By Amanda Durish Cook
ST. PAUL, Minn. — MISO’s external affairs operation wants to reboot its website and is seeking a separate $1 million budget to begin research and development.
The RTO’s project is aimed at freshening its online presence for the public and its membership, and increasing the use of website-usage analytics.
The external affairs division handles MISO’s online communications, meetings, and member and stakeholder relations. Its current $11 million budget is expected to become a $13 million budget over the next five years while membership grows.
Vice President of MISO South Todd Hillman told the Board of Directors’ Corporate Governance and Strategic Planning Committee that the RTO may be lagging behind customers’ technology expectations, as it has performed only two website redesigns in 12 years. It still uses a call center — each of the 430 market participants are assigned customer representatives — to handle issues that Hillman said could be better addressed online or with an app.
“We’ve focused on the touch of our customers, but not the tech of our customers,” Hillman said.
Hillman said MISO has just “scratched the surface” of data analytics. He asked the board to approve a $1 million budget for next year to hire a third party to conduct a comprehensive analysis on a possible new online interface and social media presence that can be adjusted using data analytics.
Directors asked if $1 million was enough to develop improvements. Hillman said if MISO was “diligent,” the amount could work. He said consultants could bid against each other for the best prices.
Director Paul Bonavia also said he hoped MISO would get “a little crazy” with the scope and not restrict it unnecessarily.
Hillman said there is no reason MISO should be limited in its web presence. It could look to other companies who communicate online across multiple channels. “We need to stop looking to other RTOs’ [websites]; maybe we look at Amazon for some ideas,” suggested Hillman, who said a MISO membership app could become a reality.
Hillman said MISO relies heavily on an annual customer service survey for feedback, which Bonavia called “a blunt instrument.” CEO John Bear agreed that more periodic feedback would be helpful.
