Page 3 - TN811 2022 issue 4

from the desk of
Bill Turner
Do you feel like 2022 has flown by but also lasted a lifetime? The year started with lingering concerns around COVID, but conferences, events, and meetings quickly ramped up. Ticket volume for April and July was down from last year, but every other month has seen an increase between 2% and 15%, and August even set a new record with 102,796 locate requests. Now here we are preparing for the holidays and looking forward to next year, but let’s recap some of this year’s accomplishments and transitions before we leave 2022 in the rearview.
After many meaningful years of service, two of our esteemed board members, Ed Kelley (Middle Tennessee Natural Gas) and Bobby Garner (Piedmont Natural Gas)
have resigned their positions in preparation for retirement. I was proud to recognize Ed for his service earlier this year in conjunction with our annual meeting, and we thanked Bobby for his service at the most recent board meeting in November. We’re also bidding a fond farewell to Monte Cooper (Jackson Energy Authority), though we’re happy to report that his exit from our board is due to a promotion in his organization rather than retirement. I’m grateful to each of these gentlemen for their leadership
and dedication to damage prevention in Tennessee. With the support of the rest of the board, each exiting board member played a role in selecting their replacements. I’m excited to welcome Ryan Williams (MTNG),
Scott Shepard (PNG), and Robert Mullins (JEA) as they join us in pursuing our organization’s mission for years to come.
Tennessee 811 now employs Locate Request Agents (LRAs) across 11 states. Our call center team adapted their hiring and training processes to the challenges posed by the pandemic and we’ve come out the other side benefitting from a larger pool of candidates that can work for us remotely. Regardless of where an LRA is working from, rest assured they are trained to the same standard that we have always held our staff to.
Speaking of remote work, our administrative team in Nashville is testing a new schedule for office hours. The changes will not impact your ability to reach our staff by phone or email, but will limit the number of days each week where staff is present at the office. Before you swing by, be sure to reach out to your Damage Prevention Liaison or another member of management.
We’ve replaced the Member Service Area Mapping (MSAM) tool with a new platform called Service Area Editor (SAE). Member utilities can use SAE to view and make changes to their database in our mapping system. Learn more at https://www. tenn811.com/sae.
In an effort to better utilize the data we collect on a daily basis, our team rolled out a new analytics platform that allows staff and stakeholders to visualize 811-related data to better inform decision making. Member utilities can register for access at https:// www.tenn811.com/analytics---thoughtspot.
Finally, our pilot project for post-dating tickets proved beneficial to stakeholders across the state and has been adopted as a standing policy. As usage of post-dated tickets continues to grow, we’re hearing positive feedback on the reliability of an extended response time because of the additional flexibility it offers utility locators. Learn more about post-dated tickets in Kathy’s FAQ piece on page 7.
We’re preparing for the next legislative session with some improvements to the state’s Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act. Your feedback is always welcome, and we look forward to sharing more information on this front in 2023.
Thank you all for your support and hard work in Damage Prevention and creating a safer Tennessee. Remember to always Call or Click 811 Before You Dig!
Respectfully,
William “Bill” Turner President Tennessee811
Mission Statement
To Provide the
Best Communication, Education and Notification Service to Facilitate Damage Prevention to Underground Utilities.
2022, Issue 4
Tennessee811 • 1