Imagine how much time it would take to send 1,000 personalized emails or letters, each one referencing multiple parties, unique technical information such as PV system equipment and capacity, and important economic information such as incentive amount. Performed manually, this task could keep a team busy (and bored) for weeks.
This is a common scenario for renewable incentive program administrators, who may process hundreds or thousands of applications a year within a multi-step incentive process. Customers using PowerClerk® have a powerful new set of auto-communication tools at their disposal to help them save time, streamline communication and improve information flow by automating repetitive communications. Here’s how:
- Keep applicants informed by creating communication templates for common notifications. With PowerClerk, creating a template is as simple as writing an email, allowing users to avoid drafting and redrafting the same communication to a large portion of applicants. Communications can be sent via email in PowerClerk, or they can be printed and mailed.
- Increase accuracy and keep it personal with auto-fill fields. PowerClerk communication templates automatically import pertinent application information such as contact information, system specifications, incentive amounts and other data saved within PowerClerk. Administrators no longer have to manually locate and enter this application-specific information, saving time and reducing errors.
- Keep a virtual paper trail for fast confirmation of status. With PowerClerk, the days of searching through email or file folders are over. All communications stay associated with an application, making it easy for anyone accessing the system to find all related correspondence.
- Streamline workflows by automatically sending communications at key steps in the process. Using administrator-specified conditional logic, PowerClerk administrators can automatically send notifications based on a change in application status. Auto Communications more deeply automates incentive application management and reduces the overhead required to effectively communicate with stakeholders.
Many PowerClerk customers are using Auto Communications to open up new lines of communication with their customers. For example, NV Energy uses Auto Communications to notify customers when they have reached key stages of the application process, such as confirmation that their Incentive Claim Package is under review, they’ve been approved for net metering, or their meter has been configured. In addition to these standard process notifications, NV Energy has also designed a customer survey that is sent automatically from PowerClerk the first time an incentive application is marked ‘Completed.’
The survey can be accessed using a web browser, and is automatically submitted to NV Energy upon completion. This has proven to be a valuable method of gathering feedback from customers about the NV Energy RenewableGenerations program, why they chose to purchase a renewable generating system, satisfaction with their installer, and more.
Setting up templates and Auto Communications rules in PowerClerk is a simple process. Check out this short video to see how Auto Communications works: http://youtu.be/Hv3ychOo9ds.