Many Managers Overlook a Primary Benefit of AMR By Donald Schlenger AMR has been technologically available since before the mid-1970s. But even after 25 years, and an energy crisis, utility companies read only a small percentage of meters with this technology. Through the years, millions of electric, gas and water meters have gone unread, and utility managers have created work-arounds. It's still a problem today.
Customer service is intangible and, therefore, immeasurable.
So the only basis for comparison between existing practices and AMR-based operations is tangible costs such as meter readers' salaries. Few utilities try to justify large-scale residential AMR based on customer service. Department Managers Have Specific Goals Consider this scenario. An industry observer separately interviews four utility managers about their needs. The billing manager's objective is to get the bills out on time.