Back to News
PSNH wins Chartwell's 2009 Outage Communications Award
ATLANTA - November 11, 2009 - Chartwell Inc. has selected Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) to receive its 2009 Best Practices Award in Outage Communications for the company's pioneering use of social media to deliver better customer service following a devastating ice storm. Chartwell announced the award at its Outage Communications Summit in Phoenix.
"Public Service of New Hampshire's success with social media attracted national attention and established the utility as a leader within the industry," says Scott Johnson, Chartwell Senior Research Analyst. "More importantly, it encouraged other utilities to experiment with social media as a way to deliver information to customers. The fact that more than 100 utilities now use Twitter regularly speaks to PSNH's pioneering efforts."
The Dec. 12, 2008, ice storm caused more damage than any other weather event to hit New Hampshire in recorded history. More than 322,000 PSNH customers were without power when outages peaked. Hundreds of roads were impassable and entire sections of the state's electric system crashed to the ground.
The storm provided the first full-scale, statewide test of PSNH's emergency response plan, patterned after the National Incident Management System. The resulting flow of consistent, timely outage information allowed the company to issue regular updates to customers, government officials and the media through a variety of channels. Chartwell judges commended PSNH for:
- Seizing upon social media applications such as Twitter, YouTube and Flickr to interact directly with customers in real-time;
- Developing a separate Web page on www.psnh.com for storm news and updates;
- Providing six videos and a podcast to explain the restoration process as well as the unique weather conditions that cause the mass power outages; and
- Creating a comprehensive post-restoration report titled "Record Outage, Record Recovery."
Chartwell created the award in 2008 to honor results-oriented initiatives aimed at improving customer contact and information delivery during outages, both planned and unplanned. Progressive utilities continually develop strategies and programs that deliver this information as quickly as possible.
"Chartwell applauds all of the utilities that submitted projects for their outstanding efforts to improve customer contact during the most challenging situations," Johnson says.
Chartwell Best Practices Awards are presented in several categories throughout the year. Utilities that enter projects or programs must submit an entry form and supporting materials. The entries are judged by Chartwell researchers who are subject matter experts in the areas under consideration. Nine North American utilities submitted entries for consideration.
ABOUT CHARTWELL INC.
Chartwell Inc. is a specialized information provider that facilitates knowledge exchange among utility professionals responsible for management practices and technology solutions. Chartwell publishes best practices case studies, quantitative research and electronic newsletters, and hosts conferences and other events for utility professionals.
PRESS CONTACT
Scott Johnson
(404) 237-9099 Ext. 26
sjohnson@chartwellinc.com
