Survey Says … Leading Natural Gas Operational Challenges
During discovery calls with natural gas businesses of all types and sizes, we survey our audiences for the range of problem statements they are seeking to resolve. The commonality amongst companies is noteworthy:
- Our daily activities are Excel-dependent and way too manual.
- Our data is spread across multiple systems and/or spreadsheets – we do not trust our data to be correct.
- We spend far too much time trying to reconcile our data – it’s a daily struggle.
- LDC communications is a big problem area – we have an EDI provider, but it is still manually intensive and costly when errors are made.
- No matter how we tweak our process, imbalance penalties are still a problem.
- Our systems all operate independently – it is a pain getting them to share data and stay in sync with each other.
- Too much of how our business runs is in the heads and hands of individuals – we need a system everyone uses at the same time.
- We wrestle with complex pricing and our billing system cannot handle custom invoicing.
- Our ETRM software is not getting the job done for us and it costs a fortune if we want changes made.
- Our back-office headcount expense is too high and keeps on growing.
How many of the above are familiar to you and are you addressing any of them? Many times, we find the answer to be, “We can relate to many of these, and we’re making do.” When we probe why that is, the answer that almost always comes back is “We’re not willing to spend the money to fix the problem – it would cost too much to fix.” In fact, it is often costing the business more by not fixing the problem, when a cost-effective, even cost-advantageous solution is within reach. Allow me to share an example.
A Retailer shared with us that their billing system is failing to meet their needs in several ways … does not handle broker transactions, complex pricing, custom invoicing, or LDC/Marketer EDI automation. Looking at their environment, it was clear that the use of a general-purpose billing system was the root cause of the problem. We were delighted to show the Retailer how a billing system specifically designed for natural gas would not only supply the needed functionality, but also cost less than continued use of the generic billing system. I could supply Scheduling and ETRM examples with the same punchline.
So, what is the takeaway from the above problem statements and others you may be experiencing within your natural gas business? Do not assume an affordable means of eliminating your business challenges is out of reach. When you do, you prolong your business’s existing pain and forgo what can be a cost-advantageous remedy. Remember, it costs nothing to explore alternatives and, many times, you will be happy that you did. In the end, the decision is always yours. In the context of this narrative, know this: Purpose-built natural gas Pricing, Billing, Customer Management, Forecasting/Scheduling/Pool Management, LDC/Marketer EDI, and ETRM functionality exists that will resolve your existing issues, save you money and boost your business performance.
Whether large or small, LDCs, Marketers, Pipelines, Producers, and Utilities face increasing competitive and compliance pressures, requiring increased operational efficiency, data integrity and process improvement. Their operational systems must support this, but most do not. Engage us and we’ll show you how to make an affordable breakthrough. It’s what we do for natural gas companies, and we are experts in our field. nGenue enables Natural Gas Operational Excellence.
~ Ken
