| Operational Excellence & Customer Service |
Operating excellence is the key that unlocks all the doors to sustainable financial, social and environmental performance. Our job is to keep the lights on and the gas flowing. We produce and move electricity and natural gas on demand to serve customers in major markets in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. It takes thousands of individual actions, decisions and interactions, every day, around the clock, to operate our network of energy assets. That’s the meat and potatoes of our business. Doing it well — safely, efficiently and with excellent customer service — that’s the “gravy.” That’s what adds value for our customers and the company. Customers consistently tell us that price and service reliability are their top priorities. They want affordable energy that’s available when they need it. |
 |
We listen to what they say. We set challenging service goals. We tie our incentive pay to those goals. And we reward our employees when customers’ expectations are met or surpassed. Excellence is a core value at Dominion, but it’s not simple to achieve. We constantly strive for improvement as we evaluate, question and fine-tune the way we do business. To get the job done, we rely on a combination of skill, teamwork, technology and quality improvement through Six Sigma. Six Sigma is a philosophy and a methodology for measuring business systems, pinpointing defects and developing solutions. It uses a range of statistical instruments to improve decision-making and lock in bottom-line savings.
|
|
|
|
From 2002 through 2006, for example, we were successful in recognizing value and driving more than $750 million in costs out of the business, achieving significant efficiencies along the way. Lower costs and improved efficiency help us keep rates down for our customers. Whether through improved cash flow, better fuel cost management and reduced power station outage times or new technology deployment throughout the business, Six Sigma has been a boon to productivity. It has also taught our employees how to live, breathe and think excellence. |
|
In addition to the technical skills they learn, they gain valuable experience in project management, team dynamics and executing major process changes. New technologies have also helped spur innovation and productivity gains. Example: Automated Meter Reading (AMR) — a mobile wireless technology that uses advanced meters and radio signals to transmit customers’ energy consumption data to specialized equipment in company vehicles. |
|
|
AMR technology allows our meter readers to read 10,000 meters in their vehicles in the time it takes to read 400-600 meters on foot. As a result, they rarely have to negotiate fences or worry about unfriendly dogs. This technological enhancement has virtually eliminated estimated readings, which provides customers with far more precision and accuracy in having their meters read. That’s a major improvement in our efficiency and a win/win situation for our employees and customers. As of 2006, all of Dominion’s residential and small commercial electric customers were having their meters read electronically. Beginning in 2007, AMR meters were being installed for our natural gas customers as part of a five-year plan. In addition to the cost savings associated with improved billing accuracy, those customers with gas meters inside their homes will experience fewer disruptions and intrusions. When the project is completed, the AMR initiative should save Dominion millions of dollars in meter reading costs. That’s only one of many ways we are using innovative technologies to improve quality, operating excellence and customer service throughout the Dominion enterprise.
|
|
|
|
