Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited’s Outage Management System

Investing in Customer Service

One of the ways Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (THESL) is improving service to its customers is through the new Outage Management System (OMS).

Following two years of extensive consultation, planning, testing and training, THESL’s OMS went live in December 2006. The OMS brings enhanced business processes and technology into place to create operational cost savings. It also improves the quality of the service and information we provide to our customers.

With the OMS, THESL is able to respond to power outages in our service territory more efficiently. The system quickly sorts related customer calls as they are received, and relays information to our Customer Service Dispatch and Trouble Dispatch employees about the scope of a power outage. Outage events are prioritized as to how many customers are affected and if there are any reported public safety issues, before dispatching work crews.

The OMS works from our database of grid information. THESL crews have maps that accurately reflect what equipment is on the street. The OMS also provides back-up information on equipment failures, and this is used in our asset-modernization planning.

New technologies that improve customer service

An automated interactive telephone response system is also connected to the OMS to increase our capacity to answer customer calls. Customers aren’t required to wait to speak with a Customer Service Representative to report an outage. The OMS can recognize customers by address or account number, automatically enter the outage call and provide the customer with information on any known outage affecting their service.