PowerAssist

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Don’t Leave Your Customers in the Dark

Are you ready to power up your customer outage communications? When the lights go out, continuous communications serves as the vital link between your utility and the communities you serve.

PowerAssist is a 24/7 outage contact center that delivers real-time updates and restoration estimates, empowering customers with choice and reinforcing trust, transparency, and peace of mind. Today, PowerAssist serves nearly 2.3 million customers on behalf of utilities across North America.

  • 24/7 communications or flexible after-hours services
  • Inbound and outbound digital channels (social media, SMS, etc.)
  • Live agents trained in utility operations for customer satisfaction
  • AI agents for fast, automated responses
  • Affordable shared resource model
  • Scalable for widespread outages

Optimize Every Outage Touchpoint

Schedule a free consultation to identify improvements and discover untapped opportunities across all your communication platforms

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Always On. Always Ready.

PowerAssist was designed for utilities facing the pressure of real-time outage communication. Our expert service alleviates the burden on your resources to deliver an improved situation awareness, an enhanced customer experience, and a positive brand image. Whether it’s a routine issue or a major storm, PowerAssist delivers the reliability, flexibility, and scale you need to keep customers informed and confident. Here’s what sets it apart.

  • 24/7 and after-hours service

    PowerAssist agents provide support around-the-clock or seamlessly step in when your staff go home for the day.
  • Enhanced customer experience

    Multiple inbound and outbound digital channels give customers choice and control during outages.
  • Skilled agents

    PowerAssist agents aren’t “notetakers.” We understand power system delivery and are trained on your utility systems to triage and validate outages.
  • Resilient and secure

    Our operations center is run from a hardened, resilient facility with redundant power supplies and fiber routing. Rest easy knowing that we have security monitoring, access controls, and strong cybersecurity measures in place.
  • Cost-effective and flexible

    Our shared services model lets you pay only for what you need—often just a few hours a day for full 24/7 coverage. More agents can be added at a moment’s notice.
  • Scalable AI agents

    AI-powered agents handle high volumes efficiently—ideal for large-scale outages.
  • Priority access for key accounts

    Key accounts, like hospitals, fire stations, and data centers, get a dedicated phone line and always move to the front of the queue.
  • Multi-language capabilities

    Serve diverse communities with support in multiple languages.
  • High retention rates

    High retention rates mean our seasoned professionals deliver consistent, high-quality service for operational continuity and heightened customer satisfaction.
  • Quality guaranteed

    Service level objectives, call recordings, daily performance monitoring, and rigorous QA checks ensure consistent, high-quality service.
Download PowerAssist Brochure

Tier 2 Service at Tier 1 Prices

PowerAssist is much more than a traditional call center. Our skilled agents understand power system delivery and are trained on your utility systems (CIS, AMI, OMS) to triage and validate outage reports, reducing truck rolls and letting you focus on getting the power restored.

Let PowerAssist act as an extension of your utility during outages—handling key steps from verification to customer updates. Here’s how we support you at every stage of the process:

  • Verify

    Agents ping meters using your AMI to confirm power status and check for existing service orders in your CIS.
  • Triage

    Calls are triaged and prioritized to ensure crews are dispatched to the most critical locations first, ensuring swift resolution of critical issues and a reduction in costly truck rolls.
  • Report and Log

    Incidents are reported and logged in your OMS (or any system you specify), with tickets submitted in real time.
  • Dispatch

    Agents direct utility crews strategically, orchestrating a seamless response that minimizes disruption to service and maximizes customer satisfaction.
  • Monitor

    Agents maintain real-time visibility into outage status, track updates from field crews and monitor your SCADA system to detect potential issues before they can escalate into major problems.
  • Update

    Customers receive accurate, real-time updates via their preferred channels—covering outage causes, affected areas, and restoration estimates.
Read PowerAssist Story: Powering Ahead

Give Your Customers Choice

When the lights go out, your customers want answers, and they want them now. But they want to communicate with you in different ways. PowerAssist is the outage communications solution that meets the needs of all your customers. With multiple contact channels for convenience and speed, including the option to interact with a live agent, PowerAssist ensures your customers get fast, personalized service and the immediate answers they need to get on with their day.

  • Phone

    For the human touch, your customers can always reach a live agent, any time of the day or night.
  • Webchat

    Live webchat offers instant support for customers who prefer to connect online.
  • SMS

    Text alerts keep customers informed with real-time outage updates and estimated restoration times.
  • E-mail

    Email reporting lets customers easily share outage concerns and receive timely, personalized responses.
  • Social media

    Updates and responses keep your customers informed and engaged on their preferred platforms, from X to Facebook.
  • Dynamic billboards

    Self-serve features are enabled across all channels. Callers can choose to hear a customized message with current outage information and estimated restoration times—no need to speak to an agent.
  • Public-facing outage map updates

    Agents update your interactive online maps to keep customers informed about current outages, affected areas, and progress toward restoration.
Watch Webinar: The Future of Outage Communications

Case Study

Case Study

Solutions Provided
PowerAssist

“Our partnership with PowerAssist has been an unmitigated success. The agents are valuable extensions of both our customer service and operations teams, and we’ve leapt forward in our technological capabilities without needing to own or master any new systems.”

Vince Kulchycki, Chief Operating Officer, Lakeland Holding

14,000+ customers

Supported across multiple Ontario municipalities

9 months

To expand from pilot to full outage-management service

Read Case Study

Frequently Asked Questions

Tier 1 call center agents have limited industry-specific knowledge and primarily serve as notetakers, which can slow down the resolution process and lead to customer frustration. In contrast, Tier 2 contact centers are staffed with agents who have deeper industry expertise. They can effectively triage issues, provide accurate and timely information, and offer meaningful support that builds customer confidence and trust.

Without confirmation of the location of a problem, account status, or confirming it’s an actual outage, other services may deploy truck tolls for internal problems and/or unconfirmed power outages, resulting in wasted time, fuel, labour, and other operational expenses.

With PowerAssist’s shared resource model, you’ll pay the equivalent of a few hours a day for 24/7 service. Agents are shared across utilities, meaning more staff can be added at a moment’s notice to scale your operations for peak volumes during widespread outages.

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Transform Your Outage Communications

Schedule a no-cost performance assessment of your outage communication workflows. You’ll gain a clear roadmap for improving response handling, boosting digital-channel effectiveness, and delivering consistent updates during both routine and major events.

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