4 Key Utility Cloud Features Enabling Your Lead & Copper Monitoring Program

If you are like most of our customers, you’re probably planning or actively engaged in a Lead and Copper Monitoring Program. At Utility Cloud, we understand that Lead and Copper is a critical asset management and public health initiative, so we’ve developed a configurable solution using best practices from existing accounts to help you streamline operations, reporting, and communication as you administer your program. From creating and updating service line inventory data, managing sampling and follow-on work, reporting sample results, and communicating with customers, Utility Cloud (UC) will partner with your team to configure our solution to meet your needs.

In our recent skill series, UC’s Head of Professional Services, Andy Crawford, outlined the key considerations when deploying a technology solution to enable a Lead and Copper Monitoring Program. Here we’ll review some of the key features within the UC platform that make our system uniquely configurable to support these programs.

Within Utility Cloud, asset attributes are fully customizable for each asset class, allowing you to document and track all the data you need and add new fields if initiatives require new data. Field types include free text, dates, multiple choice, multi-select dropdowns, numbers, calculated fields, and more.

Within the context of your Lead and Copper Program you can add attribute fields to track:

1. Service Address Tier or Type which can impact the sampling schedule or requirements
2. Service line material, last sample date, and sample results which can all be updated via trigger and/or referenced when scheduling work
3. Customer email address to be used in automated notifications

With triggers, you can automate processes to streamline your operations. Triggers can automatically update asset attribute values, schedule follow-up work, and send emails or reports to relevant stakeholders based on the completion of a specific workflow.

For Lead and Copper, we utilize triggers to:

1. Create work orders for inspections, sampling, and follow-on work
2. Update asset attributes based on customer outreach, inspections, or sample results
3. Automatically notify customers with templated emails when sample levels exceed limits

Custom Reporting and Report Distribution

Our Google Sheets integration allows for the creation of custom reporting templates. Reports can be formatted to match existing work order forms, state reporting requirements, or customer letters. Then, when work is complete, Utility Cloud automatically loads data into your template and emails a copy to customers or other stakeholders.

For Lead and Copper, custom reporting is used for:

1. Notifying customers when a sample exceeds limits with a templated letter containing sample results and recommended actions
2. Reporting on progress and sample results to state or local officials

Routes

Routes allow you to dynamically schedule work against a group of assets based on specific attribute values. Routes can be scheduled on a one-off or recurring basis and progress towards the completion of all work items can be easily tracked from the route dashboard.

Dynamic routes are especially useful in cases where you are adding new assets or updating attribute values because the assets within the route are updated as asset attributes change. Work will automatically be scheduled against the assets that meet the attribute criteria defined by the route and you’ll be able to track them within the same project as your similar work items.

For Lead and Copper, we use routes for scheduling:

1. Customer outreach and inspections based on address or defined property tier
2. Work Orders for sample kit drop off and pick up based on known or assumed service line material and last sample date or result
3. Work Orders for service line removal and replacement

However you design your program, we can support system configuration to ensure data is collected and work is scheduled to effectively meet your goals.

Reach out to support@utilitycloud.us if you’d like to learn more.