Saturday 29 August 2015

Benefits Of Utilizing Utility Billing Systems

By Nancy Gardner


Utilities are services consumed by the public and are provided by a public service. Organizations that maintain the infrastructure for the aim of providing a public service are referred to as public functions. These services include water, sewage, natural gas and electricity. Utility billing systems can really reduce labor cost as this system is automated and does not require a lot of manpower.

The existence of a way to automate billing to their clients has saved the utilities costs on having to employ more personnel to read meters which are located in remote and dangerous areas. It has minimized the risk exposure of the company to injuries of its employees and liabilities caused to customers.

Manual meter reading has been used for a long time in most countries. However, there are cases especially in the rural areas where it may be very difficult to access the meter in order to read. This makes manual meter reading time consuming.

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 justification for the automatic meter reading systems are that some meters are located in hazardous areas which pose a risk to the workers of this service company who are sent to read them. Some meters are also located in areas which are hard to access such as behind locked gates or harsh terrain, this makes manual gauge reading time consuming and costly to this service firm. Inaccurate meter readers also cause disputes with customers which cost time and money to resolve.

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.

Each time there is a decrease in customer satisfaction, there is an increase in complaints by the customers. If the service has not embraced automated indicator reading and thus provides estimated costs the customers complain even more because they distrust the readings. The service should determine the type of customer calls it could avoid by automating the system.

Automated billing software can also reduce the costs associated with re billing the accounts that are disputed. This is because the automated meter readings are highly efficient and accurate.




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