SmartHub

SmartHub® is a new online system that offers many features that will improve all aspects of doing business with Benton PUD.  Whether through the web, or your smartphone or tablet (Android or iOS), you’ll be able to pay your bill, review past billing and payment history, view your electric usage information, report outages and sign up to receive notifications and alerts via email or text.

SmartHub® offers more features and conveniences that allow us to “connect” with you in a whole new way. SmartHub is part of a larger software solution, offered by the National Information Solution Cooperative (NISC) that is being implemented to improve our efficiency and lower our operating costs in the future.  The new solution integrates customer service, accounting, engineering and operation applications.
 
NISC is used by nearly 500 utilities serving over 11 million utility customers nationwide.  In Washington alone, there are nineteen other utilities, including neighboring utilities including Franklin PUD, Benton REA, Umatilla Electric, and Inland Power & Light, that have implemented SmartHub®.
 
More information below – see Background on NISC

SmartHub® offers you many benefits including: 

• Make payments and manage your account
• Track your energy usage
• Sign up for alerts via email or text
• Sign up for Paperless billing and Auto Pay
• Free mobile app – that’s easy to use 

You can pay your bill just like you do now - by mail, phone, coming into one of our offices or using one of our pay stations.  If you are interested in signing up for Auto Pay, a computer or smartphone is not required - you can follow the easy step by step instructions using our automated phone system, or come into one of our offices and we will be more than happy to assist you. 

The decision to upgrade to a new system was taken after very careful analysis.  There were several factors that were considered when making the decision to implement a new system:

• Customers were asking us to provide more features.  Benton PUD has had a long-term plan to offer expanded services to our customers in response to customer requests to provide access to more real-time information via web and mobile devices.   This plan was developed, in part, in recognition of our diverse customer base, many of whom use their mobile devices to transact their business.   We recognized the previous system had limited functionality to provide these expanded services, and required complex and costly integration going forward.   
• The system needed to be updated. We recognize that some of our customers would rather avoid the process of enrolling in the new system; however, system upgrades are often necessary to keep up with technological advances. Similar to many other businesses (like your bank, cell phone provider, online tax provider, online shopping vendor); Benton PUD must periodically upgrade its systems to make it easier to do business with us over the long run.   While there have been several upgrades over time in our current billing system, the last major system change-out for our customer systems occurred over 15 years ago.
• For your security and privacy - Benton PUD values the security and privacy of our customer’s financial information.  As such, we made the decision to have our customers re-enroll in the new system instead of transferring private financial information from the old system.  This is the most secure method to safeguard your privacy and is considered an industry best practice.   Further, all customer credit card and checking/savings account information in the old system will be deleted.

To help you enroll in the new system, we will be offering the following services:

• Drop by the Kennewick or Prosser offices during normal business hours, or, during an open house.  
• One-on-one personal help by appointment available at the Kennewick and Prosser offices.  Please call Customer Service at 509-582-2175 in Kennewick or 509-786-1841 in Prosser to schedule an appointment.
• Website tutorial videos are available at:   SmartHub Tutorials  

Due to the transition to our new online system our bills went out a little bit late this month.  We bill almost every work day of the month so if you haven’t received your bill yet you will soon.  Your March bill will include your new Benton PUD account number.  You will need this account number to enroll in SmartHub®.

If you need help enrolling after you receive your new Benton PUD account number contact us today.  You can:

• contact us through our website,
• call Customer Service at (509) 582-2175, or drop by one of our offices during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
• One-on-one personal help is also available by appointment during normal business hours by calling Customer Service at (509) 582-2175 in Kennewick or (509) 786-1841 in Prosser to schedule an appointment.

Yes.  Your March bill will include your new Benton PUD account number.  You will need this account number to enroll in SmartHub®.   For those customers who use their bank bill paying websites to pay their bill, please update your bank site with your new Benton PUD account number.

Some historical account information is being transferred from the former system to SmartHub®.   For example, you will be able to see two years’ worth of bill amounts and payment history.    PDF images of bills that generate March 2017 forward will be available in SmartHub®.  

You can use your computer or download an Android or iOS App.
To start the process using your computer, simply go to  Enroll/Login to SmartHub under Manage Your Account on our homepage.  Click the link for “New User?  Sign up to access our Self Service site” and follow the prompts.  You will receive a registration email letting you know your registration is complete.  To login for the first time, you will need the temporary password from the registration email you received.  When enrolling, you will also be asked for a security phrase.  The security phrase is required to be set up before a customer can make payments, store or update credit cards/bank accounts or sign up for Auto Pay.

To complete the enrollment process, you’ll need your new Benton PUD account number provided on your March bill, last name on the account and your email address.  You’ll also need your mailing 5- digit zip code or amount of your last bill.

If you are enrolling multiple accounts which appear on one billing statement, you will need to select one account from the statement to register as a new user.  When prompted to respond to Security Question 1, you have the option of entering the "Most Recent Bill Amount" or "Mailing Zip Code" to authenticate your account information.  If you choose the "Most Recent Bill Amount," be sure to enter the "Total Due" associated with that specific address and account number.

To start the process using an Android or iOS app:   When you download the app, there are now several local utilities that use SmartHub.  As a result, you will need to select Benton PUD as your power service provider from the list provided on the app.  Follow the prompts to complete the enrollment process.

Here are a few tips to help you enroll in SmartHub®:

• Are you using your new Benton PUD account number? This account number is available on the bill you receive in March. 
• Sometimes accounts are set up in a different last name such as a maiden name or roommate’s name. Use the last name on your bill.
• If you are registering a business, use the business name when it requests last name.
• If you are enrolling multiple accounts which appear on one billing statement, you will need to select one account from the statement to register as a new user.  When prompted to respond to Security Question 1, you have the option of entering the “Most Recent Bill Amount” or “Mailing Zip Code” to authenticate your account information.  If you choose to “Most Recent Bill Amount,” be sure to enter the “Total Due” associated with that specific address and account number.

You need to use the same password you created when you set up your account.  If you cannot remember the password click on “Can’t access your account” and you will be prompted to request a new password.  To request a new password, you will need your Benton PUD account number, last name and email address.  You may also contact Customer Service at 509-582-2175 or stop by our office during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and we will be more than happy to assist you. After five attempts to log in with an incorrect email or password, you will be locked out and will need to contact Customer Service. 

Customer Service is available during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at 509-582-2175.  We will also be offering one-on-one personal help by appointment.  Please call 509-582-2175 (Kennewick) or 509-786-1841 (Prosser) to schedule an appointment.

You may also email your questions to us.  Describe the situation completely and include your name, address, Benton PUD account number, and e-mail address. We will make every effort to reply to emails within one business day or sooner.   
 
There are also a number of tutorial videos available at SmartHub Tutorials.

You manage your SmartHub® profile by going to  My Profiles tab.  Here you can update your email, password, security phrase, billing address and manage your registered account(s) and Paperless billing settings as well as stored payment account(s).

Yes. We have an added layer of security in SmartHub®.  You will be asked for a security phrase.  The security phrase is required to make payments, store or update credit cards or bank accounts or sign up for Auto Pay.

Yes.  Benton PUD has a new bill format that is easier to read and contains more information. For more information, go to Understanding Your Bill.

You can make a payment by going to the Billing & Payment tab. (On a smart phone it is the Billing and Pay tab.)  You can also make a one-time payment by going to the Pay Now (right upper corner) or go to  Pay My Bill Quick Link on the SmartHub® homepage.  You will need your new Benton PUD account number on your March bill to make a payment.

Yes.  In March, all customers will receive a paper bill in the mail, meaning that no electronic bills will be mailed.  To receive electronic bills going forward, you will need to enroll in SmartHub® and sign up for Paperless billing.  To sign up for Paperless billing, select “yes” when asked if you would like to turn off paper bills when you log into SmartHub®.

Yes.   You will need to enroll in SmartHub® and sign up for Auto Pay.  You can sign up by going to the Billing & Payment tab and selecting Auto Pay Program.  Here you will enter your bank account or credit card information.  You will also be asked to create a security phrase on a one-time basis.  If you have a current balance owing when you sign up for Auto Pay, you must make a payment for that amount using other payment methods.  Autopay does not go into effect until your next bill.  You can pay your current balance by scheduling it through SmartHub®, calling our office, or mailing in a payment. 

If you do not have a computer or smart phone, you can enroll in Auto Pay following the prompts when you pay by phone.
 

Yes.  You will receive a confirmation number after your transaction is recorded. Payment history can be viewed in SmartHub®.

Yes.  To ensure your payment transactions are properly applied to your Benton PUD account, you will need to make sure your Benton PUD new account number is updated on your bank’s bill pay website.

Yes.  To ensure your payment transactions are properly applied to your Benton PUD account, you will need to make sure your new account number is updated.

Yes.  SmartHub® offers you an easy way to view your bills, payment history and electric usage for the past year.

On your mobile device, tap the map in SmartHub® and you will see the location of the Kennewick and Prosser offices.  To get directions, tap the location and an address box comes up.  Tap the address box and the map/GPS navigator options appear.  Tap on the preferred method and follow the instructions.

SmartHub® offers several features including the ability to review past billing and payment histories.  You can view your billing history by going to the Billing & Payment tab and selecting Billing History or Payment History.   About two years’ worth of data will be available in SmartHub®.

No.  Your bill date will remain the same. 

Thank you for your contribution!   You will continue to see your monthly donation on your statement.

Yes. You can view your multiple accounts from the SmartHub® home page.  Each Benton PUD account includes a hyperlink to other detailed information. The total due of all accounts shows and below it you can select View Bill and Pay Account for each  account.  To add multiple accounts (which have different customer numbers) you will need to do it on the website rather than through the mobile app. 

Your account information in SmartHub® is shown in real-time. If you keep your website or app open for an extended period of time, you should refresh the page in order to ensure the information is current.

You can view your usage data to help analyze past and current usage by going to the My Usage tab.  Here you can view your past and current usage, compare your usage by hour, day or month or see what your typical (or average) usage is over a selected time period.  Your usage data can be downloaded into a desired format for easy review.

If you access either “This year’s usage” or “Last year’s usage” and notice data is missing, this indicates your meter was replaced. To view usage read by either meters, click on the Tool icon (a small cog-shaped icon ) on the upper right corner of the screen.  You will then see two meter numbers. Select a meter number and then select the Save icon.  The display will automatically update and go back to the previous screen that shows usage history. 

You can sign up for notifications and alerts by going to Notifications tab.  Once there, select notification types (billing, usage, miscellaneous) and then your preferred notification method (text, mobile push, email or phone).  If you have multiple Benton PUD accounts, you will need to indicate which account the notification is for.

You can contact Customer Service directly through SmartHub® by going to the Contact Us tab.  Here you can select the reason for the inquiry and identify which account you are inquiring about.  We will make every effort to reply to emails within one business day or sooner. We currently do not offer after-hours support.

You can report an outage and view current outages by going to the My Profile tab and selecting Outages.  There is also a Report an Outage button on the top right corner of each page in SmartHub®.

You can download the app by searching for SmartHub® (not case sensitive but must be all one word) in the Apple Store® or in the Android® Market.  If duplicates appear the correct app is provided by our partner, National Information Solutions Cooperative.

No. The SmartHub® app is free to download and install. 

Yes.  All critical information is encrypted in every transaction and no personal information is stored on your mobile device. Mobile devices do however offer you the ability to store your login information for the app installed on the device. If you choose to store your login information, any person who has access to your mobile device can access your account.

• Customers were asking us to provide more features.  Benton PUD has had a long-term plan to offer expanded services to our customers in response to customer requests to provide access to more real-time information via web and mobile devices.   This plan was developed, in part, in recognition of our diverse customer base, many of whom use their mobile devices to transact their business.   We recognized the previous system had limited functionality to provide these expanded services, and required complex and costly integration going forward.  
• Benton PUD has had a long term plan to offer expanded services to our customers in response to customer requests to provide access to more real-time information via web and mobile devices.   This plan was developed, in part, in recognition of our diverse customer base, many of whom use their mobile devices to transact their business.   We recognized the current system had limited functionality to provide these expanded services, and required complex and costly integration going forward.  While there have been several upgrades over time in our current billing system, the last major system change-out for our customer systems occurred over 15 years ago.
• NISC is used by nearly 500 utilities serving over 11 million utility customers nationwide.  In Washington alone, there are nineteen other utilities, including neighboring utilities such as Franklin PUD, Benton REA, Umatilla Electric, and Inland Power & Light, that have implemented SmartHub®.  

The benefits of the NISC software are many: 

• It’s Cheaper to Maintain: NISC integrates a number of utility information systems across all aspects of our business – customer service, accounting, mapping, outage management, work order management, and more. As such, it enables Benton PUD staff to be more efficient, and helps drive our information system maintenance costs lower. Once NISC is implemented, Benton PUD expects to save an estimated $500,000 annually on license fees and software upgrades over what we would have spent on maintaining and upgrading our current systems.
• It’s Better for our Customers:  NISC offers SmartHub®, which gives our customers significantly more information than they have today.  They will be able to view their usage down to the hour, see current outages, report new outages, sign up for alerts via email or text, and many other new features. 
• It’s Easier to Use:  Customers can use their computer, tablet or smartphone (Android or iOS).  SmartHub® offers a user-friendly interface making it much easier to navigate and understand your customer usage information.
• More is on the Way:   Later this year, SmartHub® will provide a prepay option, allowing customers the ability to choose prepay for energy using a credit card, debit card, or cash using a kiosk.  This is helpful to customers who may not have the ability to pay a deposit.
• It’s Built to Last:  NISC software is designed specifically for consumer-owned utilities.  As a cooperative, NISC is owned by the users of its systems, the Member-Owners, providing an unparalleled working relationship and inside understanding on industry operations, changes and requirements. NISC’s Board of Directors is comprised of its Member-Owners. NISC devotes approximately 25% of its revenues to research and development relative to new system features.  As such, NISC’s interests are aligned with its customers (Member-Owners) today and into the future.