NEWSLINENEWSLINEa CS Week publication Winter 2016

in this issue...

Conference 41 offers 20% to 40% Tiered Discount for Multiple Utility Registrations Made on the Same Date

Musings on BBQ and CS Week – Preparation, Perspiration, Participation

Introducing LeadNext: CS Week’s New Leadership Development Program

Attendee Registration Now Open

Texas Industry Leader and CS Week’s 2017 Host Utility: Oncor

311 Synergy Group Rebranded as CS Week 311 with Its Own Conference

WITH INDUSTRY SPONSORS:

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Musings on BBQ and CS Week – Preparation, Perspiration, ParticipationPeople often ask, “What is the secret sauce to CS Week? After forty years of producing conferences, how does CS Week keep improving, adapting and growing?” I’ve chewed on these questions and can honestly say it’s a lot like barbecue. CS Week boils down to three P’s – preparation, perspiration, participation.

Agree or disagree, but to me, planning and executing CS Week Conference sometimes feels like making BBQ, which here in Texas rises for some to a religious event, with VW-sized smokers becoming altars and cooks prophets. Arguing about rubs, wood chips, cooking temps, meat cuts, sauces and sides is the language of barbecue-dom. There are contests and rankings about who does it best, all dependent on where you live and who’s behind the smoke holding a mop brush. If barbecue is both a noun and a discipline, then low and slow is its mantra.

Spanish conquistadors reported seeing natives in Hispaniola roasting, drying and smoking meat on green-wood frames over small beds of coals. The framework was called a babracot, which the Spaniards turned into the word, “barbacoa.” At the time, natives roasted fish, birds, corn and pretty much anything at hand until the Europeans introduced a tasty new animal: the hog. Eventually, cows made their way north through Mexico to the vast grazing lands of Texas, and it didn’t take long to figure out what to do with them. The holy trio of brisket, sausage and ribs (beef and/or pork), smoked for hours in an indirect-heat pit and served on butcher paper with pickles and peppers remains this state’s finest homage to “barbacoa.”

So let me talk you through both recipes - one for great BBQ brisket and the second for successful, high-worth conferences. Great BBQ and CS Week require preparation. You have to trim the meat (keeping enough fat for flavor), give it a good spice rub, soak the wood chips (mesquite and hickory are favorites) and set up the smoker/grill for indirect heat. With CS Week, we prepare by installing diverse and widely-experienced planning teams whose mission is to listen, observe and synthesize. From the Executive Advisory Panel to CS Week 311 Leadership Committees, from the Board of Directors to the Planning Committee, from the Key Account Forum Steering

Committee to the Executive Summit Advisory Panel; all these resourceful and talented utility and industry professionals actively get ready. They ensure venue content is valuable, pertinent and contemporary; they strive to meet attendee educational expectations. ‘Back in the kitchen,’ CS Week staff respond to and coordinate with these planning groups, paying attention to logistics and seamlessly shifting to Plan B or a substitute ingredient when necessary.

Next comes perspiration. Adding coals and wood chips and basting the meat takes time and patience. Braggadocios claim most BBQ recipes should include a blanket and pillow. Likewise with CS Week, from September until Conference go-live, these planning groups and staff invest lots of sweat equity. Presenters create PowerPoint decks, practice answers to attendee questions and imagine ways to engage their listeners. Exhibitors and industry partners research potential audiences, making sure they are ready to answer questions, perform demos and offer utility options.

After hours of perspiration, BBQ lovers are rewarded with spicy, sweet, smoky slabs of tender meat. Likewise, CS Week attendees partake in the educational and networking opportunities that CS Week venues offer. While not served on butcher paper, a balanced Conference-week plate includes a College course, a business-process synergy group, a vendor-sponsored synergy group, track workshops, keynote speeches, receptions, special events and lots of exhibit hall time. Looking for an optional track? Register for the new ENGAGE311 conference plus a shortened CS Week. Participation in multiple venues makes for a satisfying week.

CS Week’s secret sauce isn’t so hush-hush. Rather, like BBQ, it’s the skillful ingredients of preparation, perspiration and participation that make this annual utility customer service conference unique and so worthwhile.

By the way, two of the 50 best BBQ joints in Texas are located in or near Fort Worth – Cousin’s BBQ and Longoria’s BBQ. Register today for Conference 41 and make time to feast on the holy trio before, during or after.

Rod LitkeCEO

CS Week

Excerpted from The Barbecue Bible: 10th Anniversary Edition

Texas Style Brisket

6 cups hickory or mesquite wood chips/chunks, soaked at least 1 hour in water10 lb. bag charcoal briquettes5-6 lb. beef brisket, trimmed leaving a ¼ - ½” fat layer

1 TBS kosher or sea salt1 TBS chili powder2 tsp sugar1 tsp freshly ground black pepper1 tsp ground cumin

Rinse meat under cold water; blot dry. Combine spices and rub on all sides of meat. Wrap meat in plastic and cure in refrigerator for 4-8 hours. Set up charcoal grill with coals on two sides leaving space for a pan in between. When ready, toss 1- ½ cups of wood chips on the coals. Place the brisket, fat side up, in aluminum pan or make a heavy-duty foil pan. Cover the grill. For hours 2, 3 and 4, add 10-12 fresh coals to each side plus more wood chips. Baste with its juices. Smoke until tender enough to shred with your fingers – 6 to 8 hours; let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and thinly slice across the grain. Serve with the juices or your favorite sauce.

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org Fort Worth Convention Center | Fort Worth, TX | #csweek2017

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Introducing LeadNext

Developing leadership skills requires a deliberate approach and intentional follow through. Utilities, ever engaged in the day to day business of delivering quality and timely customer service, have asked for help with this training task. CS Week has answered the call with LeadNext, a new leadership development program being launched with CS Week 2017. Up to fourteen participants will comprise the inaugural LeadNext class, making membership a select and coveted opportunity.

LeadNext is founded on two basic principles: coaching relationships and focused training. The 13-month Agenda targets high-potential supervisors and managers nominated and sponsored by their own utility executives. The LeadNext program and curriculum starts with CS Week 2017 in Fort Worth, TX and ends with CS Week 2018 in Tampa, FL. Program participants will attend a CS Week College course, a CS Week Synergy Group and Conference in 2017. Social events will facilitate guest coaching relationships, and participants will have homework assignments.

Following Conference 41, participants throughout the next year will join eight webinars, each featuring leading utilities to discuss and share how they approach and manage the customer experience lifecycle (Billing, Payments, Credit & Collections, Field Customer Service, Digital Customer Engagement, Contact Center and Analytics). Two off-site meetings focusing on strategies and best practices will be offered by host utilities at their facilities to give participants and guest coaches more valuable face-to-face time. Conference 42 provides the second bookend for the Program, with participants attending CS Week Executive Summit, the Conference and more receptions and networking events in 2018.

Vic Hatridge, LeadNext Venue Executive and former Chief Information Officer of Nashville Electric Service, describes the new program, “By bringing together top minds in the utility industry as coaches for high potential supervisors and managers, CS Week’s LeadNext program delivers the ‘secret sauce’ to accelerating professional development. This is very valuable.”

Utility executives are invited to visit LeadNext to get acquainted with the Program. There, they will find a short description and mission statement, its 13-month Agenda and the LeadNext Nomination Form. Utility supervisors and managers are invited to review this information and express their interest for being nominated to their utility executives. Nominations must be submitted by utility executives between October 1 and March 31 or until all available positions are filled. Utility employees who self-nominate must have a utility executive sponsor. Utility executive sponsors and candidates will be notified of LeadNext program acceptance by March 31.

Fort Worth Convention Center | Fort Worth, TX | #csweek2017

For more information about the LeadNext leadership development program, contact Lisa Collins, Education Director or call her at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8675.

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NEWSLINENEWSLINE Winter 2016Todd Arnold*CS Week

Sue Daulton*Tacoma Public Utilities

Rod Litke*CS Week

Penni McLean-Conner*Eversource Energy

David McKendry*Hydro Ottawa

Kerry Overton*Austin Energy

Andrea Pelt-Thornton*Next Era Energy/Florida Power & Light

Mark Wyatt*CS Week

Sandra BroughtonSouthern Company Gas

Diane ColeyDuke Energy

Tom CunninghamDuke Energy

Fred DaumPSEG Long Island

Clayton DeanTECO Energy

Cindy DossettVectren Corporation

Christopher GaglianoAlagasco

Alfred GlassNew Jersey Natural Gas Company

Jessica HobbickAPS

Ann KellyCanadian Electricity Association

Jacqueline KirwinEversource Energy

Tim LangWe Energies

Elaine McCallisterDuke Energy

Chad MooreLas Vegas Valley Water District

Sheila PressleyJEA

Lois StarkKansas City Power & Light Company

Roger StephensOncor

Crystal WhitakerNextEra Energy / Florida Power & Light Company

Felicia WilliamsPuget Sound Energy, Inc.

Shelly WrightBaltimore Gas & Electric Company

Lisa CollinsCS Week

John SildCS Week

*Board Member

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3

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The mission of CS Week...is to plan and deliver professional, unbiased educational opportunities in a cost-effective manner for the electric, gas, water/wastewater utilities, cooperatives and municipalities throughout North America and the world.

Newsline is published quarterly by CS Week, 2612 W. Lamberth Rd. Ste. 300, Sherman, TX 75092; 903-893-3214 tel, 903-893-6136 fax, . Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of CS Week.

© 2016, CIS Conference, Inc. dba CS Week, all rights reserved.

All CS Week print media, including Newsline, is distributed at no charge to utility industry professionals. To receive current and future publications, please e-mail . Address changes: Please photocopy the back page as currently addressed, carefully print your new address and fax it to 903-893-6136. You can also send an email to

www.csweek.org

info@csweek.org

info@csweek.org

That Teeter-Totter BalanceRod Litke, CEO, CS Week

Introducing LeadNext: CS Week’s New Leadership Development Program

Attendee Registration Now Open

5 Expanding Excellence Awards

10 CS Week Executive Summit

9 CS Week College CS Week Synergy Groups

11 Key Account Forum CS Week Reseach

7 Fort Worth’s Door Mat Says, “Welcome”

13 311 Synergy Rebranded as CS Week 311 with Its Own Conference

8 CS Week 41 Agenda At a Glance

In This Issue...Planning Committee

12 Texas Industry Leader and CS Week’s 2017 Host Utility: Oncor

Musings on BBQ and CS Week – Preparation, Perspiration, Participation

14-15 Conference Workshops

16 Thursday’s Special Event Vehicle Giveaway

17 Thursday’s Key Note Speaker CS Week Publishing

20 2017 Exhibit Hall Schedule Vendor Appreciation Mingle

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

18-19 Thank You, 2017 Exhibitors Thank you, 2017 Sponsors

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Todd Arnold*CS Week

Sue Daulton*Tacoma Public Utilities

Rod Litke*CS Week

Penni McLean-Conner*Eversource Energy

David McKendry*Hydro Ottawa

Kerry Overton*Austin Energy

Andrea Pelt-Thornton*Next Era Energy/Florida Power & Light

Mark Wyatt*CS Week

Sandra BroughtonSouthern Company Gas

Diane ColeyDuke Energy

Tom CunninghamDuke Energy

Fred DaumPSEG Long Island

Clayton DeanTECO Energy

Cindy DossettVectren Corporation

Christopher GaglianoAlagasco

Alfred GlassNew Jersey Natural Gas Company

Jessica HobbickAPS

Ann KellyCanadian Electricity Association

Jacqueline KirwinEversource Energy

Tim LangWe Energies

Elaine McCallisterDuke Energy

Chad MooreLas Vegas Valley Water District

Sheila PressleyJEA

Lois StarkKansas City Power & Light Company

Roger StephensOncor

Crystal WhitakerNextEra Energy / Florida Power & Light Company

Felicia WilliamsPuget Sound Energy, Inc.

Shelly WrightBaltimore Gas & Electric Company

Lisa CollinsCS Week

John SildCS Week

*Board Member

CS Week announces the 2017 Expanding Excellence Awards, a program designed to recognize significant contributions and salute innovation and excellence in customer service. Winners and distinguished finalists for the following categories are presented at Wednesday’s General Session:

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Best Mobility Implementation

Best CIS Implementation

Best Analytics Project

Innovation in People & Process

Innovation in Digital Customer Engagement

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 1/6/17For award category descriptions, click on the titles above.

Apply by completing the official Expanding Excellence Awards application form. As your utility considers this application, please remember that CS Week will request photos, images and other visual documentation of your project or implementation to create the awards videos. Your visual history will be shown during the awards ceremony.

Any utility submitting an Expanding Excellence Award entry will receive a 50% discount on up to five Conference 41 registrations. Contact Julie Shankles, Registration Manager, or call her at 903-821-8631 with questions.

For more information about the awards or the nomination process, contact CS Week Expanding Excellence Awards Program Manager, Lisa Collins or call her at 903-821-8675.

official Expanding Excellence Awards application form

Julie Shankles

Lisa Collins

Fort Worth Convention Center | Fort Worth, TX | #csweek2017

REGISTRATION FEES EARLY REGULAR ON-SITE 11/15/16 - 4/1/17 4/2/17 - 5/14/17 Starts 5/15/17 UTILITY ATTENDEE $995 $1,095 $1,195 EXHIBITOR ATTENDEE $995 $1,095 $1,195 NON-EXHIBITOR ATTENDEE $2,700 $2,700 $2,700 Full Conference attendee registration fee includes admission to breakfasts and keynote speakers’ presentations, Exhibit Hall luncheons, CS Week Conference workshops and all social and networking functions including, but not limited to, Exhibit Hall receptions and the perennial favorite – the CS Week Special Event.

Conference 41 | Tiered Pricing*

20% discount: 3-5 attendees30% discount: 6-10 attendees40% discount: 11+ attendees

For booth registration, please contact Gail Farmer or call her at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8623.

6 CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

Attendee Registration Now Open

CS Week College is intended for utility company attendees only

REGISTRATION FEES (includes breakfast and lunch) UTILITY COLLEGE $495 COLLEGE WITH CONFERENCE REGISTRATION* $249

*Discounted College registration fee is offered to those who register for College and Conference.

CS Week Synergy Groups are intended for utility and governmental attendees only (with the exception of Analytics)

REGISTRATION FEESVendor Solution Synergy Groups on Monday (+ Oracle Utilities on Tuesday) - ComplimentaryBusiness Process Synergy Groups - $249

Admittance to Vendor Synergy Groups is subject to presenter approval.

2017 Registration

Gail Farmer

* To qualify for this discount, utilities must register all attendees on the same date. To learn more, contact Julie Shankles, Registration Manager or call her at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8631, Monday - Friday. 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CST.

Julie Shankles

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Fort Worth’s Door Mat Says, “Welcome”Convenience and accessibility are the hallmarks of the 2017 CS Week Conference hotels. Located within a block of the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and the Omni Fort Worth Hotel offer comfortable accommodations, helpful staff and gracious amenities near the Conference hub. Both are situated within strolling distance of the city’s cultural centers, restaurants and nightlife. Curl up in your guest room after a busy conference day or stride out to see, taste, hear and enjoy the local flavor of “Cowtown.”

Book your stay at www.csweek.org and click Registration. Then, open the drop down menu to Accommodations.

The Trinity Railway Express links DFW Airport to Fort Worth’s T&P Station. Click Conference Transportation for information.

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

Attendee Registration Now Open

Omni Fort Worth Hotel1300 Houston Street

817-535-6664

• Non-smoking luxury hotel• WiFi Internet service – complimentary for Select Guest® members• Four restaurants, ranging from a 5 star steakhouse to a neighborhood bar• Kimbell Art Museum Store• Salon & spa• Rooftop pool

$199 + tax$25/day parking

The Omni Fort Worth Hotel is the site for CS Week Executive Summit and CS Week Key Account Forum.

Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel1701 Commerce Street

817-335-7000

• Free Wireless Basic Internet Access in Lobby, Public Areas and Guest Rooms• 24-Hour Fitness Facility with indoor whirlpool• Laundry/Valet/Dry Cleaning Services• Fully ADA accessible• On-site restaurant open 6 am – 12 am• 100% non-smoking rooms and facilities• Cash machine (ATM)• Gift Shop• 24-Hour Business Center with free high speed Internet and Internet-based printing services

$179 + tax$20/day parking

www.csweek.org

8 CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

CS Week 2017 Agenda At a GlanceSunday, May 21, 2017

9:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Exhibitor Set-Up

Monday, May 22, 2017

7:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration 7:00 am - 9:00 pm Executive Summit*7:00 am - 9:00 pm Key Account Forum*7:00 am - 5:00 pm Vendor Synergy Groups 7:30 am - 6:30 pm ENGAGE311 Conference8:00 am - 8:00 pm Exhibitor Set-Up 8:00 am - 4:30 pm CS Week College

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

7:00 am - 6:00 pm Registration 7:00 am - 3:00 pm Executive Summit*7:00 am - 3:15 pm Key Account Forum*7:30 am - 7:30 pm ENGAGE311 Conference7:30 am - 3:00 pm CS Week Synergy Groups8:00 am - 11:00 am Exhibitor Set-Up continues1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Exhibit Hall Hours3:15 pm - 3:45 pm Attendee Orientation 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Exhibit Hall Welcome Reception 6:15 pm - 7:15 pm Women in Utilities

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

7:15 am - 8:15 am Continental Breakfast with Team Tables7:30 am - 4:30 pm ENGAGE311 Conference8:00 am - 11:45 am Registration8:00 am - 8:15 am General Session Welcome8:15 am - 8:40 am General Session Keynote Speaker8:40 am - 9:20 am Expanding Excellence Awards Announcements 8:45 am - 9:30 am Vendor Appreciation Mingle9:15 am - 11:15 am Exhibit Hall Invitation-Only Consultations/Demos9:30 am - 3:30 pm CS Week Research Roundtable Meeting*9:30 am - 10:30 am Session 1 Workshops, Sponsor Solutions & Awards11:15 am - 6:30 pm Exhibit Hall Hours

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 continued

10:45 am - 11:45 am Session 2 Workshops, Sponsor Solutions & Awards12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Exhibit Hall Luncheon | Birds of a Feather Tables12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Students for a Brighter Future1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Session 3 Workshops, Sponsor Solutions & Awards3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Session 4 Workshops, Sponsor Solutions & Awards 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Networking Reception 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Canadian Reception5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Book Signing with Penni McLean-Conner

Thursday, May 25, 2017

7:15 am - 8:15 am Continental Breakfast with Team Tables8:00 am - 9:00 am General Session & Keynote Speaker9:15 am - 11:15 am Exhibit Hall Invitation-Only Consultations/Demos9:15 am - 10:15 am Session 5 Workshops & Sponsor Solutions10:30 am - 11:30 am Session 6 Workshops & Sponsor Solutions 11:15 am - 3:30 pm Exhibit Hall Hours12:00 pm - 12:45 pm Exhibit Hall Luncheon | Birds of a Feather Tables1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Students for a Brighter Future1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Dessert & Coffee Reception 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm Book Signing with Penni McLean- Conner2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Session 7 Workshops & Sponsor Solutions 3:45 pm - 5:00 pm Session 8 Workshops & Sponsor Solutions 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Special Event

Friday, May 26, 2017

7:15 am - 8:00 am Continental Breakfast 8:15 am - 9:15 am Session 9 Workshops & Sponsor Solutions 9:30 am - 10:30 am General Session & Executive Panel Discussion 10:30 am Vehicle Giveaway

* By Invitation Only

9CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

New Courses, Universal Subjects,

Deep Dives

Seven courses are confirmed for the 2017 CS Week College. Complete descriptions are available at www.csweek.org. Approved by NASBA for continuing education credit, these courses offer in-depth, strategic subjects taught by industry-leading vendors. For more information, contact Danise Mullendore, College Manager, at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8680.

CS Week 2017 Agenda At a Glance

Fort Worth Convention Center | Fort Worth, TX | #csweek2017

• Best Practices in Selecting New Utility Software and System Integrators - AAC Utility Partners• Economics, Engagement and Execution – Meeting Customer Needs in a Digital World - EY• Achieving Stable Operations and Realizing Business Benefits After Project Go-Live – PwC• The Dos and Don’ts of Implementing a Successful Enterprise IT Replacement Project - TMG Consulting• Customer Service – S.E.R.V.E. - TrainerAngie.com• Leading Change through Tactical Engagement at Every Level - Utilligent

Monday, May 22 &Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Five vendor-solution synergy groups will kick off CS Week Synergy Groups on Monday (with Oracle Utilities hosting its meeting on Tuesday). Nine business process-focused synergy groups will convene on Tuesday, including a new one on scamming, a hot topic for consumers and utilities. Synergy Groups have been updated to reflect the evolving customer experience lifecycle and attendee interest.

Vendor Solutions: Business Process-Focused:

For information about CS Week Synergy Groups, contact Jules Denton, Synergy Group Manager, at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8648.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Updated Processes,New Solutions,Utility Sharing

10 CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

Monday and Tuesday,May 22 - 23, 2017

Being responsive to consumer preferences and reacting quickly and effectively to requests for service are characteristics of quality-based, customer-centric utilities. The Executive Summit Advisory Panel has modeled these service hallmarks by responding to Executive Summit attendee suggestions and developing new venue components. The 2017 Executive Summit will include:

• Exciting format changes to the two-day agenda. Creating an engaged audience is a high priority for Executive Summit agenda planners. With both IT and customer service executives participating, these formats promise lively and comprehensive discussions: • “Rapid Fire Solutions” will introduce top-of-mind utility challenges, ones that typically keep executives up at night, and invite attendees by table to identify and discuss solutions already being used at their utilities. As a table, the group will then prioritize their recommendations and submit them electronically to the moderator who will synthesize these solutions for the entire audience. • “CS 2020 Trends” will feature panel and utility experts in 30 minute sessions focusing three years out on important issues submitted electronically by participants.

• Industry breakout meetings. Launched in 2016, these breakout sessions capitalize on the opportunity that executives already attending CS Week Executive Summit can also convene for other organizations’ meetings while at CS Week. The following industry groups will conduct their meetings on Tuesday after the Executive Summit closes: • AGA/EEI • Large Public Power Council Customer Service Executives • CEA • Water Customer Service Executive Council • LeadNext. CS Week’s new leadership development program targets high-potential utility supervisors and managers and aligns them with guest coaches to complete a 13-month curriculum, bookended by CS Week conferences. The nomination process is now open. The first class will launch in May 2017 with Vic Hatridge, retired Chief Information Officer of Nashville Electric Service, wearing this new venue’s executive hat. See Page 3 for a feature describing this innovative program or visit LeadNext.

Besides the educational opportunities that characterize the Executive Summit, networking with fellow utility executives is another powerful attendance magnet, with new records having been set in 2016. CS Week 2017 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel looks to be another banner year for Executive Summit. Monday evening’s annual attendee reception and dinner will be located at The Ashton Depot, a historic and picturesque 1899 Santa Fe railroad station that has been renovated and remodeled to be an elegant entertainment and dining site.

Invitations for the fourteenth annual CS Week Executive Summit will be mailed in January. The complete agenda will be published in the CS Week Program Guide, available in early 2017. For additional information or to request an invitation, contact Lisa Collins, Executive Summit Manager, at 903-893-3214.

Todd Arnold2017 Executive Summit

Venue Executive

2017 Sponsors:

With Industry Sponsors:

Responsive Leadership Translates to Record-Setting Attendance

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Monday and Tuesday,May 22 - 23, 2017

Planning AnotherFabulous Forum

a CS Week Educational Venue

TM

The fifth annual Key Account Forum convenes at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel on Monday and Tuesday, May 22 and 23, 2017. Changing the calendar to meet on Monday and Tuesday is new for Key Account Forum in 2017. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni to make attendees’ Conference experience convenient.

Leading the Key Account Forum Steering Committee, Venue Executive Mark Wyatt and Michael B. Williams of Southern California Edison, are already finalizing the agenda. Key topics will include:• Streamlining the service connection process for the highest energy users and the largest revenue customers;• Offering value-added products and services that satisfy key accounts;• Getting the most from utility CRM tools;• Setting up efficient managerial practices; and• Delivering a desired, effective customer experience, among other topics.

“Luna Vista,” a funky, fun geodesic dome perched atop the famed Reata Restaurant, will be the site for Monday night’s private Key Account Forum attendee reception and dinner. This fully-enclosed, climate-controlled room will offer attendees a unique view of Fort Worth’s downtown night skies.

Invitations for the CS Week Key Account Forum will be mailed in January. The complete agenda will be published in the CS Week Program Guide, available in early 2017. For additional information or to request an invitation, contact Shelley Carter, Key Account Forum Manager, at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8647.

2017 Benchmarking Study Sponsor:

CS Week Research is an association of companies conducting

benchmarking studies to identify the best practices surrounding

customer service issues that improve the overall operations of

the member’s business operations.

Following Key Account Forum, CS Week Research members will meet on Wednesday, May 24 for their day-long Roundtable Meeting to discuss the annual Major Accounts survey.

Utilities interested in becoming Full or Associate members of CS Week Research should contact Shelley Carter at 903-893-3214.

Mark Wyatt2017 Key Account Forum

Venue Executive

Michael B. Williams2017 Key Account Forum

Chairperson

2017 Audio-Visual Sponsor:

Fort Worth Convention Center | Fort Worth, TX | #csweek2017

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Texas Industry Leader and CS Week’s 2017 Host Utility:

Early Texas history, like civilizations around the globe, began and grew around rivers, liquid pathways for transportation, cultural exchange and commerce. So, if readers live south of the Red River and north of the Colorado River in Texas, chances are they’re situated in Oncor territory, a region that has experienced tremendous growth over the past 150 years. Oncor, CS Week’s 2017 Host Utility, provides electric service in 402 cities across 91 counties to more than 10 million customers. Thirty-six hundred employees work to safely maintain reliable electric delivery service across the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas.

Oncor, like most large utilities, is progressive and industry-leading:

• The installation of its advanced metering infrastructure has dramatically reduced Oncor’s fuel cost and carbon dioxide emissions due to fewer truck rolls. This initiative won Oncor recognition as one of the Top Ten Utility Smart Grid Deployments in North America. Digital solid-state meters, installed since 2009, record electric usage in 15 minute intervals and allow consumers to receive real-time data on ‘in-home display’ devices. This information empowers consumers to adjust their consumption habits and take advantage of off-peak rates offered by retail electric providers.

• The award-winning Oncor MicroGrid at the Technology Demonstration and Education Center has been in operation for more than 18 months. This highly automated MicroGrid serves an Oncor operational site supporting five different business missions with a peak load of approximately 1.3MW. The entire site is capable of autonomous islanding with four mini-grids, each able to operate independently. The MicroGrid plays a major role in Oncor’s efforts to develop standards, practices and procedures to accommodate microgrids and distributed energy resources as they grow significantly on their system. Since the site dedication in March 2015, approximately 2,400 visitors from federal, state and local governments, commissions, peer utilities, competitive market participants and interest groups have toured the site. The Oncor MicroGrid has been recognized by Greentech Media with their 2015 Grid Edge Award, by Power Magazine with its 2015 Smart Grid Award and by Transmission & Distribution World for leadership in technology solutions.

• Oncor is also keenly focused on leveraging technology to significantly improve the customer experience in addition to their focus on improving operational efficiencies and enabling more efficient use of electricity. Several significant customer communications initiatives implemented over recent years include:

- An enhanced online outage map that includes estimated times of restoration;- New text and online outage reporting capabilities in English and Spanish; - The launch of My Oncor Alerts enabling customers to receive outage and service request updates through their preferred contact method (text, e-mail or voice); - Real-time social media monitoring and response; and- Online chat capability with customers.

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.orgContinued on Page 13

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Continued from Page 12

Oncor’s latest and most comprehensive customer-facing project, Proactive Outage Communications, is set for a Fall 2016 implementation. By integrating their Advanced Metering System with their Outage Management System and their My Oncor Alerts platform, Oncor will begin proactively notifying customers of outages detected on Oncor’s network. In addition to initial notification, customers will receive updates during the restoration effort and a final message once power has been restored. This system integration will allow Oncor to increase communications accuracy and transform the customers’ outage experience.

As the Host Utility, look for Oncor to wear many hats at CS Week 2017. Yes, everything is bigger in Texas, and Oncor’s distribution system located between two of the largest rivers in the United States, is no exception, spanning 121,000 miles of lines and including more than 3.3 million meters. A progressive leader, Oncor will continue to lead and navigate the way.

311 Synergy Group Rebranded as CS Week 311 with Its Own Conference

The Hilton Fort Worth Hotel becomes ‘Grand Central Station’ for the rebranded CS Week 311’s ENGAGE311 Conference and EXPO311 Exhibit Hall on Monday through Wednesday of CS Week. A block of rooms has been especially reserved for attendees, exhibitors and sponsors. Registration and Accommodations are now open. Here are just seven ‘can’t-miss’ features of what promises to be an active three days of networking, learning and discovering, now known as ENGAGE311:

• Start with “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere” meet-and-greet at the Houston Street Bar & Patio where ENGAGE311 attendees can reconnect with familiar faces and meet new ones in a casual setting just steps from the Hotel on Sunday evening.• Monday’s agenda kicks off with a visit from the Honorable Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth, followed by the results of the 311 Comparative Survey and 311 Technology Survey. Surveys are conducted in February and March annually. Utilities interested in participating and receiving full access to survey results should contact Amber Wiens.• Three virtual call center tours punctuate the agenda. Visit contact centers through the magic of video and see how 311 looks and feels at the City of Dallas, the City of Knoxville and the City of Atlanta.• Spend time in the Grand Crystal Ballroom C, the location of EXPO311. Exhibitors and sponsors who know and understand the 311 market and its challenges and requirements will be there to listen, learn and be resourceful.• Finish Tuesday with a Networking Reception at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, a beautiful venue that honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience and independence that helped shape the American West. Enjoy the fellowship, food and libations while visiting the galleries.• Tuesday’s schedule also features the 2017 CS Week 311 Award of Excellence announcement.• Hear and participate in Sponsor Presentations, Ideation Sessions and numerous content-rich presentations, all showcasing 311 contact/ customer centers.

For more information, please contact Amber Wiens, CS Week 311 Manager, at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8721.

Monday thru Wednesday,May 22 - 24, 2017

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Conference WorkshopsMay 24 - 26, 2017

Analytics• Extracting Big Value from ‘Small’ Data• Survival in an Environment of Mandated Conservation• Deepening Predictive Customer Engagement & Preferences with Advanced Analytics• MDM and Analytics: Solutions for Utilities in the Age of IoT• Improving Back Office and Field Utilization through Analytics• 360 Degree Analytics for Improved Customer Service

Billing & Payments• Transforming the Customer Experience from Billing to Payment• Payment Processing Redesign• Secure Email Delivery to Grow Paperless Billing• The Power of Engaging Customers in Redesigning Your Bill

Contact Center• The Evolution of the Predictive Technology• Linking Annual Appraisals to Everyday Call Center Performance• Improve the Customer Experience with Journey Mapping• The Unprecedented Challenge: Leading and Servicing Diverse Generations• Care Center: The Next Generation

Credit & Collections• Non-Residential Risk Assessment• All Hands on Deck – A Deep Dive into the Collection Processes that Yield Extraordinary Results• Customer-Centric Programming through Community Collaboration

Credit & Collections, continued.• Hidden Trea$ure$: Identifying and Billing Unbilled Revenues• Utilities United Against Scammers Update - A Year Into The Fight

Digital Customer Engagement• Viva Las Video: Is Video the New “King” of Social Content?• Enabling the Customer Experience Through 4 “C”s• Building a Digital Strategy and Roadmap• Enhancing Customer Relationships with Proactive High Bill Alerts

Field Customer Service• Developing Strategic Outage Communications: Best Practices and Lessons Learned• Maximizing Field Service Optimization Through the Effective Use of Technology• GPS-Enabled Workforce: Improving Productivity and Safety• Ensuring Customer Safety in Times of Natural Disaster

Strategies & Management• Customer Experience Roadmap – From Strategy to Boots on the Ground!• Strategies for Electric Vehicles• Best Practices in CIS Implementation• Leveraging Your New CIS

Canadian Focus• Customer Experience Roadmap – From Strategy to Boots on the Ground!• Leveraging Your New CIS• The Power of Engaging Customers in Redesigning Your Bill• Viva Las Video: Is Video the New “King” of Social Content?

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

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Sponsor Solutions

For questions about Conference Workshops, contact Danise Mullendore, Workshops Manager at 903-893-3214.

Fort Worth Convention Center | Fort Worth, TX | #csweek2017

Canadian Focus, continued.• Ensuring Customer Safety in Times of Natural Disaster

Water Focus• Survival in an Environment of Mandated Conservation• All Hands on Deck – A Deep Dive into the Collection Processes that Yield Extraordinary Results• Maximizing Field Service Optimization Through the Effective Use of Technology• Leveraging Your New CIS• The Power of Engaging Customers in Redesigning Your Bill• 360 Degree Engagement for Improved Customer Service• Payment Processing Redesign• Hidden Trea$ure$: Identifying and Billing Unbilled Revenues

Winners of CS Weeks 2017 Expanding Excellence Awards• Best Mobility Implementation• Best Analytics Project• Best CIS Implementation• Innovation in People & Process• Innovation in Digital Customer Engagement

16 CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

Thursday’s Special Event Showcases Old West FunWith Fort Worth’s beautiful Water Gardens and downtown skyline as its backdrop, CS Week’s Thursday night Special Event promises a variety of Texas-style nostalgia and lots of fun entertainment:

• Play corn hole toss • Race armadillos • Ride a mechanical bull • Take selfies with a live longhorn steer • Learn line-dancing and boot-scooting moves • Enjoy the toe-tapping tunes of Texas Unlimited Band, returning by popular demand from CS Week 2014 in San Antonio

Cold adult beverages and local cuisine choices will be on the menu for a lively hat-and-boots kind of evening filled with music, conversation, food and laughter.

One Lucky Attendee will Be A New Bug Owner!Odds of winning the 2017 CS Week Vehicle Giveaway prize are considerably better than most raffles. Why not be the lucky utility winner and drive home a new car?

This year, one utility attendee will win the sporty, adorable and fuel-efficient 2017 Volkswagen convertible Beetle. By visiting sponsoring vendors at their Exhibit Hall booths and securing their stamps on entry cards distributed at registration, attendees who collect all the necessary stamps and turn in their completed entry card are eligible to win.

Remember, the winner must be present at the drawing, so mark your calendar for Friday’s General Session at 10:30 am. Be there to collect the keys!

Sponsored by:

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Thursday Key Note SpeakerReturns for an Encore

Eighty percent of the groups who hear him speak bring him back for an encore engagement. Infectiously positive and brimming with common-sense observations, Chip R. Bell is returning in 2017 as Thursday’s General Session keynote speaker. Mr. Bell originally dazzled CS Week attendees at the 2012 Conference in Grapevine/Dallas, TX. Bell has helped many Fortune 500 companies and utilities dramatically enhance their bottom lines and marketplace reputation through innovative customer-centric strategies that address the needs of today’s picky, fickle, vocal and ‘all about me’ customers.

Many consider Bell a world-renowned authority on customer loyalty and service innovation. A prolific author, he has written over 600 articles for trade publications, appeared on television and radio and published eight industry-leading books including his most recent best-seller, Sprinkles: Creating Awesome Experiences Through Innovative Service. His books have won numerous major book awards and endorsements from leaders in multiple service and retail industries. For more information about Bell’s career, testimonials and can-do attitude, visit www.chipbell.com

One of Bell’s favorite keynote subjects is creating and sustaining customer-centric organizations. He wrote the Foreword for Penni McLean-Conner’s new book, Profiles in Excellence: Utility Chief Customer Officers (see feature below). Look for an engaging, funny and high-energy stage presence from Bell on Thursday morning.

Chip R. Bell

Ranked by Global Gurus in 2014 and again in 2015 as the #1

Keynote speaker in the world on customer service

Sponsored by:

Profiles Knocks It Out of the Park

Penni McLean-ConnerChief Customer Officer and Customer

Group Senior Vice President Eversource Energy

Three-time authoress

CS Week Publishing is proud to launch its second published book, Profiles in Excellence: Utility Chief Customer Officers, now available in hard cover and e-book formats from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Using the graphic art design tool called word clouds, McLean-Conner creates word pictures and tells the stories of eight dynamic, diverse and driven Chief Customer Officers. Each is responsible for creating and sustaining the customer experience at major North American utilties. She includes their successes and setbacks, challenges, and pivotal decision points, both personal and professional, to illuminate their stories.

“This book was designed for aspiring utility customer service leaders: leaders with passion, leaders with energy and drive, leaders that today are already making a positive impact on utility customer service, “ McLean-Conner says in her Introduction.

And in her final chapter, she reinforces, “Chief Customer Officers will be the

change agents helping utilities nagivate these changes, adapting processes and continually serving customers with a positive, effective experience.”

Watch for email broadcasts from CS Week about the book launch. Order your copy by clicking above on either book retailer. The 2017 Conference Exhibit Hall schedule includes opportunities for readers to have McLean-Conner sign and personalize their books.

Are you an aspiring writer with a story to tell? Contact Lisa Collins, CS Week Education Director at 903-893-3214to learn about assistance from CS Week Publishing.

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- PLATINUM -

- GOLD -

- SILVER -

Thank You, CS Week Conference 41 Exhibitors

Company BoothAAC Utility Partners, LLC 415Accenture 633Black & Veatch Corporation 915Broadridge 720CS Week Vehicle Booth 421Diamond Concepts and Consulting 627EY 306Fidelity Express 215FirstFuel Software 208Hansen Utilities 815Harris Utilities 401Itineris 1101KUBRA 307Level One 621Milestone Utility Services 426Oracle Utilities 601Paymentus 528PwC 420Questline 320Smart Utility Services 901Tendril 321TMG Consulting 515Utilitec 821VertexOne 715WCG Consulting 429West 206Wipro Ltd 726

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

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Thank You, CS Week 2017 Sponsors- PLATINUM -

- GOLD -

- SILVER -

- HOST UTILITY -

CS Week 2017 | May 22-26, 2017 | www.csweek.org

2017 CS Week Exhibit Hall ScheduleTuesday, May 23, 2017 Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Thursday, May 25, 2017

Exhibit Hall Hours1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Welcome Reception4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Sponsored by:

Vendor Appreciation Mingle8:45 am – 9:30 am

Invitation-Only Consultations/Demos

9:15 am – 11:15 am

Exhibit Hall Hours11:15 am – 6:00 pm

Exhibit Hall Luncheon12:15 pm – 1:15 pm

Networking Reception4:30 pm - 6:30 pmBars Co-Sponsored by:

Canadian Networking Reception

4:30 pm – 6:30 pmSponsored by:

Open During AllExhibit Hall Hours

Cyber CaféSponsored by:

Espresso/Barista BarSponsored by:

Hydrate LoungeSponsored by:

Social Media HubSponsored by:

Invitation-Only Consultations/Demos

9:15 am – 11:15 am

Exhibit Hall Hours11:15 am – 3:30 pm

Exhibit Hall Luncheon12:00 pm – 12:45 pm

Dessert & Coffee Reception

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm

CS Week 2017 Vehicle Giveaway Sponsors to be announced in

Spring Newsline

Vendor Appreciation MingleWednesday, May 24, 2017, 8:45 am – 9:30 am

Ever wondered about other CS Week exhibitors, sponsors and industry partners? Where are they from? What aspects of the customer experience lifecycle do they support? Who are their clients? What are their products and services? Why do they invest in CS Week?

To promote interaction and get answers to these questions, CS Week is sponsoring a Vendor Appreciation Mingle on Wednesday morning. A light breakfast and beverages will be served, with a side of recognition and a tip of appreciation. Vendors, plan to attend; this is tailored especially for you. For questions, contact Gail Farmer at 903-893-3214.