19473_Authority_Oct-opt

2 0 dŚĞ ƵƚŚŽƌŝƚLJ │ October Yet the information needed to complete that work is often spread across separate applications. When systems operate independently, employees may have to search for information, re-enter data, send emails for status updates or manually coordinate the next step in a process. None of those activities is unusual. But repeated thousands of times, they consume time that could be spent on higher-value work. The next evolution of utility authority technology is the creation of a common operating environment— one that connects information, workflows and customer services across the organization. This is the idea behind OneGov OS. Rather than requiring an authority to replace every application it already uses, a utility authority operating system creates a common foundation where information and processes can move more seamlessly across organizational boundaries. One Customer. A More Complete View. Consider the customer experience. Smart meters generate valuable information every day. But that information is most useful when customers and authority staff can access it without creating additional administrative work. OneGov OS from Diversified Technology includes an automated workflow that can pull daily readings from smart meters and make them available directly in each customer's Customer Portal. The information moves from the meter to the customer experience without requiring an employee to manually retrieve, transfer or publish it. Customers gain more immediate access to information about their usage. Authority staff spend less time responding to routine information requests. And data generated by the authority's infrastructure becomes a more valuable customer service resource. The underlying principle is simple: enter information once, then use it wherever it is needed. Making Preventive Maintenance More Predictable The same principle applies to the authority's internal operations. Equipment and facilities are central to the mission of any utility authority. Maintaining them requires a continuous series of activities: tracking assets, monitoring schedules, assigning work, recording completed maintenance and ensuring the next action occurs when it should. OneGov OS includes an asset management system with automated workflows designed to manage preventive maintenance schedules. Instead of relying entirely on spreadsheets, calendar reminders or institutional memory to move work forward, the system can help automate the process. The benefit is more than a better maintenance record. It is the elimination of friction between one task and the next. Work can be routed. Tasks can be assigned. Information can move with the process. Employees can spend less time managing administrative handoffs and more time addressing the work that requires their knowledge and judgment. For utility authorities facing ongoing workforce pressures, that distinction matters. Technology should not simply store information about work after it happens. It should help the authority manage the work as it happens. Seeing the Property, Not Just the Customer Utility authorities also have a unique operational perspective: sometimes the property is the center of the work. A property may have multiple customers, accounts, meters, service connections and a history of work performed. When records are organized primarily around individual customers, it can be difficult to see the complete picture. OneGov OS includes a property management system that allows authority records to be viewed and managed by property rather than only by customer. That changes the question. Instead of asking only, “What do we know about this customer?” authority staff can also ask, “What do we know about this property?” T HE NEXT EVOLUTION OF UTILITY AUTHORITY TECHNOLOGY IS THE CREATION OF A COMMON OPERATING ENVIRONMENT ... ŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ŽŶ ƉĂŐĞ ϲϮ͘