Engineering Innovation in
Smart Energy & Utilities
Thanks to the Utility Digital Platform we are optimising the billing process of one of Italy's most important players in energy sales.
Approach & Solution
Approach
A leading company in the sales of gas and electricity services wanted to improve its consumption invoicing service, continuing a path undertaken on "customer centricity" and on the continuous improvement of its end customers' needs.
In particular, it intended to improve the predictability of its expected revenues. There was also the need of offering to the end customer a greater recognition and awareness of the energy costs incurred in the period and one described on the invoce. This stemmed also from the changes that the transition from a protected market to a free market might entail on the periodicity of the bill (from bimonthly to monthly).
In addition, the company wanted to overcome standard billing issues related to unexpected amounts, achieving greater predictability on billing with a more accurate view of revenue forecasting and cash-flow management. From the organisational point of view, the need was to establish multi-stakeholder roundtables with both ICT and Business interlocutors, requiring a dynamic project approach based on agile methodology.
In particular, it intended to improve the predictability of its expected revenues. There was also the need of offering to the end customer a greater recognition and awareness of the energy costs incurred in the period and one described on the invoce. This stemmed also from the changes that the transition from a protected market to a free market might entail on the periodicity of the bill (from bimonthly to monthly).
In addition, the company wanted to overcome standard billing issues related to unexpected amounts, achieving greater predictability on billing with a more accurate view of revenue forecasting and cash-flow management. From the organisational point of view, the need was to establish multi-stakeholder roundtables with both ICT and Business interlocutors, requiring a dynamic project approach based on agile methodology.
Solution
In order to implement the service with a focus on the customer-centricity, a complete redesign of the billing calendar management processes was carried out. The project, based on Engineering's Utility Digital Platform (Metering, Invoicing and Credit processes), led to the creation of services with a personalised invoicing periodicity for each customer, the introduction of new dynamic and "event-based" axes for defining customers who has to be invoiced, the creation of forecasting tools and control between expected and actual turnover.
Specifically, the Business Process Redesign phase envisaged an iterative process organised in sprints, based on the design paradigms of Design Thinking which led, through the co-participation of all the stakeholders involved, to the definition of the functional and technological requirements. The implementation phase envisages the adoption of a hybrid agile framework, with a mix of in-room activities, where the project core team is present, and out-of-room activities (those with greater infrastructural and technological content that require the commitment of a large pool of resources of the Net@ competence centre).
The project is still ongoing its implementation phase.
Specifically, the Business Process Redesign phase envisaged an iterative process organised in sprints, based on the design paradigms of Design Thinking which led, through the co-participation of all the stakeholders involved, to the definition of the functional and technological requirements. The implementation phase envisages the adoption of a hybrid agile framework, with a mix of in-room activities, where the project core team is present, and out-of-room activities (those with greater infrastructural and technological content that require the commitment of a large pool of resources of the Net@ competence centre).
The project is still ongoing its implementation phase.
Results
Improved customer experience
Greater accuracy in forecasting turnover
Simplified and flexible calendar management and exercise procedures
Improved performance
Project value
Process performance
Innovation
Enabling Technologies
AI & Advanced Analytics
Engineering proprietary products & other technologies
Net@suite
Project Team
Engineering Interactive
Energy & Utilities