How Hawaiian Electric delivers industry-leading emergency communication at scale with Convey

For Hawaiian Electric, keeping communities informed during emergencies requires communication that can move as quickly as the situation on the ground.

Serving 95% of Hawaii’s 1.4 million residents, Hawaiian Electric sought to modernize its emergency communication system and strengthen its utility customer communication capabilities as extreme weather events increased and customer expectations for real-time emergency alerts continued to rise.

Preparing for faster, more reliable emergency communication

Hawaiian Electric identified several priorities for modernizing its emergency communications:

• Scale multi-channel messaging quickly during storm communication events
• Help communities feel supported and informed through power outage alerts before, during, and after emergencies
• Improve digital engagement while balancing operational efficiency and cost

The utility needed a solution that could deliver timely, high-volume communications across multiple channels while supporting customers through critical events.

A fully integrated emergency communication system

In May 2024, Hawaiian Electric partnered with Convey to transform its emergency communication workflows. Within months, a fully integrated customer and emergency alert system was live.

The customer and emergency communication solution delivered several key capabilities.

High-volume, omnichannel outreach

The system supports utility communication and emergency messaging across SMS, email and voice, with the capacity to reach hundreds of thousands of customers per hour.

Proactive emergency alerts

Scalable pre-storm emergency alert notifications help customers prepare and stay informed as emergencies approach.

Inbound IVR efficiency

Intelligent workflows automate routine calls, freeing agents to focus on higher-value interactions.

Future-ready innovations

Hawaiian Electric also established plans for continued innovation, including data integration, multi-language support, advanced reporting and conversational intelligence.

Improving community trust and preparedness

By keeping customers reliably informed across multiple channels, the impact was immediate and measurable.

To date, the solution has delivered 1.26 million proactive customer communications.

During Tropical Storm Hone, Hawaiian Electric’s emergency communication capabilities supported:

• 300,000+ emergency alerts per hour via email and SMS
• 75,000 emergency alerts per hour via voice
• 6,500 inbound IVR calls, with an average duration of just over one minute

These capabilities gave Hawaiian Electric the ability to communicate at scale while helping customers stay informed during an evolving emergency.

Reaching customers when it matters most

For communities facing severe weather and power outages, timely information can make a meaningful difference. Hawaiian Electric’s modernized communication capabilities provide a scalable way to reach customers across multiple channels before, during and after emergencies.

As the utility continues to expand its communication capabilities, the foundation is in place to support more integrated data, additional languages, advanced reporting and conversational intelligence.

“With the support of Convey, we’ve been able to reach our customers faster and more reliably when it matters most. Having reliable communication across multiple channels helps our communities feel supported and better prepared when challenges arise.”

Brendan Bailey, VP of Customer Service, Hawaiian Electric

The results

Hawaiian Electric’s emergency communication modernization delivered measurable improvements in both scale and efficiency:

1.26 million
Proactive customer communications delivered to date

300,000+ per hour
Emergency alerts delivered via email and SMS during Tropical Storm Hone

75,000 per hour
Emergency alerts delivered via voice during Tropical Storm Hone

6,500
Inbound IVR calls handled with an average duration of just over one minute

By combining high-volume, multi-channel outreach with proactive emergency alerts and intelligent inbound workflows, Hawaiian Electric is better equipped to keep its communities informed when communication matters most.

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Frequently asked questions about Hawaiian Electric’s partnership with Convey for customer communications

How does Hawaiian Electric communicate with customers during emergencies using Convey?

Hawaiian Electric uses multiple communication channels, including SMS, email and voice, to deliver emergency alerts and outage-related information to customers.

How many emergency alerts can Hawaiian Electric send per hour with Convey?

During Tropical Storm Hone, Hawaiian Electric delivered more than 300,000 emergency alerts per hour through email and SMS, along with 75,000 emergency alerts per hour through voice.

How does Convey’s IVR support Hawaiian Electric’s emergency communications?

Intelligent IVR workflows handle routine inbound calls, allowing customer service agents to focus on higher-value interactions. During Tropical Storm Hone, 6,500 inbound IVR calls were handled with an average duration of just over one minute.

What was the goal of Hawaiian Electric’s emergency communication modernization with Convey?

The utility sought to scale multi-channel messaging, provide customers with timely information before, during and after emergencies, and improve digital engagement while balancing operational efficiency and cost.