Abu Dhabi utility implements Oracle solution

• National utility migrates to enterprise-wide applications in two days; Implements world's first bilingual Arabic customer management system to improve service and extend operational excellence

REDWOOD SHORES, CA, Nov. 7, 2007 -- Oracle today announced that the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) has implemented Oracle® Utilities Customer Care and Billing to enhance customer service, streamline business processes and accelerate revenue collection. ADWEA completed the migration to the new Oracle applications in two days across all operations - without impacting service levels.

As the national utility company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, ADWEA provides superior service for its 450,000 subscribers using Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing. ADWEA provides its customers with accurate utility bills, based on systematic meter-reads that include supplementary consumer information concerning rates and other services. ADWEA has also improved its business processes to accelerate bill printing and distribution and shorten its payment collection cycles. In addition, Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing provides ADWEA customer service agents with a 360-degree view of customers, which enables them to respond to customer queries quickly and resolve issues effectively.

Recently, ADWEA was honored during the GITEX Business Solutions event in Dubai with the 2007 ACN Award in the "Energy and Utilities Implementation of the Year" category for its successful deployment of new technology and commitment to advancing business operations.

Wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government, ADWEA operates financially and administratively as an independent utility - and is therefore committed to increasing operational efficiencies while reducing revenue collection time. The Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing application provides ADWEA with the functionality it requires to meet this objective by helping it shorten its meter-to-cash cycle.

"At the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, we consistently strive to reach new levels of service and efficiency to support our customers and capitalize on new opportunities rapidly," said Saeed Nassouri, project manager, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority. "Oracle offers us the flexibility to access a single customer view and use that information to accelerate our service delivery and billing processes. Even more importantly, Oracle provides a scalable foundation for us to fully automate our metering and billing operations."

"ADWEA is focused on aligning strategy, operations and technology to focus on customer requirements today and prepare for future opportunities," said Brad Kitchin, vice president professional services for EMEA, Oracle Utilities Global Business Unit. "We are proud to work closely with the ADWEA team and help them provide quantifiable enhancements to customer service initiatives and business processes."

Implementing Customer Care and Billing Migration in Two Days
ADWEA selected Oracle to enhance customer service and business operations, gaining added flexibility and scalability, which was not available in its legacy system. After a 15-month implementation project that prepared ADWEA to adopt the Oracle applications, ADWEA conducted a national utility-wide rollout.

ADWEA completed the migration to the Oracle applications in one weekend - thereby enabling all branch sites to access the new Oracle applications simultaneously. Importantly, the transition to Oracle did not impact customers or operations.

Enhancing Application Capabilities and Scalability
Oracle provides a streamlined user interface that enables ADWEA call center representatives to process customer requests quickly and accurately. The bilingual Arabic-English capabilities inherent in the Oracle application provide ADWEA with additional flexibility that simplifies hiring and training new staff.

ADWEA has also improved its ability to dispatch technicians to resolve service issues on site, using detailed information available via Oracle's 360- degree view of the customer. The renewed focus on customer service also includes systematic meter-reading management, rapid bill creation and distribution, and shortened payment collection cycles.

Further, the utility is now working on fully automating the meter reading and billing processes, with Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing providing the platform and the flexibility to support this initiative.

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