COLCHESTER, VT, Nov. 18, 2003 -- Serving a 275,000-customer account base (as the nation's third largest water utility), the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD) successfully went live with Systems & Software's (S&S) enQuesta CIS on November 3rd.
S&S, working with a local WMBE prime, SYNC Technologies, Inc., completed this project in a timeframe spanning less than a year.
"We wanted a CIS that offered improved billing, better maintenance of landlord/tenant relationships and the increased capability to collect revenue from delinquent customers," comments James George, Assistant Director, DWSD. "We also wanted a vendor with a track record of successful, on-time, on-budget go-lives."
In addition, DWSD required a user-friendly, intuitive solution that would meet their short and long-term needs in delivering quality service to their customers. "We are confident that enQuesta will provide us with the flexibility to accommodate unpredictable future requirements as it has already exceeded our immediate needs," adds George.
The go-live was not only successful in that users were able to assist customers in an efficient manner on the busiest day of the month, but this project went live ahead of schedule and onbudget.
"We attribute this success to the joint team effort from S&S, SYNC and DWSD's core team. As well, S&S spent a lot of time upfront delivering extensive train-the-trainer and end user training so our users were well equipped to assume their job responsibilities on day one of utilizing the new system," comments George. Because of all the up-front preparation, DWSD personnel served as the first point of contact for all user inquiries.
The go-live was for all intents and purposes a "non-event." "S&S was chosen, among other reasons, for the alignment of enQuesta's data model to the 29 process flow maps and the business concept model used as the selection criteria by DWSD. The object-oriented modeling methodology recommended for critical software systems was used, thus eliminating any requirements for extensive custom coding," comments Dr. Joseph D. Ramsey, Information Technology Manager, DWSD. "Equally important, the successful conversion of data allowed for quick access to accurate data immediately," adds Ramsey. "We have never experienced such a smooth, innovative, project and such a degree of general executive support."
S&S' proven implementation methodology repeatedly allows the organization to deliver projects on-time and on-budget. "Through this experience, we have forged a dynamic partnership with both DWSD and SYNC. We believe that in utilizing enQuesta in conjunction with our ongoing maintenance & support program, DWSD will make great strides in achieving their internal goals of delivering exceptional customer service to both their retail and wholesale customers," offers Burt Willey, President & CEO, S&S.
He adds, "DWSD will very quickly realize the benefits of a holistic CIS solution that enables the affected Finance, Commercial Operations, Meter Operations, and Maintenance & Repair departments to collaborate and serve customers; the fiscal efficiencies will immediately become apparent to DWSD through this partnership."
About The Detroit Water & Sewerage Department
The Detroit Water & Sewerage Department supplies retail water and sewer services to the City of Detroit's residential, commercial and industrial customers (between 275,000 and 300,000 active accounts). The utility also supplies wholesale water services to 125 suburban communities and wholesale sewer services to 77 suburban customers.
DWSD is constantly seeking to improve service delivery to its customers through innovative/proven methods. The utility's mission is to "...exceed customer' expectations through the innovative treatment and transmission of water and wastewater and the provision of services that promote healthy communities and economic growth." DWSD's water quality is among the best and its rates are among the lowest in the country. More information about DWSD is available at http://www.dwsd.org.
About SYNC Technologies
SYNC Technologies is a highly professional, versatile, and customer-driven provider of professional services in the IT field. Certified as a Detroit-based, women-owned, and minority-owned business enterprise, by the City of Detroit and other certifying agencies, SYNC has successfully provided IT services nationally to a diverse group of clients over the past 15 years.
Other than DWSD, the company's clients include the City of Detroit's Health Department, the Detroit Public Schools, several large engineering firms, and various non-profit organizations. SYNC specializes in technical project management, user training and support, and IT consulting services in such areas as computer networking, system administration and support, web-based application development, security and object-oriented systems modeling and implementation.
The corporate aim is to assist clients in defining and implementing cutting-edge, high-quality, and cost-effective solutions to meet their information technology needs. More information about SYNC Technologies, Inc., is available at http://www.synctech.com.
About Systems & Software, Inc.
Systems & Software is a provider of billing & customer service solutions for regulated and deregulated utilities throughout the United States. Founded in 1973, the company has focused exclusively on the utility industry. Through a proprietary implementation and support approach projects are always delivered on time and within budget.
While customers focus on their key business operations, S&S is relied upon for complete technology, maintenance and software support. S&S is located in Colchester, Vermont. More information about Systems & Software, Inc., is available at http://www.ssiutilitysuite.com.
