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IVR Service Provider: TextPower Gives Piedmont Text Alerts for 'Beat the Peak' Program

By Amanda Ciccatelli, TMCnet Web Editor

TextPower, a provider of software and text messaging (SMS) gateway services, today revealed that Piedmont EMC (News - Alert) has added TextPower SMS text messaging service to provide Piedmont members with text alerts for its cooperative's "Beat the Peak" program.

TextPower integrates with an organization's IVR service provider to create event-triggered text message alerts that are automatically sent to a mobile or group of cell phones to notify of the occurrence. TextPower software allows companies to use texting to enhance their revenues, decrease costs and improve customer service.

Providing Piedmont EMC members with instant alerts prior to heavy usage periods, TextPower’s SMS text messaging service also encourages shutting off unnecessary lights and adjusting thermostats during times of peak usage. Since a large part of power supply cost is determined by energy used during peak load periods when people are using the greatest amount of electricity, demand can be reduced during these peak times and ultimately save its members money.

"We're honored that Piedmont EMC chose us to provide text messaging to their members in order to reduce peak usage in real-time," said Mark Nielsen, TextPower's co-founder and executive chairman. "By integrating our text messaging platform with their Milsoft IVR system, Piedmont is able to easily reach their customers immediately, while significantly improving customer service and reducing their power costs."

Piedmont Electric chose TextPower because of its growing reputation for quality service and its integration with Piedmont's IVR system. Since Piedmont Electric is a member-owned cooperative, their goal is to provide reliable power at the lowest possible cost. Beat the Peak is designed to help take control of higher power costs through energy conservation during high demand periods.

TextPower is helping cooperatives like Piedmont to significantly upgrade their customer service and communication through the ability to receive and send immediate text messages about outages, load shedding alerts, delinquencies, appointment scheduling, and other features using TextPower's text service.

"Piedmont EMC's focus on lowering our wholesale power costs resulted in finding a text messaging service to support our Beat the Peak voluntary program. The text messaging service needed to depict a professional product, not infringe upon our members privacy, be cost effective and easily implemented by our employees," said Richard Mabbott, Piedmont's chief operating officer.