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Multi-Level Customer Account Challenges and Solutions

Explore the challenges faced by multi-level customer accounts in industries such as large commercial, government, and non-profit sectors. Discover solutions to streamline data and billing processes, improve workflow and communication, and enhance customer satisfaction.

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Multi-Level Customer Account Challenges and Solutions

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  1. Multi-Level CustomerAccount Challenges and Solutions Charles R. Porter ista North America

  2. Who are Multi-Level Account Customers? Large Commercial Customers: • Restaurant Chains • Retail Chains • Multi-Family Apartment Complexes • Outdoor Advertising (Signs) • Owners of Multiple Small Business

  3. Who are Multi-Level Account Customers? (cont.) Large Government Customers: • Cities, Towns, Municipalities • Public Transportation Operators • Buses • Subway, Rail • School Districts

  4. Who are Multi-Level Account Customers? (cont.) Large Non-profit Customers: • Hieratically Managed Churches and Places of Worship • Catholic, Episcopal, Others (parishes, dioceses, etc.) • Synagogues, Mosques, etc. • Distributed Donation Centers

  5. Sample Org Chart of a Multi-Level Account

  6. Challenges for Multi-Level Account Customers • “Mix and Match” Combination of Responsibilities in Each Organization • Some Centralized • Some Distributed • Need for Data/ Billing • Individual Info Sent to Each Site • Aggregated for Centralized Control, Management, & Payment

  7. Challenges for Multi-Level Account Customers (cont.) • Require Accounts Receivables (AR) • For Each Site Individually • Rolled-up by Customer-Defined Groupings • Across Whole Organization

  8. Challenges for Multi-Level Account Customers (cont.) Each Organization is “Custom” • Accounts Payables • (who writes the check) • Control of Utilities Consumed • (who touches the light switch) • Tracking each sites costs • (who reads the bill) • (who is accountable for the bottom line) • Workflow/ Communication Routing • (who calls the utility company) • (who makes decisions)

  9. Typical Solutions • Since these are “high volume” accounts they get assigned a special “account manager” for support • Account manger extracts raw data and/or reports from CIS/ Billing system • Account Manager manipulates & aggregates raw data in Excel or Access

  10. Typical Solutions (cont.) • Excel spreadsheets or raw data files are sent to customer • Email • EDI VAN • CD ROM • Paper bills are sent for each site(hundreds or thousands of bills – deliver to one address or multiple individual addresses)

  11. Problems with Typical Solutions • Very expensive operationally to maintain • Prone to human error and gaps • “Who sent the City bill when Joe was on vacation?” • Forces unnecessary compromises -- Usually doesn’t provide the customer what they really want or need

  12. 1. Offer web delivery of data to many individuals within an organization Reduces “Either Or” choices on delivery of paper bill Individual sites have full access to details about their site usage/ charges Centralized management personnel can download aggregated or rolled-up data reports Can be done with sophisticated billing system or with $30/month website & MS Office Moving Towards a Better Solution

  13. 2. Create an data-driven version of customer’s org chart for utility reporting purposes Allows raw data to be filtered or rolled-up in ways that are meaningful to the customer Helps account manager understand customer’s real needs and create value-added solutions Can be used to automate monthly delivery of the right information to the right decision makers (email or web delivery) Moving Towards a Better Solution (cont.)

  14. Sample Org Chart of a Multi-Level Account

  15. 3. Place accounts receivable balances at the most granular level appropriate – Sum up from site-level A.R. for organizational total A.R. 4. Make paper bill presentment as simple as possible – Encourage users to access web delivery for details on usage and charges. (Save the trees) Moving Towards a Better Solution (cont.)

  16. Case Study: B2B Portal in Texas Retail Energy Market • One implementation of these solution concepts is a “B2B Web Portal” solution implemented by several Retail Energy Providers in Texas • CIS/ Billing platform maintains unlimited hierarchy of customer’s org chart via “Master Accounts” tool • Individuals through-out customers organization can login to a “Master Account” and view or download usage an billing details for sites under any level of the master

  17. Case Study: B2B Portal in Texas Retail Energy Market • This implementation was rolled out in 2004 and has received positive feedback from customers • Link to Video of B2BWeb Portal

  18. Case Study: B2B Portal in Texas Retail Energy Market

  19. Case Study: B2B Portal in Texas Retail Energy Market

  20. Case Study: B2B Portal in Texas Retail Energy Market

  21. Case Study: B2B Portal in Texas Retail Energy Market

  22. Multi-Level CustomerAccount Challenges and Solutions Questions? Thank you.

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