Hello My Data-Intensive Darlings,

You’re probably aware of how challenging it can be to manage customer satisfaction when you’re operating in a dynamic and risk-prone environment. That’s why today, I want to introduce you to an AI-powered solution that actually improves customer satisfaction — and no, I’m not talking about those annoying AI customer service chatbots 🤖 everyone’s deploying these days.

Meet: AiDash's Climate Risk Intelligence System (CRIS), a weather prediction model that’s changing the game for hundreds of thousands of Avista Utilities customers across Washington state, Idaho and Oregon.

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER

• The Need To Safeguard Customer Satisfaction In Uti …

• Common Failures When Deploying AI in Energy Manage …

• A Brief Technical Overview of AiDash CRIS

• Community Corners

  • Member Spotlight

  • Breaking News

  • Get Involved

Pro-tip: The solution I’m sharing today is designed to be executed in the 🍃 natural environment, but that doesn't detract from both the elegance of the solution and the adaptability of this approach for execution in diverse environments. (I share about how to adapt use cases across verticals in my upcoming book The Data & AI Imperative - if you want to get in on the upcoming launch goodies, you can do so here.)

The risk-prone environment that Avista operates within is that of natural storm and weather events.

As a professional engineer of the environmental discipline myself, I can tell you first-hand how impossible it can be to predict anything from a vast, dynamic and complex web of overlapping satellite imagery… but AiDash has achieved this by successfully harnessing satellite-powered AI within their enterprise solution to optimize operations, mitigate business pain points, and deliver rapid ROI for their customers.

The Need To Safeguard Customer Satisfaction In Utilities And Beyond

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what you’re selling, safeguarding customer satisfaction is of paramount importance. Here’s why:

1. Increased customer loyalty - In general, customers appreciate transparency and efforts to keep them informed, which builds trust and long-term relationships. When customers have a better overall experience, this leads to higher satisfaction rates, positive reviews, and word-of-mouth referrals.

2. Higher sales and revenue - Satisfied customers are more likely to purchase additional products or services, while also recommending the company to others. This of course drives higher sales and revenue growth.

There’s also a high cost to businesses that neglect customer satisfaction. Likely harms include:

1. Customer churn - Failure to inform customers and quickly address issues leads to frustration and dissatisfaction, thereby causing customers to switch to competitors (just ask Adobe! 😂)

2. Negative brand reputation - Poor customer satisfaction invariably results in negative reviews and bad word-of-mouth. This damages brand reputation and makes it harder to attract and retain customers.

Customer satisfaction is important to your company’s bottom line. Enough said. Now let’s look at how AiDash addresses this issue for its clients.

AiDash's CRIS leverages 20 years of historical weather data to build predictive models that forecast storm impacts with over 80% accuracy. This allows utility companies like Avista to prepare proactively for severe weather events, in order to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and power restoration times are minimized.  

The system improves communications with customers by providing advanced warnings about potential outages, which in turn improves overall customer satisfaction in the event of the inevitable.

Common Failures When Deploying AI in Energy Management

AiDash has engineered their system to address many mistakes that their competitors fall into, like: 

• Security & compliance shortcomings: Competitors often overlook robust security measures and compliance standards, but not so with AiDash.

• Reliance on static data and learning: Many systems rely on static data models, while AiDash implements continuous learning to improve prediction accuracy over time.

• Inflexible deployment options: Competitors frequently offer limited deployment options, whereas AiDash provides flexible solutions, including cloud and hybrid deployments.

A Brief Technical Overview of AiDash CRIS

AiDash’s Climate Risk Intelligence System (CRIS) provides a robust and proactive approach to managing severe weather events and improving customer communication. The system has enabled Avista Utilities to significantly enhance their response to storms, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. 

• Data integration and predictive models:

  • Utilizes 20 years of historical weather data combined with real-time inputs.

  • Employs advanced machine learning algorithms to create predictive models with over 80% accuracy.

• Proactive communication and resource allocation:

  • Forecasts storm impacts 72, 48, 24, 12, and 6 hours in advance.

  • Enables early warnings and precise planning for resource deployment and incident management.

• Continuous learning and improvement:

  • Continuously updates predictive models based on new data and feedback from customers.

  • Ensures ongoing accuracy and adapts to changing weather patterns and operational needs.

By leveraging these capabilities, AiDash’s CRIS has enabled Avista Utilities to significantly improve their storm response and customer communication, leading to higher customer satisfaction and improved operational efficiency.

Where was AiDash back when I was designing water utilities systems in storm-prone Central Florida? Our customers would have paid an arm and a leg for results like these. Even back in 2012, I was contemplating how we could deploy ML to get advanced intel from satellite data -- but the R&D was a long way off. 

Given the avalanche of AI startups nowadays, It’s really nice to see startups like AiDash drive ROI by applying AI in novel ways that aren't 100% based on generative AI models. Don’t you think?

Community Corners

Every week we highlight cool people, places and things that are happening within The Convergence Community and across the industry at large.

Get Involved In The Community

We offer a plethora of ways you can get involved in The Convergence Community. Below are just a few of the more popular options:

• Book Launch Party: Sign up for our private, invite-only book launch party to get in on all the festivities and goodies when my latest book, ‘The Data & AI Imperative: Designing Strategies for Exponential Growth’, is released this winter.

• Claim This Private 1-on-1 Networking Invite: Every month I set aside 10 spaces in my calender for networking and building relationships with other movers and shakers in the B2B tech, data, and AI space. If that’s you, grab a time.

• Book A Discovery Call: If you’re a founder or leader of a B2B tech startup or professional services firm that’s looking to unlock its next level of revenue growth, that’s my jam. Book a call here and let’s chat about your goals.

• Sponsor The Convergence: If you’re interested in having your product or brand featured in The Convergence, we have limited capacity for new sponsors. Get started here.

Best Regards,

Lillian Pierson, PE

Fractional CMO & Founder, Data-Mania

Connect on LinkedIn