(PR.co.nz) New system offers TrustPower greater efficiencies across the reading of 500,000 meters.
New Zealand Energy retailer TrustPower, has announced the purchase from Kiwi company DataCol, of a meter reading and data management system called SevenX for the management of reading approximately 500,000 electricity meters.
DataCol CEO Bruce Franks says the purchase is further evidence of TrustPower’s outstanding customer focus. “TrustPower has made the right decision to focus on the efficiency and quality of their existing meter reading activities, rather than invest in smart metering before that technology can deliver real benefits to the New Zealand consumer.”
Benefits organisations like TrustPower can gain from SevenX include achieving greater efficiency in the collection of meter data, while at the same time improving the quality of the information gathered, says Mr Franks.
“This means TrustPower can continue providing superior customer service while still making the most of its existing metering and data processing resources”, Mr Franks says. “We are increasingly seeing utilities throughout Australia and New Zealand focussing more on improving the efficiency of traditional manual reading and taking the time to align business processes before the inevitable move to smart metering.”
“Utilities are seeing the value a flexible solution like SevenX can have on their organisation’s existing meter reading processes, rather than rushing too quickly into smart metering, until that can be shown to deliver benefits to both utilities and customers at a reasonable cost.”
Mr Franks says with SevenX, DataCol is providing an affordable and open alternative to the expensive, proprietary systems typically used by utilities for managing meter reading.
TrustPower’s Field Service Manager Retail, Stuart Milsom says, its data collection team are “regularly complimented by industry leaders and authorities for the quality of the service they provide, and for achieving some of the best data attainment results in the electricity industry”.
“Moving to DataCol’s SevenX data collection system has allowed us to become even more efficient, not only in the collection of consumption data, but also in the recording of additional information that will assist us to improve our already excellent customer service. In addition, it assists TrustPower to be even more responsive in what is a constantly changing industry environment.”
Media Release 24 May 2011 from DataCol.