ATLANTA – A new industry report by research firm Chartwell Inc. features best practices case studies on CIS and billing system installation projects at several leading utility companies, offering readers valuable advice and lessons learned from these complex and all-encompassing undertakings.
With the economy poised for an upturn, more utilities may be ready to consider the costly notion of replacing or upgrading their customer information system (CIS). A sizeable portion of utilities – especially municipals – tell Chartwell they are investigating CIS improvements. In fact, in an exclusive survey of 100 utility companies conducted earlier this year, 27% of respondents said they needed to upgrade or replace their customer information systems due to various business issues.
A major challenge for these utilities is the investigation of various CIS product offerings vs. the option to upgrade the current solution and, once those decisions are made, developing an implementation plan to avoid some of the obstacles other utilities have experienced in recent years.
Chartwell’s Case Studies in CIS Implementations, a new 30-page report, features industry analysis and recent or current CIS projects at Arlington (Texas) Water Utilities, Empire District Electric, Oneok, and, from the Chartwell archives, Pacific Gas & Electric and Duke Power.
Virtually all utilities that implement a CIS encounter setbacks, but industry experts and veterans interviewed for Case Studies in CIS Implementations believe that careful planning, research and upfront analysis, as well as having the right implementation team in place, can make the task much easier.
Chartwell’s best practices research is all about case studies and spotlighting important initiatives within the industry. Case Studies in CIS Implementations is part of the Chartwell Customer Care Research Series and is available to non-members for $250. For subscription or membership information, call at (800)432-5879, or (404)237-9099.
Press contact: Dennis Smith (404)237-9099.
