How CoServ and Peace River Electric Simplified Complex Processes with NISC’s iVUE Connect – Marketing Platform - National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC)

How CoServ and Peace River Electric Simplified Complex Processes with NISC’s iVUE Connect – Marketing Platform

Energy providers today face twin pressures: rising consumer expectations and rapid operational growth. Managing contractor requests, member communications and interconnection applications can quickly overwhelm manual processes — creating delays, inefficiencies and lost trust.

Forward-thinking utilities like CoServ Electric Cooperative (TX) and Peace River Electric Cooperative (FL) use NISC’s iVUE Connect – Marketing (IVC-M) platform to automate communication, streamline contractor interactions and deliver a seamless digital experience for both members and partners.

Simplify Member Interactions with iVUE Connect – Marketing

When CoServ began receiving hundreds of rooftop solar applications each month, manual tracking through spreadsheets was no longer sustainable. Using IVC-M, CoServ created a digital application form directly on their website, connecting it to NISC’s SmartHub and Multi-Channel Messenger tools.

“We literally had a spreadsheet, and as they progressed through the process, we could mark it to show the stage of each application,” said Brianna McBride, Training and Process Improvement Supervisor at CoServ. “I submitted a MIC session idea in 2023 about how I wanted to do this through a service order, and Amber Wesche (NISC Product Manager II) reached out and suggested we leverage NISC’s iVUE Connect – Marketing,  which allowed us to add a form to our website, further simplifying the process for Members and contractors.”

With IVC–M, CoServ has been able to:

  • Replace manual tracking with Automation: Application status updates and fee billing now happen automatically through service orders.
  • Improve real-time visibility: Customer care staff can instantly view project progress, giving members and contractors immediate answers.
  • Enhance proactive communication: Automated Messenger notifications keep members informed at every stage, reducing phone calls and frustration.

These enhancements save time and increase satisfaction for CoServ employees and members. “We can communicate with the installer and the member through Messenger tasks with status notifications, which drastically cut the phone calls we received,” McBride said. “It’s also cut the questions to our energy solutions team from our customer care specialists, reducing a lot of frustration on the members’ part as well.”

Streamline Contractor Collaboration with the NISC Contractor Portal

For Peace River Electric, rapid regional growth meant managing a flood of new subdivision requests. The NISC Contractor Portal, powered by IVC-M, now enables contractors to submit requests, upload plans and track progress — all in one place.

With Contractor Portal, Peace River Electric has seen:

  • Faster turnaround: Contractors submit and track requests digitally.
  • Reduced data entry: Automated integration into service orders saves time for operations teams.
  • Enhanced collaboration: Contractors, clerks and engineers work from the same data in real time.

“(Contractors) are entering their subdivision requests in the portal and our work order clerks can see that information and create a service order,” said Louise Blackman, Senior Vice President of Member Services and Business Technology at Peace River.

The Result: Trust, Transparency and Growth

Both utilities now manage growth with confidence, strengthening relationships with members and contractors through automation, visibility and proactive communication.

While both organizations turned to NISC solutions to solve their problems, the processes were new for NISC as well. The IT cooperative worked together with its Members to create new processes and test new solutions.

“We were able to help NISC, and NISC was able to help us,” McBride said. “We got to where (NISC) now knows a lot about this system, and they’re able to help people set it up the same way we have it set up. Reach out to your support pod, because I guarantee you that you are not the first person to ask about this, you won’t be the last and now they’re pros at it.”

IVC-M isn’t just software; it’s a growth engine for energy providers ready to modernize processes and build trust at every touchpoint.

“We volunteered to help with the Contractor Portal development,” Blackman said. “Our contractors are helping with the requirements, and we’re letting NISC know what they’re looking for. A lot of the features are available in iVUE Connect – Marketing, which is a tool we implemented knowing that it was going to be required for the Contractor Portal.”

Visit the NISC Community for more information about NISC’s new Contractor Portal, or head to Pathways to view the MIC sessions led by McBride that detail her process for handling interconnection agreements.