20110803Hawthorne Di.pdf

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Dean J. Miler (ISB 1968)
McDEVITT & MILLER LLP
420 West Banock Street
P.O. Box 2564-83701
Boise,ID 83702
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
ioe~cdevitt-miler.com
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Attorneys for Applicant
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION Case No. UWI-W-11-02
OF UNITED WATER IDAHO INC. FOR
AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS RATES
AND CHAGES FOR WATER SERVICE IN
THE STATE OF IDAHO
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
DIRECT TESTIMONY OF BRUCE G. HAWTHORN
1 Q. Please state your name and business address.
2 A. Bruce G. Hawtorne, Hawtorne Associates, Inc., 200 Lamerson Road, Chester, NJ
3 07930.
4
5 Q. Please describe Hawthorne Associates, Inc. and your role within the Company.
6 A. Hawtorne Associates, Inc. is an information management consulting firm that
7 specializes in the planing, implementation and management of information systems
8 and technology with a primar focus on quality assurance advisory services. I am the
9 principle consultant as well as the President of the Company.
10
11 Q. Please describe your educational, professional, teaching and business
12 background and experience.
13 A. I graduated from The Ohio State University in 1966, receiving a Masters of Business
14 Administration degree. In 1964, I graduated from Marett College with Bachelor of
15 Science degree in Business Administrtion with a concentration in accounting. I
16 completed extensive management trining conducted by Columbia University while
17 employed at Merck & Co. Inc.
18 I was employed by Merck withn their information systems and technology
19 organization until 1993 in a management capacity. I held positions durng my 16
20 years with Merck in the areas of international computing, corporate systems,
21 telecommuncations, offce automation, and computer operations. Prior to Merck, I
22 had spent over 10 years with Exxon in both. information systems and international
23 operations.
Hawtorne, Di 1
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 In 1993, after retiring from Merck, I formed Hawtorne Associates. Since then, I
2 have consulted with a number of organzations in the areas of IS strategy, business
3 process redesign, information systems and technology selection and systems
4 implementation.
5 I have been directly involved in the water utilty industr since 1994 when I was
6 awarded a contract by Elizabethtown Water, Westfield, NJ, to develop an IT Strategic
7 Plan. I subsequently consulted with Elizabethtown thoughout their implementation
8 of their IT strategic plan, which included a full implementation of their ERP system
9 based on SAP softare. A key component of this program was the implementation of
10 their Customer Inormation System (CIS), which went live in 2001. This was
11 followed by a number of assignents at Elizabethtown including implementation of
12 mobile computing for the field work force. My primar role was quality assurance
13 advice to management.
14
15 . I have consulted with American Water Works on the development of their
16 information strategic plan and their business process reference modeL. In addition, I
17 consulted with American Water in the development of their customer service strtegy.
18 - I was directly involved in the sta-up of their National Call Center in Pensacola, FL.
19 Furer, I served as the process and quality assurce lead on the customer service
20 mobile project, which went live in 2004.
21 I have consulted with Aquaron Water Company of Connecticut on their
22 implementation of their SAP ERP system. For ths project, my first role involved a
23 risk assessment of their overall program from both a business and techncal
Hawtorne, Di 2
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 viewpoint, resulting in specific recommendations to mitigate identified risks. This
2 system successfully went live in 2007. Subsequently, I provided guidance to
3 Aquaon management and the ERP project team to minmize the potential of
4 disruption in the operation of the business. In 2009, I completed a comprehensive
5 disaster recovery / business continuity plan for Aquaron.
6
7 More recently, I assisted Middlesex Water Company with the implementation of their
8 Oracle ERP and CiS (Customer Care & Biling - CCB) systems. Again, i served as
9 the overall quaity advisor for these implementations. Middlesex successfully went
10 live with the ERP - finance, HR and supply chain - in 2009 followed by CCB in mid-
11 2010. i continue to advise Middlesex with their curent project to implement Oracle's
12 work management system.
13
14 i have also consulted with Connecticut Water, assisting them in the development of
15 an EPR strategy and an evaluation of the IT organization. Also, i have consulted with
16 the Southern Connecticut Regional Water Authority regarding their SAP system. i
17 performed ap IT organzation review. as well as assisted them in developing a
18 managed services agreement with a quaified support organzation.
19
20 As an adjunct professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and Kean University, I
21 taught courses within their Master of Science in Information Systems progras. The
22 areas that I taught were basic Management Information Systems, IT Management,
Hawtorne, Di 3
United Water Idao Inc.
1 Business Process Reengineering, IT Strategy Development and Pharaceutical
2 Supply Chain Management.
3
4 Q. Have you previously presented testimony in proceedings involving regulatory
5 agencies with respect to utilty rate cases?
6 A. Yes. I testified in the Elizabethtown Water Rate Case in the State of New Jersey in
7 2001 with regard to their implementation of their customer information system based
8 on SAP softare. In 2007, I testified in the Aquaion Water of Connecticut Rate
9 Case with regard to their implementation of their ERP based on SAP softare.
10
11 Q. What has been your involvement with United Water to date?
12 A. In early 2009, I was asked by United Water management to join the Business
13 Technology Program Executive Steering Committee and Program Leadership Team
14 as a strategic advisor regarding their investment in ERP systems.
15
16 Q. What is the nature of your involvement in this proceeding?
17 A. I have been retaned to provide expert opinion on the appropriateness of the Oracle
18 CCB system as the business information system to service United Water's customers
19 as well as provide an opinion as to the reasonableness of the overall process, the
20 decisions made, and the quality of the implementation project. As par of this work, I
21 have conducted a review of United Water's IT Master Plan development, the
22 evaluation and selection process for a new Customer Information System, and the
23 project implementation to date.
Hawtorne, Di 4
United Water Idao Inc.
1 Q. Please describe the early planning efforts that led to the selection and
2 implementation of the Oracle CCB system?
3 A. In mid 2006, United Water's management initiated development of the IT Master
4 Plan. Based on a broad set of business goals, this plan's objective was to develop a
5 "5-year IT applications and telecommuncations master plan tht will provide a
6 platform in creation ofa United Water futue business plan and the efficient
7 allocation of resources." With the assistace of Accenture Consulting, the IT Master
8 Plan was completed by the end of 2006. In developing the plan, the team reviewed
9 the present ~tate of business systems (applications), developed a vision of the futue
10 state, identified gaps in achieving the vision, and laid out a roadmap to achieving the
11 vision.
12
13 Q. What is your opinion of the output from the IT Master Planning effort?
14 A. I have reviewed output of the IT Master Plan effort conducted in 2006. Overall, it
15 was reasonable assessment of the state of IT at United Water at that time.
16 Management rightly recognized the need to have a comprehensive view of the overall
17 business systems landscape. (Ths has been the trend in the industr for a number of
18 years.) The planng work resulted in an overall business systems (application)
19 architecture and an initial roadmap to bring that architectue into being. Broadly, this
20 is referred to as an Enterprise Resource Planng (ERP) system involving the core
21 business systems of an enterprise.
22
Hawtorne, Di 5
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 Durng the review a number of broad business objectives were identified, many of
2 which were customer focused. Additionally, the plan identified business objectives
3 for operations and finance. There was also the recogntion that the key to any futue
4 application architecture is the integration among the components. Finally, they
5 recognized that redesigned, stadard business processes would be required to provide
6 improved customer service and operationa effciencies.
7
8 A key finding of the review was the recogntion that the curent cis system would
9 not meet their curent and futue business requirements and that it would either need
1 0 to be upgraded or replaced.
11
12 Q. Can you explain the concept of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)?
13 A. Prior to the early 1990s, business systems were developed to support specific
14 business fuctions. For example, the accounting deparent would have a general
15 ledger system. The accounts payable deparent would have an Al system. There
16 would be individual systems for each' deparent including purchasing, human
17 resources, manufacturing, etc. Typically, these systems were stand-alone islands of
18 technology with little integration and data sharng. Then came along the concept of
19 an ERP whereby one system, organized around a single logical database concept,
20 would support a number of the business fuctions. They are confguable information
21 systems packages that integrate information and information-based processes within
22 and across fuctional areas in an organization.
23
Hawtorne, Di 6
United Water Idao Inc.
1 In the case of utilities, the concept of the ERP was extended to include industr
2 specific modules such as customer account management, biling, meter management
3 and call center management. For a water utilty such as United Water, an ERP would
4 include traditional business fuctions such as accounting, purchasing, inventory
5 management, along with modules for customer service, work management and asset
6 management, all operating in an integrated maner.
7
8 Q. What are the general business benefits of an ERP for a water utility?
9 A. Overall, an ERP provides a number of benefits to a water utilty. First, it provides a
10 "single version of the trth." A common logical database of information allows all
11 users of the system to view the same data in real time. Ths reduces manua effort,
12 duplicate data stores, and data errors.
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14 Second, an ERP improves the overall effciency of business processes~ By their
15 natue, ERP systems are process oriented, providing "best practices" embedded in
16 their strctue. Ths allows companies to continuously improve their business
17 processes, eliminating unecessary steps while increasing quality.
18
19 Q. What were the key components of the IT Master Plan?
20 A. The priar outcome was a roadmap that identified the implementation scope and
21 timeframe for the implementation of an ERP. It was divided into four components:
22 Operations - Asset Management, Operations - Work Management, Customer Service
23 and Integration. Additionally, it addressed the need to upgrade the financial system, a
Hawtorne, Di 7
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 necessar foundational system to support any new applications. The plan sequence
2 was tied to the business objectives identified durng the planing effort.
3 Operations - Asset Management
4 This involved the development of standard business processes covering both asset
5 and work mangement activities for all United Water operational areas along with the
6 . stadardization and centralization of GIS management and the implementation of an
7 asset management application.
8 Operations - Work Management
9 The second component of "operations" involved the implementation of a stadard
10 work management application. Presumably, this would be the same application as the
11 asset management system.
12 Customer Service
13 The standardization of business processes and the implementation of a new CIS made
14 up the thrd component of the plan.
15 Integration
16 Based on the overall application architectue, an integration layer would be required
17 to allow for the free movement of information between components. Ths enterprise-
18 wide integration would provide a sustainable platform for the long-term operation of
19 the varous business applications. Within the ERP concept at United Water, the
20 integration includes the PeopleS oft financial system and the ful Oracle Utilties suite.
21
22 Q. With respect to the legacy cis system (UBS - WINS2), did the IT Master Plan
23 address the risks associated with this system and its use by United Water?
Hawtorne, Di 8
United Water Idao Inc.
1 A. Yes, as par of the gap analysis, the Plan highlighted the risks associated with WIS2
2 in term of fuctionality, technology, operations, interfaces, strategy, and auditability.
3 The overall risk assessment level for the key areas was identified as high. (I will
4 address these in more detail later in ths testimony.)
5
6 Q. Please describe the Customer Service Phase 1 project.
7 A. United Water engaged TMG consulting in September 2008 to assist them with the
8 RFP process to select a replacement customer service system. In initial work
9 involved the development of business requirements to be used as input in developing
10 a request for proposal (RFP) for a new CIS. A tota of 2617 customer service
11 business requirements were identified in detaiL. TMG assisted United Water in the
12 creation of the RFP document that was sent to qualified vendors.
13
14 As par of the initial requiements review, United Water performed a self-assessment
15 of the legacy UBS WINSII system based on the identified business requiements.
16 The result was that UBS fell significantly below the minimum requirements "fit"
17 stadard established by United Water.
18
19 TMG, as par of their engagement, performed an analysis of the CIS alternatives
20 available to United Water in December 2008. Based on ths analysis, TMG identified
21 a number of options wort pursuing, thee of which involved replacing the existing
22 CIS with a purchased commercially available off-the-shelf CIS system. The fourh
23 option involved a potential extension of the legacy system, which was largely based
Hawtorne, Di 9
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 on the vendor (UBS) agreeing to perform a complete fuctional and techncal
2 upgrade. The recommendation of TGM was for United Water to pursue the
3 replacement of the existing cis with a new CiS from a leading vendor. United
4 Water's management concured with this recommendation.
5
6 Q. Do you concur with the decision to replace the current UBS- WISII with a
7 leading off-the-self cis system?
8 A. Yes. The customer service fuctions withn United Water are supported by the
9 WINSII system, which is an outsourced system offered by Utilty Biling Systems
10 (UBS), a subsidiar of Cash Cycle Solutions. WINSII is a proprieta softare
11 package that operates on an IBM mainame computer at the UBS data center in
12 Union, NJ. UBS staff maintais the system including client data management and
13 report development.
14 The legacy WINS II system has been in use since the mid-1990s. WISII was a
15 rewrte of the mainframe COBOL WINS i system. WIS II is written in the
16 proprietary ADABAS/Natural database/language system. ADABAS is a 2nd
17 generation database developed in the 1980s. Its underlyig technology is essentially
18 obsolete in the market due to its limited capabilties. In contrast, today's systems are
19 based on 3rd generation relational data base technology.
20 The WINSII mainframe system had been customized to meet the needs of United
21 Water over the years including a number of customized reports
22
Hawtorne, Di 10
United Water Idaho Inc.
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1 Q. In your view, why was it important for United Water to replace their legacy CIS
system?
There are a number of business and technca reasons for United Water to replace the
WINS II system.
Customer Facing Business Processes
The WINS II system does not meet curent business needs. Whle it supports the
management of basic customer data and biling fuctions, it does not provide the
appropriate level of integrtion, allowig the customer service personnel to be linked
to the activities in the field to better support the needs of the customer.
Furher, the ability of the Company to effectively utilize and improve the business
processes that impact customers directly have been limited by the WINS II system.
These limitations have forced the Company to develop numerous manual, paper-
based processes around the system to meet the specific needs of its customers.
Additionally, management reporting within WINS II is limited, requiring the use of
numerous spreadsheets, multiple data transformations, and manua data entr.
TechncalSupport
The ADABAS technology is beyond the end of its usefu techncal life and is not
readily utilzed in the market. It was replaced by 3rd generation relational data base
technology beginng in the early 90s. Virtally all modern systems operate on a
relational data base platform. Furer, there are few IT professionals with ADABAS
skills; new programers are not being taught ths technology at the college leveL.
UBS Business Relationship
Hawthorne, Di 11
United Water Idao Inc.
1 There is considerable business risk for United in remaining on the WIS II system.
2 Utilty Business Systems, the owner and operator of the WIS II CiS, have
3 demonstrated no commitment over the recent years to invest in and develop the
4 system. Any enhancements made to their product have been at the direct request of
5 UBS clients, driven by specific business needs. This lack of investment in a
6 strctued systems development path represents a significant risk for United Water.
7 Other major clients of UBS have migrated off of WINS II and onto in-house CiS
8 systems. These include Elizabethtown Water and Middlesex Water.
9 Furher, there are a limited number of employees remaining at UBS that have the
1 0 techncal and fuctional knowledge of WINS II. Over time, this will pose an
11 increasing risk for support since these resources are scarce in the marketplace.
12
13 Q. In your view, did United Water adequately address the option of extending the
14 life of UBS- WISII?
15 A. Thoughout the entire selection process UBS was included as one of the vendors.
16 The fuctional and technical shortfalls were shared with UBS and addressed in their
17 response.
18
19 Q. Please describe the process in selectig a cis replacement.
20 A. Based on the fuctional requirements developed durng the blueprint design review, a
21 formal RFP document was prepared for issuace to the leading CiS vendors. TGM,
22 based on their knowledge of the industr, provided a list of potential CiS package
23 vendors that would meet United Water's requirements. A limited number of vendors
Hawtorne, Di 12
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 operate at the Tier 1 level as defined by the Garner Group. Tier 1 softare has the
2 needed fuctionality and flexibilty to meet the complex needs of large utilties
3 operating in multiple states. In Garer's most recent evaluation (2010), only two
4 vendors are considered to be in Tier 1: SAP and Oracle. Garer routinely follows
5 the industr, raning the softare vendors by their completeness of vision and abilty
6 to execute. Due to the complexity of United Water, only a Tier 1 vendor would be
7 able to provide the needed fuctionality to meet the needs across the Company.
8 Other factors that support the classification of the SAP and Oracle withn the Tier 1
9 category include the size of customer base, scope of operations, flexibility, R&D
10 commitment, and long-term viability.
11
12 The RFP was issued in November 2008 with responses due by the end of December
13 2008. In tota, ten (10) RFP packets were issued to the leading systems
14 integrators/CIS vendors. All vendors responded with bids.
15
16 Based on the responses received, 8 combination softare/system integrators were
17 selected for fuer review. TMG provided the United Water reviewing team a set of
18 evaluation criteria. Each United Water reviewer provided a score for each bidder and
19 for each category. The points were talled and a sumar produced.
20
21 Q. What is your opinion ofthe overall selection process?
Hawthorne, Di 13
United Water Idao Inc.
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1 A. I have reviewed the RFP development process and document, the responses from the
2 bidders, the evaluation process and the detailed results. My opinion is that the overall
3 process was comprehensive and equitable.
4
5 Q. What is your opinion of the results of the selection process?
Based on the bidder submissions, United Water first determined the softare platform
for the cis replacement. This involved a review of the base softare fuctionality
verses the original set of customer service business requirements, extensive product
demonstrations, and a review of the technical solution.
Ths resulted in a decision to select the Oracle CCB system as the basis for the new
cis.
The second step of the process involved selection of the systems integrator (SI) that
would assist United Water with the implementation. Three vendors submitted Oracle
CCB vendors. In the end, Accentue was selected over Blue Heron with Oracle
Consulting withdrawing their bid durg the evaluation process.
I have reviewed the rationale for selecting Oracle over the other competing softare
platforms (WINS II, Basis 2, and SAP). I concur that United Water made the
appropriate decision in selecting the Oracle CCB system. This is based on a number
of factors. First, United Water has been commtted to PeopleSoft as its financial
platform for a number of years. PeopleSoft is par of the Oracle family and as such it
supported by Oracle and can be considered one of the building blocks of an ERP.
Hawthorne, Di 14
United Water Idao Inc.
1 PeopleSoft will be fully integrated with the Oracle Utilities suite, faciltated by
2 Oracle's middleware technology. Second, Oracle is a preferred strategic parer of
3 United Water's parent company. As such, United Water would be able to tae
4 advantage of any corporate wide licensing agreements. Thid, CCB is considered one
5 of the two top utilty cis systems as designated by the Garer Group. As such it is
6 capable of being built to meet all of United Water's identified requirements.
7
8 i have also reviewed the rationale for selecting Accentue over Blue Heron as the
9 systems integrator, and i concur with their conclusion. Accentue has had a proven
10 trck record with CCB implementations while Blue Heron did not have a single
11 completed instalation at the time of selection. Furer, the consultats proposed by
12 Blue Heron were not the same high caliber as those proposed by Accentue. Both of
13 these factors significantly increase the risks associated with such a large system.
14
15 Q. Please describe some of the critical success factors that are typical of large cis
16 implementation projects.
17 A. There are a number of key success factors that have evolved over time which improve
18 the chances of a successful implementation of cis softare such as Oracle. Based on
19 my experience, some of the most importt factors for success are as follows:
20 . The project should have both executive sponsorship and change leadership.
21 . The project should be led by business personnel and be based on clear, attinable
22 goals.
Hawthorne, Di 15
UnitedWater Idaho Inc.
1 . Communcations to employees regarding the proposed changes should be
2 comprehensive and often.
3 . A proven implementation methodology.
4 . The project scope needs to be identified and managed.
5 · Employees need to be extensively trained on both the system and business process
6 chages.
7 . Project stafng should be on a one-to-one basis with external consultats.
8 . Knowledge transfer should be thoughout the project.
9 . Data from legacy systems should be "cleansed" prior to loading into new system.
10 . Testing must be rigorous and thorough.
11 . Quaity documentation and training material is required.
12 . Project related decisions need to be timely.
13
14 Q. On the basis of your experience, what is your opinion of the CCB
15 implementation project to date based on the above factors?
16 A. Based on my involvement as an advisor since April 2009, I have concluded that ths
17 wil be a successful project based on a number of factors.
18 First, there has been a signficant commitment to project thoughout the Company.
19 An executive sponsor had been appointed and the senior management team has been
20 involved in guiding the project via the Executive Steering Committee.
21 Second, a comprehensive change management program has been implemented
22 ensurng that all employees of Company are aware and as appropriate directly
Hawthorne, Di 16
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 involved in the project. Key end users have been involved in the design of the system
2 as well as developing the system testing and training materials.
3 Third, there is a high quality project team in place to implement the systems including
4 consultats and United Water sta. Representatives from all afected areas of the
5 Company have dedicated key resources to the project, briging their business
6 knowledge and experience to the project.
7 Four, United Water has planed an exceptional trning program for all employees.
8 Fift, an extensive data transformation program has been implemented to improve the
9 quality of customer data to reduce the risk of poor results at go-live.
10 Finally, the project is being well manged via the program office. There is an overall
11 business project lead along with a lead for the external consultats. Regular project
12 status meetings are being held.
13 The above factors will ensure that the new CCB system is properly designed,
14 developed, tested and deployed thoughout the organization.
15
16 Q. What are some of the customer benefits of a new CiS?
17 A. The new cis system, based on the Oracle Customer Care & Biling System (CCB),
18 provides enhanced support for customer biling, customer account management,
19 revenue management, credit and collections management, field device management
20 and field service work management. The new CiS is par of an overall IT Master
21 Plan to update and improve the core business systems of the Company. The CiS is a
22 critical building block in the overall ERP effort, which aimed at providing the most
23 effcient and effective basis for providing outstanding customer service while
Hawthorne, Di 17
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 controllng costs. Through the integration of the cis with the other business systems,
2 significant customer benefits will be realized such as the abilty of the customer
3 service personnel to be lined with the field activities on a real time basis, allowing
4 for improved communcation and coordination of customer related work.
5 Some examples of specific benefits to the customer are outlined below.
6 Improved Bil Accuracy
7 Durng the process of converting to the cis system, United plans to "scrub" the
8 customer data to improve quality. Ths includes stadardizing on street names, towns
9 and zip codes as well as verification of water meters with premises. This will ensure
10 bils are sent to the correct customer address and the bil represents the correct meter.
11 One Stop Shopping
12 The new cis system enhances United Water's abilty to provide the customer with
13 "one-stop-shopping" when contacting the Call Center; to have their issue resolved
14 when they call the first time, assuming a field visit is not required. The cis provides
15 a centralized repository of all relevant information to assist the CSR in meeting ths
16 customer need. CSRs have complete access to curent and historical biling data by
17 customer and premise. They also have complete visibility into fieldwork that impacts
18 that customer. Once the ERP is implemented in its entirety, this will include visibilty
19 of future customer service work such as Periodic Replacements. Furer, the
20 customer service rep can see all contact and work history related to that customer and
21 premise in a single place, thereby reducing the need for repeat requests. If the
22 customer has multiple accounts with the Company, these will be linked and the CSR
23 will be able to see and access all from a single location in the system.
Hawtorne, Di 18
United Water Idao Inc.
1 Reduced Phone Time
2 As CSRs become fuly proficient in the new system, customers will benefit from
3 reduced amount of time on phone with the CSR to answer their questions and/or to
4 process transactions. This is a result of the improved availability and organization of
5 inormation available to the CSR.
6 Improved Scheduling of Customer Appointments
7 When a field visit is needed that requires the customer to be present, the CiS system
8 provides an improved scheduling capabilty that allows an appointment to be set that
9 meets the customer's needs. CSRs have visibility into available appointment slots
10 that can be matched to the customer's availability, and can easily be changed if
11 required. It is anticipated that the lead-time for appointments will be reduced over
12 time as the field. service work force becomes automated. In addition, the cis
13 maintans workfow, which allows the CSR to see the status of fieldwork. When
14 taking a call from a customer, ths visibilty will enable the CSR to provide a ful
15 response at that point of the calL.
16 Improved Handling of Customer Complaints
17 The new cis has built-in case management fuctionality. Cases allow for scripting
18 and intuitive workfow for specific areas of complaint, and allows for all associated
19 incoming and outgoing communications to be linked with the customer's record. The
20 scripting and workfow guide a CSR through the steps that need to be taen to resolve
21 the complaint, ensurng that all steps are taken in a proactive and consistent maner.
22 Ths allows the Company to ensure that required actions are followed up on and that
23 the customer is kept informed of progress and ultimate resolution.
Hawtorne, Di 19
United Water Idao Inc.
1 Pre-emptive Monitoring
2 The new cis has built-in pre-emptive monitoring capabilities. Through workflow,
3 customer related work will. be assigned to specific work groups and all outstading
4 work will be fully visible to mangement. Ths reduces the reliance on paper and
5 manua work monitorig, ensures that all customers receive timely responses to
6 inquiries, and biling updates are processed promptly.
7 Improved Customer Communcations
8 Each customer in the new cis will have the option of selecting their preferred
9 chanel of communcation for updates from the Company. In the event of
10 emergencies, the cis will automatically send out necessar updates via their selected
11 chanel, e.g. phone, mail, or text.
12 Improved Biling Services
13 Curently, agreed payment plans canot be represented on the customer's bil. Ths
14 can lead to confsion and result in customers breakng payment arangements, which
15 in tu may result in unnecessar collections activity. The new cis will allow all
16 payment arangements, as well installment deposit plans to be clearly shown on the
17 bil in addition to and separate from curent charges.
18
19 Q. What is your opinion on the long-term applicabilty of Oracle softare for a
20 water utilty?
21 A. The selection of Oracle CCB as the cis platform is the key component of United
22 Water's long term IT strategy as depicted in the Master Plan. CCB is the flagship of
Hawtorne, Di 20
United Water Idaho Inc.
1 their utilty suite offering and is foundational technology for the other components
2 with the suite includig Work Asset Management and Mobile Work Management.
3 CCB is the first step for United Water to realize the ful benefits of its ERP
4 application architectue.
5 Oracle has made a commitment to the utility industr with its investment in CCB and
6 the other suite components. Ths will provide United Water with a sustainable set of
7 applications to support its operations over the long term.
8
9 Q. Does this complete your testimony?
1 0 A. Yes, it does.
Hawthorne, Di 21
United Water Idaho Inc.