The economic turmoil of recent weeks has disrupted both personal and business equilibrium. As financial institutions have morphed or disappeared and investors question which way to turn, the IOUs, municipalities and cooperatives throughout North America are watching for signals, especially from the credit markets.

The U.S. economic engine that was already going to be strained to meet infrastructure needs for a nationwide grid, related technologies and massive renewable energy initiatives is on a broken track with an uncertain repair date.

Among the shattered certainties of utility operations, an interesting opportunity might involve employees who postpone retirement. This pool of employees, typically those with the greatest organizational knowledge, could form an unexpected team to implement a much-needed customer information system (CIS) project or major technological upgrade.

More than ever, needs and availability are key to the planning equation.

"The capital investment for a CIS may be influenced by the availability of monies, credit, and other higher-priority items," said Diane Simpson, manager of payment channels at Duke Energy.

Sending employees to CS Week and DistribuTECH conferences in 2009 is a budget expenditure that, especially in uncertain times, should be viewed from an executive perspective as an educational investment rather than an expense.

Marketing is a matter of presence, top-of-mind awareness, relationship building and a solid product. It requires time, planning and the investment of people and money.

Education also requires time, planning and money, but the return on investment from the right program can be immediate.

Utility professionals enrolled in CS Week College return to the job with deliverables in hand, whether they attended Selecting a New CIS, Business Requirements and Testing, Call Center Performance Change or other courses.

Aggressive new courses at Conference 33 will include DSM, credit collection and customer field service operations. More than 60 workshops covering the hottest topics in meter-to-cash are designed by working professionals to teach tangible processes and improvements for day one back at work and provide forward-focused information to maximize your readiness for months and years.

No one knows the answers yet on how the financial meltdown will affect future spending in public or private sectors. Complicating prognosticators' efforts will be the developments following the presidential election. President-elect Obama has said that restricting carbon emissions should become a national priority, but what kind of larger energy policy does he believe in enough to push it through when he takes over the White House?

One positive news item is the passage of legislation in October by the U.S. House of Representatives extending billions of dollars in tax credits for solar, wind and biofuel industries, ending months of uncertainty for renewable energy companies. Let's hope that the November news reports bring better news to all utilities.

Jerry Duvall, CEO, CS Week