motioncomputing.com/solutions/mobilepro.asp
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/12982
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MotionComputing
Facebook: http://facebook.com/MotionComputing

About Norris Public Power District
Norris Public Power District is the proud provider of wholesale and retail electric service to 44 communities in five counties across southeast Nebraska. Dedicated to providing its 18,000 customers with safe, reliable and affordable energy service, the non-profit, publicly-owned company strives to keep rates low while providing the highest quality of service, which enables customers to achieve their ultimate business and personal goals. For more information visit www.norrisppd.com.

About Motion Computing
Motion Computing is a leading global provider of tablet PCs and supporting mobility solutions, combining world-class products with services customized for the unique needs of mobile professionals across vertical markets, such as field service, retail and healthcare. The company’s enhanced line of rugged tablet PCs as well as mobile point of service solutions and accessories are designed to increase mobile productivity while providing portability, security, power and versatility. For more information visit www.motioncomputing.com.

Motion Computing and Motion are registered trademarks of Motion Computing, Inc., in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.