Just landed a massive grocery chain audit - 520 stores across the country. Obviously can't hit them all at once and need to prioritize. I'm thinking start with highest monthly spend locations, but wondering if there are other factors I should consider. Age of the stores? Certain utility territories known for errors? Any guidance on portfolio prioritization strategy?
Prioritizing sites in a 500+ location audit - where to start?
Michelle, I always start with a combination of spend and complexity. High-spend stores on complex rate schedules like time-of-use or demand rates. Those have the biggest error potential. Simple residential-style rates on small locations rarely have significant issues worth the audit time.
Rodney's approach is solid. I'd add that stores with recent major changes - renovations, expansions, equipment upgrades - should be high priority regardless of size. That's where you find the biggest billing disconnects. Also any locations that have switched utilities or rate schedules in the past 2 years.
Great strategies from both Rodney and Darrell. I'd also suggest looking at the age distribution of meters and accounts. Older accounts (10+ years) often have accumulated billing quirks over time. New construction can have setup errors. The sweet spot for errors is often accounts 3-7 years old that have had time to develop problems but aren't old enough for multiple reviews.