Delivery
Communications in the Peak Time Rebates Cloud Service are delivered to customers according to the peak event schedule. The delivery of the utility's event file is what triggers communications to be sent to customers.
Email Reports
Email communications may be delivered both before and after a peak event. Pre-event emails are generally delivered the day before a peak event, though they may be delivered the day of a peak event, in the case of emergency events. Other circumstances may cause the email to be sent earlier than the day before a peak event.
For example, if the event file is delivered earlier than the day before the peak event, communications will be sent earlier than the day before the event, as the receipt of the event file is what triggers the communications to send.
Post-event emails are generally delivered the day after the peak event, though circumstances may cause the email to be sent later. Oracle Utilities can create utility-specific reply-to addresses so that the utility can receive replies to their chosen address.
Text Messages
Text messages can be delivered to customers both before and after a peak event.
Pre-event texts are generally delivered the day before a peak event, though they may be delivered the day of a peak event, in the case of emergency events. Other circumstances may cause the text to be sent earlier than the day before a peak event.
For example, if the event file is delivered earlier than the day before the peak event, communications will be sent earlier than the day before the event, as the receipt of the event file is what triggers the communications to send.
Post-event texts are generally delivered the day after the peak event, though circumstances may cause the text to be sent later.
For example, post-event texts are sent when Oracle Utilities receives the user's baseline usage and their rebate information.
Voice Messages
Voice messages can be delivered to customers both before and after a peak event. Pre-event voice messages are generally delivered the day before a peak event, though they may be delivered the day of a peak event, in the case of emergency events. Other circumstances may cause the message to be sent earlier than the day before a peak event.
For example, if the event file is delivered earlier than the day before the peak event, communications will be sent earlier than the day before the event, as the receipt of the event file is what triggers the communications to send.
Post-event voice messages are generally delivered the day after the peak event, though circumstances may cause the text to be sent later.
Rules Governing Peak Time Rebate Delivery
Peak Time Rebate messages are not regularly-scheduled communications. They are triggered according to when the peak day events are scheduled during the peak event season. Peak Time Rebate messages must be delivered within a specific delivery window. Anything outside of the specified delivery window is considered the blackout period, which is also known as quiet hours. Oracle Utilities will not send text and voice messages during quiet hours. Rules that govern Peak Time Rebate delivery are:
Delivery Window: Voice and text messages must be delivered within a specific delivery window, during legally mandated waking hours. This is usually between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. However, times may vary by state. Quiet hours will be mutually agreed upon between Oracle Utilities and the utility client. Clients cannot choose the time of send.
The following items can also impact the delivery window:
- On weekends, pre-event messages must be delivered before 9 AM local time.
- Post-event messages must only be delivered Monday - Friday.
Delivery Frequency: Each Peak Time Rebate message is sent only once for each peak event. For example, before the peak event, the pre-event email is sent only one time. If a customer does not receive the email, it is not resent. Customers will receive a pre- and post-event message for each peak event but messages are not resent or duplicated for a single event. If the utility schedules more than one peak event season in a year (summer and winter events), this sequence repeats for each season.
Emails and Attachments: For email alerts, the email content is delivered directly in the email message with no attachments. This makes it more convenient for customers to quickly view the information, and it makes the emails less likely to be blocked by spam filters.