AWWA IMT61449

This paper discusses how a mid-sized City improved customer service and operating efficiency by implementing a city-wide, web-based system linking its geographic information system (GIS) with its work management and customer information systems (CMMS and CIS). This system allows call takers throughout the city to answer common questions, request new work orders, and report the status of existing work orders. This advanced system offers several unique features that include tracking on-the-job training hours without impacting the total work order cost and customer location maps for ease of locating needed customer histories and work order information. The benefits of this new system include: a single city-wide asset inventory linked to the geographic information system (GIS) maps that allows asset managers to analyze asset condition ratings, down-time, and maintenance costs to make the best possible decisions about asset rehabilitation and replacement; real-time work order mapping, which supports efficient dispatching and prevents the creation of costly duplicate work orders; real-time work order status and other details available over the Intranet, so any call-taker can provide customers with up-to-the-minute progress reports on work requests; complete customer contact histories at the fingertips of all call-takers, which allows the city to provide a high level of customer service; low-cost dissemination of critical business information and business support tools; and, improved planned maintenance and reduced overtime. The City's call center, which began operations in mid-2004, is a one-stop shop for customer inquiries, work order status reports, and new work requests for all departments. Call center representatives use the integrated system to track customer contact histories, report the status of ongoing work, and create work requests for the departments. They also have answers to frequently asked questions at their fingertips on the Intranet site contact management screen. Employees track their on-the-job training at the same time they record their labor hours on work orders. This presentation explains the business process and organizational changes necessary to maximize the benefits of the technology. It also provides a perspective on the development process, including the reconciliation of incompatible data sets and other technical challenges. The presentation concludes with a discussion of the steps that any city can take to begin integrating its customer, asset, and work management functions. Includes figures.