Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 25TH - 31ST OCTOBER 2019 | 27 Customers A s consumers, change is all around us. Be it emerging technologies enabling us to work or live smarter, more choice in what we choose to purchase and how we consume services, or simply changes in our own expecta- tions when it comes to how we go about our daily lives. For utility companies, change brings great opportu- nity and also considerable risk. Keeping ahead of ever-changing customer expectations is a constant challenge, creating a need to seek out new ideas and technologies to stay one step ahead. In these times of unprec- edented change one thing is clear, to continuously inno- vate and deliver more, utility companies must become more dynamic and agile; not through responding swi• ly to change, but by driving a forward- thinking change agenda that formulates true innovation and new ideas. This not only requires curiosity and the right people, but also the right tech- nologies – solutions that enable and not hinder change. A time for change At the heart of every utility company's contact centre is its billing and CRM platforms; the key to delivering accurate and reliable customer bills, and the lynchpin to providing helpful, seamless and eƒ ortless cus- tomer service that is right „ rst time. Choosing these platforms is a fundamental decision for any company given the long- term investment and signi„ cant commitment in terms of cost, time and resource. And, while at the outset a chosen solution may appear to meet current needs, it's never been more important to invest in future-proo„ ng; ensur- ing chosen so• ware is „ t for purpose today, tomorrow and in the future. It's fair to say that utility companies today remain consid- erably reliant on their so• ware providers to modify systems as landscapes change. At a time when consumer markets are changing faster than ever, this simply isn't a robust model for the years ahead; so• ware must enable utility providers to be agile, staying one step ahead of changing customer expecta- tions, evolving business models and regulation. Emerging approaches Be it the need to meet the cus- tomer's yearning for a tailored, personalised service, the desire to join a modern multi-utility world, or simply to gain com- petitive advantage, system agility and † exibility are critical to respond to both these and regulatory drivers. And while it's widely recog- nised that legacy billing systems are no longer „ t for purpose, change barriers have led some to retain and even upgrade these systems, in an attempt to wrap customer-„ rst CRM solu- tions around them. Experience highlights that this complex integration model doesn't work, requiring signi„ cant bespoke integration and resulting in overly complex and expensive projects in the drive for a true single customer view. Positively, the emergence of a new type of solution, the "on platform" billing and CRM solution, is helping change this reality, opening a gateway to a world of "plug and play" tech- nology and innovation that can complement and enhance cus- tomer billing without the need for lengthy so• ware provider- led integration programmes. Empowered for change Of course, to be truly agile, utility companies must hold their destiny in their own hands. This means being empowered to con„ gure so• ware solutions to match their own needs at a pace that suits. This has led to the tables turning in favour of so• ware that enables clients to customise their own enhance- ments, processes and triggers however and whenever they wish to do so, creating a real opportunity for utility compa- nies to transform from a "led by change" ethos to being one step ahead of a fast-evolving consumer landscape. Perhaps most importantly, so• ware must empower utility companies to seize opportuni- ties to listen and deliver what really matters to each and every customer, using process customisation and customer data to drive truly personalised and tailored service; taking cus- tomer segmentation to a whole new level. Moving forward with momentum The world is changing and as a sector we all – utility providers, their suppliers and partners – have a responsibility to look for- ward. The time for fresh thinking when it comes to the fundamen- tal requirement of utility billing is now. Utility companies will increasingly add value through partners that can innovate alongside them, and for them – working in partnership to move forward with momentum. That said, while more agile, innova- tive solutions are increasingly preferred, deep market under- standing cannot be underesti- mated; investing in pioneering solutions built without utility sector expertise at their heart holds signi„ cant risk. Of course, when it comes to customer service and satisfac- tion, billing so• ware is just one piece of a much larger picture, and on its own can never be the panacea. But the emergence of single platform ecosystems that include utility billing, CRM and other customer service so• ware applications, means we are entering a new era, one where so• ware is no longer a hindrance that holds the sector back from achieving its goals. Monica Mackintosh is Managing Director at utilities-specialist outsourcer Echo Managed Services, creator of Aptumo – global SaaS utility billing so ware native to Salesforce. EXPERT VIEW MONICA MACKINTOSH, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ECHO MANAGED SERVICES The emergence of a single platform ecosystem for CRM and billing is a game-changer, allowing you to adapt quickly to changing customer needs. Billing software: time to say goodbye to monolithic monsters?

• Cover