Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities announced its selection of WaterSmart – a VertexOne Brand to provide customers with an easy-to-use online and mobile customer portal. This service will serve as a complement to the new “WaterSavvy” meter network upgrade to advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).
The WaterSmart platform will give the utility and its more than 370,000 users powerful new capabilities, including timely notifications for possible leaks and high bills, and more detailed consumption analytics to help the utility manage resources more effectively.
“Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities prides itself on providing excellent customer service and the WaterSmart portal will allow our customers to experience the full benefits of our investment in AMI,” said Utilities Director Courtney Driver.
With a history dating back to 1774 as one of the nation’s first water systems, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities is the latest of over 150 utilities to adopt VertexOne’s software-as-a-service customer engagement and data analytics solution.
“We’re excited to work with VertexOne and Sensus to help us reduce the costs and safety concerns of manually reading meters, while we access real-time visibility of water usage. We look forward to providing continued transparency for our customers throughout this meter upgrade programme and encourage them to engage with us online. Additionally, users will be able to register for leak notifications to help save money and protect their property. This will be a great enhancement to our existing leak investigation services,” said Mike Koivisto, the deputy director of WSFC Utilities who also serves as the WaterSavvy programme manager.
As part of the programme, residential and commercial customers and property owners will have access to WaterSmart’s Customer Portal. They will be able to receive personalised information about their water use and how it compares to previous periods, enrol in leak alerts and high bill notifications, view customised water-saving recommendations, receive up-to-date news, and view rebate information. WaterSmart currently equips more than four million utility account holders across North America with these capabilities.
WaterSmart’s Utility Analytics Dashboard will provide utility staff with robust programme reporting, tracking, and data analytics in addition to multi-channel, digital communication tools. By engaging customers with self-service technology, VertexOne’s utility partners reduce incoming customer calls, achieve faster call resolution, reduce field staff visits and decrease bill delinquencies.
“VertexOne is honoured to have been selected by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities to enhance their advanced metering infrastructure deployment and demonstrate the value of this investment to their customers,” said Andrew Jornod, CEO of VertexOne. “The WaterSmart programme has helped utilities throughout the nation build a bridge-to-AMI while giving their customers the same level of online self-service they have come to expect from other providers. We anticipate that the WaterSavvy programme will achieve the same impressive results in North Carolina,” added Jornod.
