Saturday 22 August 2015

Unique Content Article on software, applications, business, finance, sales, marketing

Benefits Of Utilizing Utility Billing Systems


by Nancy Gardner


Utilities have basically the same aims which are to provide energy and water to their customers in a safe manner. In the process, such function revenue stream must be safeguarded and the customer satisfaction put first. Utility billing systems has increased customer satisfaction and also improved client management.

Manual gauge reading has been widely used but is being replaced by automated meter readers. The personnel employed by these service companies are exposed to risks where the meters are in dangerous locations. Moreover, not all meters are located in areas where they are readily accessible. The meter readers in some instances have to deal with hostile owners and restricted access of other areas. This makes the process of meter reading lengthy such that the bills are not mailed to the customers in time. It also results to increased costs.

This system has reduced the volume of calls to the utilities call centers from customers lodging complaints because some concerns from customers are sorted out by the mere click of a button. In this way, the automated system has increased customer satisfaction.

The calls made to the center are analyzed and those that can be avoided with automation identified. Utilities that have adopted a utility invoicing software have reported substantial decrease in customer complaints and increased customer satisfaction.

The automatic indicator reading systems will collect data efficiently and accurately because they eliminate the possibility of human error. This data is then used in the preparation of invoices and bills which are sent to the customers in time.

Automated billing software specifically tailored for the function is a move towards improving the overall operations. To determine the potential benefits of automated billing software there needs to be a deep understanding of the operating characteristics of the utility. The utility provider should identify aspects of automation that will benefit them.

They may also have to face owners of the homes who are hostile and prevent them from acquiring the data. There is also the danger of people who may pose as employees of such company illegally and gain entry into peoples homes to cause harm. Automatic meter reading minimizes these risks by minimizing the number of workers being sent to read meters.

Automated meter reading enable flexible schedules for reading these service usage thereby avoiding delays in summary billing of accounts. Summary billings are usually for customers who have multiple businesses within the area. Therefore, it necessitates the utility to hold bills of the individual businesses until all of their accounts in the summary billing are read. With automated billing software, all the accounts can be read on time enabling the summary bills to be provided to the customers promptly.

Customers with multiple locations are also well catered for in this system. The software will enable the utility to setup the multiple locations of this customer as belonging to a single user. Therefore, the customer will receive a summary invoice for all the accounts.




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