San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Implements Group 1 Software's Document Composition, High-performance Vault and Service Solution to Improve Communications and Boost Revenue
Utility gives customers easy-to-read bills and enhanced customer service
in a complete Customer Communication Management (CCM) solution
LANHAM, MD (October 17, 2006) — Group 1 Software, Inc., a Pitney Bowes company (NYSE: PBI), today announced that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has implemented DOC1® Series 5 and components of its e2™ Suite of online solutions, the e2™ Vault and e2™ Service, to improve its customer billing operations and customer service.
SFPUC is using DOC1 Series 5 to design, generate and produce easy-to-understand utility bills – over 90,000 bills each month. The improved bill helps reduce billing-related inquiries into the utility’s call center. Customer documents are stored in Group 1’s e2 Vault, a high-speed archive and retrieval system and key product of its e2 Suite of online solutions. The e2 Vault provides real-time indexing, compression, storage and retrieval of documents and data in their native format, delivering a fast and seamless online deployment and quick access to all documents, regardless of size or age.
Using e2 Service, SFPUC customer service agents can gain fast access to customer bills online, enabling faster call closure and fewer call backs. The solution integrates with the utility’s existing CIS system, allowing the CSR (customer service representative), who is viewing a customer record, to quickly call up the last monthly bill. As additional months are stored, the CSRs are be able to review up to seven years of bills and store up to 210,000 pages per month.
“We were experiencing an increased number of incoming calls with billing questions specific to the detailed calculation of water and wastewater charges, including the rate structures,” said Marge Vizcarra, SFPUC’s manager of customer service. “We knew we had to redesign our bills. With Group 1’s DOC1 solution, our bills are clean and easy-to-read. In addition, we’ve added more detailed account information, as well as a graphical annual consumption history. All our customers now have more easy-to-read billing information readily available. And, if they have a question, our CSRs can access exact replica documents to quickly resolve it.”
DOC1 Series 5 and the e2 Suite are cornerstone components of Group 1’s Customer Communications Management (CCM) solution, which simplifies the gathering and manipulation of data, streamlines document creation and distribution, and ensures that information is accessible and secure. DOC1 Series 5 enables businesses to easily design and generate high-volume, personalized communications for multi-channel delivery. The e2 Suite provides electronic distribution and document management, a secure, high-performance vault for storing and retrieving all customer data and documents, and e-billing, online account management and call center service capabilities.
“Utilities worldwide that want to enhance both their bills and their customer service continue to turn to Group 1 and our CCM solution,” said Chris Baker, president of Group 1 Software. “San Francisco Water has joined a growing list of utility, telecommunications, and other customers in choosing Group 1 solutions to reduce costs and maximize the effectiveness of their customer communications.”
About Group 1 Software
Group 1 Software, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes, develops software that provides a comprehensive Customer Communication Management (CCM) solution, which helps maximize the value of customer data and help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of customer communications. Group 1 Software's solutions are an essential component of enterprise applications, serving to consolidate, cleanse and enrich corporate data, and generate personalized business documents for multi-channel delivery, customer care and efficient business processing. The company's solutions are utilized by over 3,500 organizations worldwide in the utilities, financial services/banking, GIS/mapping, retail, telecommunications, insurance and other industries, including Entergy, L.L. Bean, Microsoft, QVC, Siemens, Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo.
About San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and municipal power services to San Francisco. Under contractual agreement with 28 wholesale water agencies, the SFPUC delivers reliable, high quality drinking water to 2.4 million customers in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda Counties.
Group 1, Group 1 Software, DOC1 and e2 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Group 1 Software, Inc. All other brand names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Doug Gunster
Analyst & Public Relations
+1 301 918 0864
douglas_gunster@g1.com
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