NISC, Survey & Ballot Systems Integrate for New Engagement Opportunities - National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC)

NISC, Survey & Ballot Systems Integrate for New Engagement Opportunities

Members Can Utilize SmartHub® End-Consumer App with SBS Integration for Electronic Voting

St. Louis, Mo., December 8, 2016 — National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), a leading provider of technology solutions to utility and telecommunications organizations worldwide, announces seamless customer integration with Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS), a leading provider of election services to Member organizations.

“The integration with SBS is a prime example of integrating technology for the betterment of engaging members with their cooperatives,” said Nate Boettcher, NISC’s Utility Solutions Product Line Manager.

Cooperatives that utilize both SBS and NISC solutions will now have the ability to provide their Members an easy way to promote their Board elections. Those Members will be able to log into SmartHub and cast their Member vote alongside making a payment or viewing their usage.

“We’re excited to be partnering with NISC, an organization we consider to be truly innovative. This is a wonderful opportunity for SBS to help NISC Members improve their elections with secure and easy voting,” said Peter Westerhaus, Vice President of SBS.

A testament to the success of this integration, Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TEC), located in Rushford, Minn., and Hawkeye Electric Cooperative located in Cresco, Iowa, recently held an election with their Members on a merger vote.

“Our successful merger vote can be directly attributed to our cooperative’s communications plan and the new partnership with Survey & Ballot Systems and NISC that allowed fast, easy, electronic and paper balloting to our individual cooperative memberships,” said Brian Krambeer, President and CEO of the new MiEnergy Cooperative. “We achieved over 60 percent member participation in our vote through using this exciting new format.”

Krambeer added that Members liked the electronic voting. According to SBS survey data, following the vote 97.1 percent of TEC members and 94.7 percent of Hawkeye members were either very satisfied or satisfied with the process.

About SBS

Since 1990, Survey and Ballot Systems has worked with the world’s top associations, credit unions and member-based organizations such as electric cooperatives to plan and manage their voting processes. As technology has progressed, more of these organizations are turning to electronic voting as a means to better engage and communicate the value of democratic Member control. Whether your election needs require paper ballots, online voting, onsite, telephone voting, or a hybrid voting option, SBS promises a shared commitment to a successful election.

Learn more at www.surveyandballotsystems.com.

About NISC

NISC has been a leader in enterprise solutions for the utility and communications industry for nearly 50 years.  NISC provides advanced solutions, services and support – including SmartHub, a world-class consumer engagement platform that enables customers to see and pay their bills, view usage, receive notifications, self-serve their account and interact with their provider – to more than 800 independent telephone companies, electric cooperatives and other public power entities. With facilities in Mandan, N.D., Lake Saint Louis, Mo., Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Shawano, Wis., NISC and its subsidiaries employ more than 1,100 professionals between the four locations.

Additional information can be found at www.nisc.coop.