FEBRUARY 2019 EDITION
CS Week | April 8 - 12, 2019 | Phoenix Convention Center | Phoenix, AZ
Conference 43 attendee registration fee includ es admission to breakfasts and keynote speakers’ presentations, Exhibit Hall luncheons, CS Week Conference workshops and all social and networking functions including, but not limited to: Exhibit Hall receptions and the perennial favorite – Thursday Night’s CS Week Special Event.

* To quality for this Tiered Pricing discount, utilities must register all attendees on the same date. Learn more by emailing Julie Shankles , Registration Manager, or calling at 903-893-3214 or 903-821-8631, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm CST


REGISTRATION FEES*:
ATTENDEE TYPE
EARLY
REGULAR
ON-SITE
UTILITY
EXHIBITOR
NON-EXHIBITOR
$1,095
$1,095
$3,100
$1,195
$1,195
$3,100
$1,295
$1,295
$3,100
SYNERGY GROUPS REGISTRATION FEES*:
COMPLIMENTARY - VENDOR SOLUTION
$349/$400 - BUSINESS PROCESS
COLLEGE REGISTRATION FEES*:
$349 - COLLEGE WITH CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
$595 - COLLEGE ONLY
WOMEN IN UTILITIES SUNRISE EVENT:
$20 - LIMITED SEATING
Book Early and Stay Close to the
Phoenix Convention Center

April 2019 is right around the corner, and CS Week has three designated downtown Phoenix hotels for CS Week 2019! After completing online registration, attendees can select and book hotel accommodations and ensure they are situated within walking distance of the Phoenix Convention Center, the site of all nine CS Week venues. The three hotels share the same nightly rate.

Check the website in early February for new hotel blocks that are being added to meet registration demands. 

Questions about registration or accommodations? Email Julie Shankles or call her at 903-893-3214.
Hyatt Regency Phoenix
122 North Second Street

Click Here to book your room
Read more  about the Hyatt’s amenities and services.
Renaissance Phoenix Downtown
100 North First Street

Click Here to book your room
Read more  about the Renaissance’s amenities and services.
Sheraton Grand Phoenix
340 North Third Street

Click Here to book your room
Read more  about the Sheraton’s amenities and services.
Plan Ahead and
Request Exhibitor Consultations/Demos

One of the best ways to make your time in Conference 43’s vast Exhibit Hall as productive as possible is to schedule appointments ahead.

Now and through early April, CS Week offers an on-line service to select exhibitors and request appointments on both Wednesday and Thursday mornings during dedicated two-hour time slots each day. At those sessions, attendees can participate in an exhibitor's products and services demonstration in an effective one-on-one setting. By scheduling ahead, exhibitors know which utilities to expect so they can adjust their consultations/demonstrations accordingly.
Wednesday & Thursday 300 Level, Hall C 
April 9 & 10, 2019
9:15 am – 11:15 am

Badges are required and checked at the Exhibit Hall entrances. Click Appointments to get a step ahead today.
Popular Venue Charts Three Major Events
(click titles to register/access)


1/10/19:
Presented by:  Penni McLean-Conner , CCO & Sr VP, Customer Group , Eversource and
Tena Royal , Sr Mgmt Analyst , City of Fort Worth

2/7/19:
Presented by: Tiffani Lee , Partner , Holland &
Knight LLP
      
03/28/19:
Presented by:  Aleida Socarras , Vice President ,
Chesapeake Utilities

May 2019:
Mastering the Art of Negotiation
Presented by: Sharon Grove, Asst GM ,
Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power
2. Sunrise Event
Starting with cordials, Women in Utilities Sunrise Event attendees will be updated on 2019 activities by venue chair Andrea Pelt-Thornton, welcomed by APS’s Ann Becker, and treated to a keynote speech from Denise Kruger, all while enjoying breakfast.

Be sure to add the Sunrise Event to your Conference 43 registration .

Check out its agenda !
3. Session 8 Conference Workshop
4/11/19:
Mastering the Art of Mentorship

Utility panelists join moderator AAC Utility Partners for a Conference workshop:

  • Hear from women leaders who have benefited along their career journey from workplace mentors;
  • Learn how mentor-mentee relationships can operate both informally or in structured company-sponsored programs;
  • Consider mentors whom you could approach to launch a meaningful relationship in your work environment.

Take a Walk Down
Innovation Alley

CS Week’s newest venue features Platinum and Gold sponsors leading casual, informational Innovation Talks outside the Exhibit Hall.
Scheduled so they do not conflict with the Conference workshop sessions, Innovation Talks are set for Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, immediately after lunch. Look for signs to Innovation Alley where sponsors will lead short seven-minute talks focusing on:

  • Innovation in Cloud
  • Innovation in Digital Customer Engagement
  • Innovation in Diversity
  • Innovation in Leadership
  • Innovation with Millennials and a Young Workforce
  • Innovation in Partnerships
  • Innovation in Social Media Engagement
These Innovation Talks are designed to spark ideas and questions so that attendees will want to continue conversations and Q&A at vendors’ Exhibit Hall booths. No tagging is allowed in this Alley, but attendees will recognize Innovation Talks as opportunities for industry-leading vendors to enlighten and inspire, not as selling sessions. 
Code Red: City of Cleveland 3-1-1
February 14, 2019
11 AM - 12 PM CST

In every city the safety of our residents, visitors, and businesses is of the upmost importance. Join the CS Week 311 February 14th webinar to learn more about Code Red, a robust Emergency Management system which allow City of Cleveland officials to quickly deliver alert messages regarding emergency situations (severe weather) or city service interruptions (road closures). Bob Howatt, Emergency Manager with the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Emergency Management, will discuss the implementation of Code Red for the City of Cleveland and how 311 partnered with the EOC during its rollout.
Submissions Have Closed and the Voting Begins for CS Week’s Expanding Excellence Awards
CS Week extends a sincere thank you to all the utilities who submitted nominations for the coveted 2019 Expanding Excellence Awards, four categories that showcase organizational projects and programs and two new awards which recognize individual achievement.

Nominations are now in the hands of the EEA Awards Committee and being reviewed for scope, complexity, innovation, and execution including budget and schedule adherence, risk mitigation, operational improvements and value-added features. With so many great submissions, occasionally multiple awards of each category are granted.

Click each star to learn about Expanding Excellence Awards and to watch videos of
prior winners.
For questions about the Expanding Excellence Awards, please email Shelley Carter , Expanding Excellence Awards Manager, or call her at 903-821-8647.
Attendee Opinions Count:
Help Shape the Future of CS Week
Introducing Gold Sponsor

Check them out at perficientdigital.com
CS Week is proud to announce its partnership with a new sponsor tasked to p erform a comprehensive branding study. After 40+ years of making utility customer service and supporting IT front and center at its annual conferences and throughout the year with digital engagement, CS Week is teed up to partner with Perficient Digital to engage you, our attendees, in learning more about your likes, your wants, your must-haves. Using anecdotal inputs and solid attendee data, Perficient Digital and CS Week will work together to shape the future look and feel of what is widely regarded as THE premiere utility customer service conference.
Stop by Perficient Digital’s Booth #1111 and say hello! Share an opinion. Offer your feedback. Your ideas count with CS Week.
Scouting Future LeadNext Candidates
LeadNext is a leadership coaching and operational training partnership between utilities and CS Week. Utility supervisors/ managers capable of assuming greater responsibility and taking on future higher roles, along with their executives who will support them through the 13-month program, are invited to Read more .

Four LeadNext coaches, respected retirees who enjoyed prestigious careers in large utilities, steer monthly LeadNext webinars, engage participants in meaningful, transferrable discussions about the Customer Experience Lifecycle and share their experiences and leadership insights.

Want more information or have questions about getting started? Email Lisa Collin s or call her at 903-821-8675.
The annual LeadNext nomination process is
open now and closes February 28, 2019.
CS Week Synergy Groups’ Industry Partners Bring Credibility and Support
CS Week has partnered with two national associations in support of its business process-focused CS Week Synergy Groups: Customer Assistance and NARPA. These alliances reinforce this venue’s name, Synergy, because by working together, CS Week is able to stand up a stronger program with industry professionals who have credible experience, operational know-how and embrace CS Week’s mission to foster a positive
educational impact. 
Rebranded for 2019’s Conference, Customer Assistance Synergy Group , previously known as the Low Income Group, is widening its scope and content. It is supported by NEUAC, the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition. Click the Customer Assistance logo to read about its objectives, membership and planned agenda for Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Learn more about NEUAC’s mission  and see why CS Week is thrilled to call them an industry partner.
Born from grassroots interest and a desire to focus on another key customer service operation, NARPA , the North American Revenue Protection Association will debut at CS Week 43 with support from IURPA, the International Utility Revenue Protection Association. By registering for this Synergy Group, attendees receive a one-year IURPA membership. Click the NARPA logo to learn about its launch on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Read about IURPA   and its membership and programs.
Email Shawnna Ansley , CS Week’s Synergy Group Manager or call her at 903-821-8648 with your questions.
There’s a Doctor in the House… a Telephone Doctor That Is

ENGAGE311, the premier educational conference that provides beginning and experienced 311 and customer service center industry leaders the opportunity to see new products and systems, network with industry peers and vendors, and advance their center, is excited to welcome Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor, as its Monday keynote speaker. Nancy, president of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, has been working with call centers around the country throughout her career to help improve communications.

Her program, “Golden Nuggets of Customer Service,” is filled with fun, interaction and tons of ideas, tips, skills and techniques attendees can take back to their centers to use immediately and forever. Get ahead of the game, and check out Nancy’s website, at nancyfriedman.com

Don’t miss this engaging opener or the other educational and networking offerings of 2019’s ENGAGE311. Review its three-day Agenda and Register today.
 
Amber Wiens is the CS Week 311 Manager. Call her at 903-821-8721 or click her name to launch and send an email with your question.
Register to Attend the February Webinars
Date

February 12, 2019
2 pm - 3 pm EST
Track
 
Digital Customer Engagement
Webinar Title/Speaker

Speakers:  Connor Graham , Business Systems
Analyst,  London Hydro 
Zoran Stojanovic , Acting Director, IT,  London Hydro
In exploration of a new rate plan, from Time-of-Use to Critical Peak Pricing (CPP), London Hydro is piloting deploying IoT technology (smart energy hubs, smart plugs and load controller devices), a smart app and billing changes to manage consumer’s energy consumption. Customers get real-time energy data, energy tips, and control appliances all from their “Trickl” app on their smartphone. This London Hydro initiative could have widespread impact across Ontario, Canada based on the piloted CPP rate plan and behavior changes associated with real-time information to reduce the electricity bill.
February 26, 2019
2 pm - 3 pm EST
Contact Center
Revisit top rated 2018 workshops and previous CS Week Conferences with
Leadership Lessons Learned Set for Launch
at CS Week 43

Three-peat! CS Week Publishing, the venue that helps utility professionals become authors, is proud to launch its third book.

With his own powerful story to share, David J. McKendry , Senior Fellow, Canadian Electricity Association, reached out to CS Week attendees during the summer/fall of 2017 to tease out their histories, allowing them to earn the moniker, “Published Author.” Forty utility professionals responded. McKendry’s compilation book, Leadership Lessons Learned from Our Mentors: Time-Honoured Values That Are Shaping the Utility Experience of the Future , will be launched at CS Week 2019 with a Wednesday afternoon reception, book signings and Friday morning’s leadership panel session.

Visit Barnes & Noble  or Amazon to buy your hardcover or electronic copy or stop by Booth #110 where all three CS Week Publishing books will be sold. McKendry and his authors will be wearing Conference badges with stickers designating them as authors, so you can easily spot them for chapter signatures.

This book would make a wonderful gift for the high school and college graduates in your life. A discount is offered for bulk quantities. For questions about the book launch, please contact Lisa Collins  or call her at 903-821-8675.
Focus on Phoenix
 Just like a camera with its lens, aperture, flash, memory card and shutter, CS Week 2019 promises to focus on customer service in Phoenix, capturing important memories and delivering industry insights and trends. Phoenix Convention Center is the location of CS Week 2019 and Conference 43.
Phoenix, the capital of the state of Arizona, boasts a population of over 1.6 million residents. “Cotton, cattle, citrus, climate, and copper were known locally as the "Five C's" of Phoenix's economy. These industries remained the city driving forces until after World War II, when high-tech companies began to move into the valley and air conditioning made Phoenix's hot summers more bearable.

Nicknamed the Silicon Desert, Phoenix and the surrounding area do not observe Daylight Savings Time. The city averages approximately 300 days of sunshine each year, receives scant rainfall and typically reaches temperatures of 85 degrees during a typical April. No promises, but it should be a comfortable weather week during Conference 43.

( Source : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona)