Atmos Energy 1997 Annual Report Download - page 14

will support additional acquisitions and enable us to integrate
acquisitions in a timely manner.
Atmos will open a central customer call center available to
respond to customer questions and service needs 24 hours each
day, seven days each week to customers throughout its service
areas. This center will be located in Amarillo, Texas, which
awarded the company a $1.2 million grant as an incentive to
locate there. A new state-of-the-art customer information
system will support the call center and allow service orders to
be automatically dispatched to service technicians in the field.
Field technicians have begun using electronic meter reading
devices to improve accuracy and speed. The company also has
streamlined business processes to reduce the number of service
trips required to start up service for a new customer.
Atmos has set up a network of approximately 300 payment
centers in grocery stores, convenience stores and other loca-
tions through an outside vendor that offer extended hours and
additional payment locations for customers who want to pay
their bills in person. The company is closing its business offices
to walk-in traffic and consolidating the operations of its field
service centers located within 30 miles of each other.
Our Energas employees have adopted a slogan that puts
Atmos’ service philosophy in a nutshell: “First Time, Every
Time.” The company’s goal is to consistently receive high
marks in customer satisfaction surveys by delivering conve-
nient, reliable service at the lowest possible cost.
Managing Our Rates
Rate and regulatory initiatives are at the heart of our utility
operations and are important to both our shareholders and cus-
tomers. Our objective is to achieve rates that provide fair
returns for our shareholders while having these rates at low,
competitive levels for our customers. As the energy environment
and our industry change, we recognize that the process for
setting rates in the future may also need to change. In that
regard, the company is participating in a performance-based
rate experimental program in Tennessee, which is designed to
reward the company for performing better than certain bench-
marks relating to purchased gas cost. A similar program is
under way in Georgia. Atmos believes that performance-based
rate programs benefit customers and shareholders and reward
efficient service providers like Atmos. Atmos intends to seek
gas cost incentive arrangements and incentive rates in every
jurisdiction possible.
Controlling Our Costs
Atmos is one of the most efficient providers of natural gas service
in the country. The customer service initiative and business
process improvements will further enhance the company’s effi-
ciency. At the end of fiscal year 1997, Atmos’ normalized utility
operations and maintenance cost per customer was $147
compared with the industry average of $198 per customer.
With the integration of United Cities’ operations and the
completion of the company’s customer service initiatives, our
target is to serve about 470 customers per employee by the end
of 1998. The industry average is 396 customers per employee.
Local Presence
Each of Atmos’ operating companies has a significant and well-
respected reputation in the communities served. By design,
Atmos has retained the local operating company name of the
companies it has acquired. Our companies are good citizens in
the communities they serve, with employees serving in civic and
charitable organizations and on local economic development
boards. With the closing of offices to local business traffic and
consolidation of some field locations, we have assigned public
affairs managers to maintain close relations with local officials
and community groups. We believe that our local identity is a
major competitive advantage, along with our dedication to cus-
tomer service and convenience, and competitive rates.
We would now like to introduce you to our utility divi-
sions, some of our leaders in these divisions, and some
“famous” things from our service territories about which
we are very proud.
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