COLCHESTER, Vt. and ATLANTA, Oct. 24, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The City of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management (DWM) announced today the simultaneous go-lives of Systems & Software, Inc.'s enQuesta(tm) (www.systemsandsoftware.net) and IVR as well as the opening of a new call center. enQuesta(tm) was ranked by UtiliPoint as the number one CIS choice for Municipal Customer Care and Billing in 2006.
Serving 300,000 residents in and around Atlanta, DWM wanted to replace their soon-to-be obsolete legacy system with a leading-edge solution that could enhance the city's customer service offerings. "We were in search of an integrated solution which would streamline our business processes, increase revenue volumes through new collections offerings while improving cash flow validation and receipt of payments," explained Debra Henson, Program Manager Officer at DWM.
enQuesta(tm)'s new job scheduler functionality will enable the city to automate billing processes -- a true time saver, as the need for manual intervention will be removed from this daily process. DWM also adopted many of enQuesta(tm)'s best business processes specifically in the areas of workflow management and credit and collections. In addition, enQuesta(tm)'s billing engine will also allow DWM to more easily flag anomalies, like severe fluctuations in usage, and will help their customer service representatives be more efficient and effective when addressing customer complaints.
On a wider scale, work order information can now be synchronized between the customer service function and field operations. The seamless integration between enQuesta(tm) and the Maximo Work Management System will increase workflow efficiencies by taking away the requirement for duplicate entry. Equally important is the enhanced web services integration between enQuesta(tm) and DWM's Nortel IVR system. This web services integration feature ensures that future integration with any third party application is achievable with minimal development effort and expense.
Program Manager Officer, DWM, Debra Henson, added, "Systems & Software Inc.'s quality system integration team used their upgraded methodology to complete the highly strategic implementation within our expected time frame."
The deputy commissioner of DWM, Sheila Pierce, went on to add how Systems & Software's integration team was "all over the newly opened call center. They made sure that the customer service representatives received all possible technical help during those important initial days."
Burt Willey, President & CEO, Systems & Software, Inc. was upbeat in announcing the landmark implementation. "We are proud of our unparalleled reputation as the CIS partner of choice in bringing key utilities across the country live within their expected timeframe. We have consistently gained this recognition because of the longstanding history of our desire and ability to listen to our customers and to respond to our customers' ever-changing needs during the implementation life-cycle. We are delighted that the City of Atlanta and Systems & Software, Inc. were together able to successfully implement a solution that will not only empower and benefit the DWM team, but also the citizens and City of Atlanta. Today's announcement underscores Systems & Software's tenacity, unrivaled commitment to our customers, and marks the beginning of yet another successful and productive partnership," said Willey.
About City of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management
The Department of Watershed Management is dedicated to providing the highest quality drinking water and wastewater services to residential, businesses and wholesale customers at the lowest possible cost, while protecting urban waterways, conserving natural resources, and providing clean, safe water for downstream customers. Traditionally, the City of Atlanta has operated its water, wastewater and sewer agencies independently. However, each of these functions is related to overall water quality and the management of water resources within a watershed. In 2002, the Department of Watershed Management was formed to administer all water-related services and functions.
About Systems & Software, Inc.
Systems & Software, Inc. offers enQuesta(tm), a Web-based CIS solution, to leading municipal and investor-owned water, wastewater, refuse, gas, and electric utilities. enQuesta(tm) offers advanced customer information features, billing, meter management, revenue management, field services management and GIS integration, and business intelligence and reporting. Systems & Software, Inc. supports customer care operations with millions of transactions per month throughout North America. For more information on how Systems & Software, Inc. and enQuesta(tm) empower the utility industry, please go to www.systemsandsoftware.net
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