COLCHESTER, Vt. and EL PASO, Texas, Sept. 19, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Systems & Software, Inc. (www.systemsandsoftware.net), a leading Customer Information Systems (CIS) provider empowering the utility industry, is pleased to announce that El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) with help from EMA (one of the leading utility and public works management and technology consulting firms, who will be responsible for the contract oversight) has chosen the Company's award-winning enQuesta(tm). enQuesta(tm) was ranked by UtiliPoint's 2006 Technology Vendor Analysis Matrix (TVAM) as the number one choice for Municipal Customer Care and Billing.
EPWU processes nearly 600,000 billable items per month and this number is on the increase. A sizeable expansion plan is in place for EPWU, due to an additional 20,000 troops soon-to-be stationed at Fort Bliss. "Keeping in mind this rapid growth for EPWU in the foreseeable future, it was imperative for us to streamline the creation of accounts," said EPWU's General Manager Ed Archuleta, who has been recently appointed to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council by President George W. Bush. The Advisory Council advises the President on the security and protection of the country's critical infrastructure and its information systems.
"With enQuesta(tm), EPWU will be able to lay the foundation to implement additional customer service-oriented initiatives by leveraging Interactive Voice Response (IVR) enhancements and Web Connect, Systems & Software's real-time, customer facing web access solution," Archuleta added. Both of these extended offerings will provide customers with on-demand account information.
As an environmentally conscious organization, water conservation and wastewater management is also a high priority for EPWU. EPWU requires a solution that can maintain complex conservation rates and resulting customer rebate options. Equally important is the ability to bill (total suspended solids/biological oxygen demand) charges on a per customer basis. "enQuesta(tm) provides these type of superior billing capabilities and will also enable us to improve data access, increase reporting capabilities, and maximize workflow efficiencies," said Armando Renteria, the Chief Information Officer for EPWU.
Burt Willey, President & CEO, Systems & Software, said, "El Paso Water Utilities is a prime example of the increasing need to offer utilities a solution with extensive configurability to meet unforeseen changes in business requirements. With enQuesta(tm), we provide an invaluable billing and customer care platform with which utilities can appreciate this level of flexibility, improved usability, better integration and increased productivity."
El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU)
The El Paso Water Utilities was established on May 22, 1952, to completely manage and operate the water and wastewater system for the City of El Paso, Texas. The City of El Paso is home to an estimated 617,000 people, with another 126,000 in the remaining areas of El Paso County.
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 & 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) empowers the utility industry, please go to www.systemsandsoftware.net