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24 | 13th - 19th June 2014 | utILItY WeeK Operations & Assets Market view I t is not surprising that utilities provided a diverse selection of high quality submis- sions at this year's Real IT Awards, given that 90 per cent of the organisations that participated in the Corporate IT Forum's 2014 IT Strategies Survey have made "innovation for simplification, improvement or produc- tivity" a primary component of their busi- ness strategy. In addition, over 80 per cent of the responding utilities said they were aiming to cut costs, although 90 per cent confirmed that they were reducing costs while increas- ing quality and service as an ongoing initia- tive. Two-thirds of the respondents advised that they were striving to maximise business value and capability through new processes or services and also to meet changing cus- tomer demands. Innovation transforms industries, inno- vation in technology, process and culture. Embracing innovation is a necessity for organisations because it not only assists them to remain competitive but also survive the ever-changing landscape. Modern digital technology has given the consumer the ability to communicate and procure products and services anywhere and at any time across the globe. Power is shiing from the brand to "the connected consumer". These people choose brands that give them the freedom to live their lives their own way. Brands that do not embrace this empowering philosophy are more likely to fail. Customer expectations are rising rap- idly and have become a primary driver of innovation. South West Water's commitment to cus- tomer and business service improvement was the driving force in defining and deliver- ing solutions to engage with customers in a truly connected way. Following on the success of interactive web services, the South West Water mobile app provides customers with an additional self-service channel. The app goes beyond the traditional access to "help" and "com- pany information" functionality, allow- ing customers to access their full account information in real time, including water consumption charts. The ability to make payments, send meter readings or leak- age reports is also included, as is access to information about company activity in the vicinity. An innovative, cross-functional solution has also been designed integrating hard- ware and bespoke soware to read customer meters remotely. This has allowed the real- time integration of mobile soware with corporate IT applications, to align asset, billing and consumption data. The solution has empowered field operatives to make a step change in operational efficiency by sig- nificantly reducing meter reading time, while providing a way of reading meters without inconveniencing customers. Based on the report from the Corporate IT Forum's "Innovation: Making a Business Impact" conference, held earlier this year, the UK is in good position regarding innova- tion, and this will continue as long as it is underpinned by good education, but indus- try must do more to foster youth. Diversity is key – that is, having many ideas and people to comment upon them. Fast failure, incubation of ideas, and parking of ideas, contribute to eventual innovation. Everyone is a consumer and can innovate. There is no template for innovation. How- ever, there is always pragmatic advice avail- able from others: the things you wished you knew before you started the journey. Innovation was demonstrated by a num- ber of companies in the utilities sector at this year's Real IT Awards. From projects that focused on effecting simplification, pro- ductivity or speed in delivering significant benefits to the organisation and its employ- ees; to overcoming the challenge of helping customers reduce energy consumption while maintaining its revenue stream by paying its customers for not using energy during peak times. A look to the future Empowered consumers reward success- ful brands with their attention and custom, encouraging companies to keep innovating. Corporate innovations with no room for self- expression will fail. The consumer must have a role, sense of power, sense of control and a sense of autonomy. In utility organisations today, innova- tion is becoming synonymous with two important drivers: efficiency and changing the way business is conducted. It changes how people think about challenges and opportunities, and changes ways of working accordingly. Innovation is not just about huge projects with large investments – smaller combined changes can deliver the same end results. The key principle of success is to consider the customer's needs before making changes. The role that technology will play in the utility industry in the future and the type of entries we might expect to see in next year's Real IT Awards will be evidenced by projects that prove that innovation is about IT lead- ing business rather than IT and business working separately. Ultimately, innovation has a human face. It comes from people – understand- ing customers and doing clever things in clever ways, oen harnessing the power of technology. Andrew Willicott is chair of the Corporate IT Forum, and customer support & IT director at South West Water Getting real about innovation The worth of technological innovation can be judged on the practical difference it makes to a business, and the Real IT awards seek to recognise projects that do just that, says Andrew Willicott. About the Real IT Awards The Corporate IT Forum annually pre- sents the Real IT Awards to recognise the achievements of IT teams in a wide range of businesses. Over the past ten years, the Real IT Awards has received almost 400 entries from over 200 organisations with 117 submissions this year alone, the highest number to date. It demonstrates a decade's-worth of support and success of cutting-edge IT projects. Judging is carried out by chief information officers and corporate IT professionals. Winners are therefore rightfully recognised for their real accom- plishments by peers who appreciate the challenges of end-user IT.