Accurate Billing Solution

"Research indicates that the number one satisfaction driver for customers is accurate billing.”

-Mary J. Boettcher, Vice President of Central Services: Aquila Networks

Accurate billing is a cornerstone of achieving high levels of customer satisfaction and maximum revenue for utility companies. The creation of an accurate bill is dependent upon timely and precise consumption readings, as well as the flawless processing of this critical information. There are countless physical, human, and process errors that can lead to inaccuracies in the bill. Utility customers are not concerned with these details; they expect to pay the bill that is presented to them, with the expectation that the bill will be correct 100% of the time.

When a utility discovers an under-billed condition, they find themselves in a difficult balancing act. The utility’s requirement to achieve maximum revenue recovery for its investors is at odds with its desire to lessen the financial impact on the customer in order to maintain customer satisfaction. However the scale tips, a back-bill is calculated and presented to the customer. As a result of this balancing act, utilities usually compromise and underachieve on both customer satisfaction and revenue recovery.

Detectent helps utilities optimize the balance between customer satisfaction and revenue recovery through the timely detection of failed and partially registering meters. Working in collaboration with the utility, Detectent applies advanced analytical modeling techniques to focus the utility’s efforts on those accounts whose consumption readings most likely indicate a failed or partially registering meter. As a result, under-metering conditions are resolved sooner, lessening the impact on the customer, and increasing the revenue collection of previously unbilled consumption. In addition, focusing only on the meters that require attention achieves savings in field services and back-office support.