In what is reported as the largest technology project in the company’s history, in early June, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation announced a partnership with SAP and IBM to implement a new customer information system to enhance customer support.
The new platform will streamline and automate several customer service processes, improving service quality by giving customer care agents more complete and detailed information and allowing them to provide efficient and personalized assistance.
“Minimizing manual tasks will allow employees to focus on more value-driven activities, such as resolving complex customer issues,” Jeff Sylvester, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Chesapeake Utilities, told American Gas. “The software also will enhance our ability to generate accurate and timely invoices based on consumption data, tariff structures and regulatory requirements, ensuring transparency and driving bill accuracy.”
According to Chesapeake Utilities, the platform will allow the electronic processing of service orders, and some orders— such as meter installations and maintenance—will be automated. It added that customers will be able to conveniently schedule and track these activities while also receiving insight into order status, and the system will also improve proactive communications by enabling personalized interactions with customers, such as timely notifications, updates and responses to inquiries.
According to Sylvester, the new customer information platform provides capabilities to automate several exception processes, enabling more efficient routing and transparency of inquiries. In addition, he said that the field service management system will provide employees with improved access to customer information, work-order management capabilities, and enhanced communication tools to streamline their daily tasks and improve service delivery.
“This project establishes a business technology platform for everything that comes next, including new technology and new processes to better serve both existing and future customers,” Sylvester said. “The new platform simplifies our processes for team members and improves our ability to meet customer expectations. This is a fundamental change in how we are going to do business.”
Chesapeake Utilities expects the new system—which will support more than 220,000 customers in Delaware, Maryland and Florida—to be fully implemented in 2024.