Case study highlights
- Consolidated 2 billing systems into 1
- Saved hours in billing processing
- Improved record-keeping & automated processes
The Challenge
GWMWater previously used two separate billing systems to manage its urban and rural customers, and needed to consolidate the systems to streamline its billing process.
It went to market seeking an upgrade for its outdated legacy systems, that would enable it to reduce inefficiencies and deliver accurate information in a consistent format.
The Solution
GWMWater implemented TechnologyOne’s water management solution as part of an integrated enterprise solution. TechnologyOne offered GWMWater capabilities to manage its property, land, people and addresses from a centralised property system.
The Outcome
TechnologyOne’s water management solution has enabled GWMWater to streamline its business, by consolidating urban and rural billing into a single enterprise system across the business.
“Only needing to train staff in one system has really sped things up for us,” said Billing Manager Steve Briggs. “When our billing system was separate from our core business systems, we only used to sync the systems once a month for reporting. We no longer access information from a number of different systems for reporting - it is always available in one place and in real time.”
With integration between TechnologyOne’s water management solution and the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Victorian Water Register, Mr Briggs said the company has saved time and improved data accuracy.
“Our billing system is now integrated with the Victorian Water Register, which is the central repository for all water allowance information across the state,” he said.
“Essentially that means we’re not having to duplicate records in the Register and our billing system, which has improved the accuracy of our records quite dramatically.”
Only needing to train staff in one system has really sped things up for us. We no longer access information from a number of different systems for reporting - it is always available in one place and in real time.
Perspective
GWMWater provides water services to 70,000 customers across a geographic spread of 62,000 square kilometres, which is about 30 per cent of Victoria. The water corporation was using separate systems for urban and rural billing and and decided to shift from a best of breed approach to a single integrated enterprise system across the business.
By implementing TechnologyOne’s water management solution as part of an enterprise solution, GWMWater has automated and streamlined billing processes.
“Originally we had two debting systems - one for our urban customers and one for our rural customers, and operating and maintaining separate systems was extremely inefficient,” Billing Manager Steve Briggs said.
“The massive selling point for us was using one system instead of both. Everyone knows where to go for information, whether it is for a rural or an urban customer.
“TechnologyOne is now our one-stop-shop; our single source of truth. Our whole business operates from it.”
Key to the future success of TechnologyOne’s software is maintaining a close collaborative relationship with its customers, Supervisor, Rating and Billing Andrew Cherry said.
“It is important for us to work as a team with TechnologyOne to future-proof the software and deliver enhancements,” Mr Cherry said.
“The water industry is constantly evolving and we’re always asking for new reporting and billing capabilities, so our requirements are never going to be static.
“It is important to maintain the relationship we have with TechnologyOne is very important to us, as we rely on the support we receive.”
Spotlight
GWMWater has used the TechnologyOne system to reduce billing errors and improve service for its customers.
These improvements have resulted in a significant jump in its Essential Services Commission (ESC) rating, with 95 per cent of its scores now in the top A1 category. The ESC is Victoria’s independent economic regulator of prescribed essential utility services supplied by the water and sewerage, electricity, gas, ports and rail freight industries.
“We report our billing complaints to the ESC - as well as in our Monthly Business Performance report, all our complaints are logged,” Billing Manager Steve Briggs said.
“It was identified in an ESC audit four years ago that our billing complaint numbers were quite high. One of the biggest issues we had was the accuracy and quality of our accounts - hence the number of complaints.
“So we reviewed and tightened up all our billing processes, and our billing error rate is now at it’s lowest in recent times. It has been a major achievement, and has been really rewarding to see a weakness turn into one of our greatest strengths. It has certainly improved customer satisfaction,” he said.
“The ESC rating shows a phenomenal improvement in our ability to replicate data in all areas of the business, and that has been enabled by the TechnologyOne software.”
About GWMWater
GWMWater provides water services to 72,000 customers across 13 municipalities in the Grampians-Wimmera-Mallee region, which represents 62,000 square kilometres or about 30 per cent of Victoria. The innovative water corporation’s vision is to provide sustainable water for regional growth and vibrant communities.
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