Consumers Energy Launches Its First Mobile Web App

Customers of Jackson-based Consumers Energy can now report a power outage and get restoration times from smartphones. 

The utility has launched its first mobile device Web application which provides customers a fast and easy way to report an outage and get a service restoration estimate. 

Customers using this mobile application will also find links to other services and information on Consumers Energy's website, as well as the company's social media mobile pages at Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. 

A new page on Consumers Energy's Web site describes the service at www.consumersenergy.com/content.aspx?id=3828.

Using a smartphone, customers who visit Consumers Energy's Web site will automatically be connected to the new application. 

The application was created by Consumers Energy employees.

It will work on Blackberry, Droid, iPhone and Windows 7 mobile devices and other smartphones.

"We want our customers to know that they can count on Consumers Energy. With more people using smartphones and other devices, we want to make it easy to report a power outage and get an estimate on service restoration," said Dan Malone, the utility's senior vice president of distribution and customer operations. 

Consumers Energy plans on introducing more customer service mobile web applications in 2011 using innovative technology solutions.

Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.