Apogee and Flint Energies Team Up to Discuss Cutting Edge Mobile Applications at Connect 12 Conference in New Orleans

ATLANTA, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 400 energy professionals turned out today for the Connect 12 Conference in New Orleans to hear Apogee Interactive Business Development Executive, Jon Scott, and Flint Energies' Sr. V.P. Jimmy Autry share the recent success of combining Flint Energies' Interactive Voice Response (IVR) with Apogee's new Interactive Text Response (ITR).  Apogee's premier energy analysis application, BillingInsights™ enables the cutting edge technology that is streamlining both the utility customer and customer service rep experiences.

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Apogee's BillingInsights provides an 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 their website, which members can visit for more information.

Flint Energies' 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 at all-- they're texting. This customer service benefit of ITR is huge by itself, but when you combine that with the enormous savings potential of freeing up CSR time, 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 stems back to the early '90s and has been 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.

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 650 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 leaders as American Electric Power (AEP), Southern Company (SO), PSEG (PEG), PECO (EXC), Consolidated Edison (ED), NSTAR (NST), BG&E (CEG), Entergy (ETR), SMUD, and Jackson EMC.

SOURCE APOGEE Interactive, Inc.