by Jack Reynolds | Dec 9, 2019
At DTE, we’re committed to continuously improving our customer reliability and service restoration efforts. Our work starts out in the field, strengthening our infrastructure by trimming trees, installing new technology and investing heavily in the future of our electric grid.
Through these advancements, we’re seeing improvements with our reliability and restoration times, but we’re not stopping there. Providing better information to the public – and a better digital experience – also is a priority.
To do so, we recently launched a brand-new Outage Center on our dteenergy.com website. The new page is a one-stop shop combining our Outage Map, Report Outage and Report Down Line pages into one easy-to-access location.
“As we continue to try and provide our customers with the best service possible, we recognized making important information more accessible can help reduce the stress that comes with a power outage,” said Heather Rivard, senior vice president of Distribution Operations at DTE. “Our new Outage Center will not only provide information specific to a certain area but will include our real-time outage numbers and include useful links and tips for customers to use to report hazards and stay safe.”
User experience
When visiting the page, the first thing you’ll see is the percentage of our 2.2 million electric customers with power, total number affected by outages, the number of current outages and how many line workers are deployed to assist with outages. These numbers should add context to the severity of outages and insight on how we’re working to resolve issues. In addition to the new information, the page offers a sleek design, optimized for both desktop and mobile use.
From the same landing page, you’ll be able to report outages/downed power lines and get more information on the most common causes of outages and what our restoration strategy looks like. The page also includes secure portals for members of police and fire departments to report problems, as well as members of municipalities. The user-friendly layout and improved accessibility should greatly reduce the time it takes to get information, especially during severe weather or other mass outage events.
“Our goal is to provide customers and other stakeholders with a better understanding of what’s going on in their area and what the overall impact weather events can have on our electric grid,” Rivard said.
Visit the new Outage Center at outage.dteenergy.com.