Apogee Unveils Cutting-Edge Mobile Application: Interactive Text Response (ITR) at TechAdvantage

ATLANTA, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today in San Diego, more than 500 energy professionals turned out for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's 2012 TechAdvantage Conference. Apogee Interactive Business Development Executive Jon Scott, and Flint Energies' Sr. V.P., Jimmy Autry, shared the recent success of combining Flint Energies' Interactive Voice Response (IVR) with Apogee's new Interactive Text Response (ITR), which is enabled by Apogee's premier energy analysis application, BillingInsights™.

(LOGO: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091210/CL23938LOGO)

Apogee's BillingInsights provides automated explanation of customer's bills answering why they may have changed from month-to-month, or year-to-year, through sophisticated analysis involving their billing data, meter-read dates, and coincident weather.

By presenting BillingInsights through the IVR, members can hear a voice message explaining the differences in their bill amounts and offering suggestions for why it may have changed and tips on how to lower them. In addition, Interactive Text Response, or ITR, is also available allowing members to receive this information via a text message. The text message includes a link to Flint's BillingInsights tool on the website, which members can visit for more information.

Jimmy Autry is optimistic about the cost implications that IVR and ITR hold for handling billing questions. "The beauty of IVR and ITR as a means of explaining high bills is that it weeds out those calls that can best be answered through self-service technologies as opposed to requiring customer service representative assistance, which can run up to $50 per call," explained Autry.

Apogee President & CEO, Susan Gilbert, agrees with Autry and sees ITR as the way of the future.  "Customers want quick answers and have come to expect them to be available 24/7, and increasingly, they aren't talking as much as they're texting.  This customer service benefit of ITR is huge by itself, but combine that with the enormous savings potential from freeing up CSR time and you have a game-changer for utilities striving to make the most of every dollar."  

Georgia's Flint Energies holds the distinction of being the 36th largest rural electric cooperative in the nation, currently serving more than 84,600 members. The relationship between Apogee and Flint Energies has been long and fruitful, with Flint being instrumental in the evolution of Apogee's powerful, RESNET® accredited online energy use applications. Currently, Flint makes Apogee's complete suite of energy education and bill analysis tools available to members.

Apogee Interactive will share details of this successful partnership in a Webinar on Wednesday, March 21st at 2:00 PM Eastern. This Webinar is free, and available to the first 100 registrants. Click here to register.

About APOGEE Interactive, Inc.

APOGEE Interactive, Inc. (www.apogee.net) is a leading provider of online energy efficiency solutions to the utility industry. A certified woman-owned business founded in 1993, Apogee's energy analysis applications are currently in use by more than 600 utilities across the US, reaching millions of customers daily. Apogee's clients span a wide range of leading investor-owned, public power and cooperative energy companies including such energy leaders as American Electric Power (AEP), Southern Company (SO), PSEG (PEG), PECO (EXC), Consolidated Edison (ED), NSTAR (NST), BG&E (CEG), Entergy (ETR), SMUD, Jackson EMC and more.

SOURCE APOGEE Interactive, Inc.

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