Essex and Suffolk Water makes case for document technologies

British utility Essex and Suffolk Water is improving service to its customers with a new initiative supported by document imaging and management technologies.

Essex supplies drinking water to nearly 2 million commercial and residential customers. Historically, Essex service centers would manually route, count and prioritize work using a microfilm-based archive system, which could not provide the speedy responses customers now expect from modern call centers. Essex also must continuously strive to meet strict quality and service standards set by OFWAT, the industry regulatory body. "We're swamped with paper," said Graham Gander, Essex's Customer Information Manager. "It is very difficult for us to meet our standards of service in these circumstances."

To automate its customer correspondence processes, Essex has created RIVERS (Retrieving Information Via Electronic Routing Systems), a case management system based on Tower Technology's imaging and workflow technology. Incoming correspondence are now scanned, indexed and routed to relevant customer teams, where workers can electronically access information from a customer's complete case history.

With the new system, Essex can respond faster and with better quality to customer inquiries the day they are received, leading to fewer call-backs and increased productivity. "With better control of paperwork we can respond to customer queries on their first contact," said Gander.

RIVERS also lets managers access in real-time information about outstanding work and individual staff productivity, which will help improve operational performance while addressing regulatory obligations.

Currently being piloted in Essex's Customer Service department, RIVERS will be rolled out over the next two months to 150 users in the company's Customer Accounts department. Essex workers are adapting well to the new paperless system, according to Gander. "They don't see the need for paper at all anymore."

While the system is expected to expand beyond the initial two departments, Gander said the main benefits will be realized by Essex's customers. "This electronic system enables us to provide best-in-the-business customer service," he said