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Video - Customer Portal!
Checkout a short video of the AquaHawk capabilities available to your customers (Customer Portal)
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Video - Utility Portal!
This video demonstrates some of the AquaHawk capabilities available to utility employees (Utility Portal)
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Personalized Water Use Reports
To help utilities encourage customers to save water and meet conservation goals, AmCoBi offers individualized, print/e-mail Water Use Reports, in combination with its AquaHawk portal.
A Customer Portal Solution for Utilities
AquaHawk™ and UtilityHawk™ are affordable Web-based, customer portal solutions that help water, electric, and gas utilities improve customer service and build stronger client relationships. By presenting useful data and actionable information, providers can reduce routine support calls, easily resolve high bill complaints, and give customers more control over how they use utilities.
Learn about Customer Portal Solutions
Here are some resources to help you learn more about consumer engagement / customer portal solutions for utilities.
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How to Make Business Case for Investing in a Utility Customer Portal
9 Ideas for Utility Billing and Customer Service Managers -
8 Best Practices
8 Best Practices for creating a successful customer portal that engages, informs, and serves. -
Customer Engagement for Water
Learn breakthrough technologies for water utilities that improve the customer experience in this free report. -
8 Steps for Evaluating Customer Portal Solutions
See an online demonstration! It only takes 30 mins.
Learn more about AquaHawk & UtilityHawk
Overview
AquaHawk & UtilityHawk are customer portal solutions for water, electric, and gas utilities. Learn what they do, who they're for, and how they can help your organization.
Features & Benefits - Utilities
AquaHawk & UtilityHawk enable customer support staff to more easily manage, and even prevent high bill complaint calls.
Features & Benefits - Customers
Enable your customers to access their consumption data, see an estimate of their bill anytime during the billing cycle, and be automatically notified before they spend too much money on utilities.
Advanced Leak Detection
Does your meter reading system produce an endless list of continuous flow issues or miss problems altogether? Is it easy to find the most severe leaks? AquaHawk reduces the time your staff spends managing leaks and simplifies the customer alerting process.
Screenshots
Take a look at some of the key features of the system that include an rich customer view, threshold alerting, and unique features for utilities and their customers.
MDM-Lite - A Better Approach to Meter Data Management Systems
Meter Data Management Systems (MDMS) are an expensive and complex software layer that many utilities are actively encouraged to purchase, to enhance their Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks. For larger electric and gas utilities with complex billing rates, frequently estimated bills, and demand response programs, an MDMS can be critical.
For smaller utilities, especially water providers, where the AMI headend system can produce a billing file and meter reads are rarely estimated, a full MDMS may be overkill. In fact, many utilities who have purchased an MDMS report that they don't feel they've achieved the value that was promised them during the sales process, and that the costs aren't justified.
One source of frustration is ease-of-use. Utilities were often led to believe that employees would be able to use the meter reading data in the MDMS to build custom reports. They were also told that sharing data with other systems--e.g., consumer portal, utility billing, and work order management--would be easy.
When employees tried to create reports or share data, they quickly realized that the process was not designed for end-users and required a higher level of expertise.
These utilities were left paying hefty, recurring software fees for an MDMS that essentially produces a billing file and stores consumption data.
Configured for your Utility
We developed our MDM-Lite module to provide the essential capabilities most utilities need, at a much more affordable price. We don't require your staff to configure the application. We work with your organization to understand the requirements, then our team customizes the system to meet those needs.
A Simpler Billing Process
MDM-Lite will be configured to create a billing file that can be uploaded to your utility's billing or customer information system (CIS). To generate this file, staff members simply click a button, select the start and end dates, pick a route or cycle, and it's created automatically, ready for import.
Time-of-Use (TOU), peak billing charges, and other complex rate calculations are supported.
Built-In Data Validation, Editing, and Estimation (VEE)
AquaHawk and UtilityHawk are continually receiving, analyzing, and validating data as it pours in from an AMI system. Internal processes "scrub" that data so that errors and invalid reads are not displayed to customers, and don't affect billing data.
Accounts with missing reads are added to an exception report. Utility staff can then:
- Manually enter a final read
- Use the system to estimate a final read.
The estimation rules are configurable by utility.
Long-Term Data Storage and Supported Integration
Long term data storage is included: hourly data for up to two years and daily data for up to five years. The system can handle interval data down to one minute. If your utility wants to share data with other software applications, AmCoBi will build those integrations.
Custom Reporting
Tell us your reporting requirements and our team will create the reports. For example, we provided one of our clients with a report showing hourly use data for each of their modeling and pressure zones. We created a process where they could search for a subgroup of accounts, say "hotels" or "restaurants", export hourly use data, and perform their own comparisons.
Our method is faster and doesn't require your staff to be software programmers.
Identifying Meters Impacting Revenue
Standard reports help utilities identify issues such as:
- Active meters with no usage
- Inactive meters with some usage
- Reverse flow
- AMI vendor-specific alarms such as tampers and low battery.
All AMI Systems Supported
Meter data from AMI, Automated Meter Reading (AMR), touch read, manual, and SCADA systems can be simultaneously integrated into MDM-Lite. Data can be exchanged via MultiSpeak, CMEP, and other common formats.
AmCoBi's MDM-Lite module provides a comprehensive set of capabilities at significantly discounted prices. We tailor our system to meet the unique needs of your utility. Employees will spend less time administering the billing process, yet have more flexibility.
Staff members can utilize the volumes of meter reading data to gain valuable insights and improve the efficiency of their organizations. Long term data storage gives you confidence that historical information will be protected. A versatile architecture makes sharing data with other systems a simple process.
Contact us to learn how MDM-Lite can serve your utility.
Should your utility decide to implement the AquaHawk customer portal application, you can expect:
- Responsive service and support
- A team dedicated to accomplishing your objectives
- Fast turnaround.
Kickoff Meeting
Your utility will be assigned a dedicated project manager to collaborate with your team throughout the entire setup process. We will schedule a kickoff meeting to identify the project team, discuss various tasks, and set a timeline.
Our team will work with yours to:
- Integrate and automate accounts data from your utility billing/CIS system
- Integrate and automate usage data from your meter reading system
- Configure the portal to your organization's requirements.
Unlimited Training
After the portal has been launched, your team will work with our product trainers to learn how to operate the system. So that employees don't have to set aside several hours or days for onsite training, AquaHawk training is conducted online.
We recommend shorter (1 -1.5 hrs), more frequent training sessions. We work around your team's schedule. We offer unlimited training to ensure that your team feels comfortable managing the system.
Unlimited Phone & E-mail Support
We provide third tier support to your employees via telephone and e-mail. 95% of all calls are answered immediately by a "live" person. If you don't reach one of our staff members, we will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.
Regular Follow-Ups
Our team regularly checks in with clients after AquaHawk has been implemented to see how things are going, manage any issues, and listen for feedback and suggestions. AmCoBi works diligently to be a trusted partner to your organization.
Customer Benefits
- Easy to understand and use
- Integrates with online payment services
- Offers electronic billing (eBill)
- Customers specify how they want to be contacted--text, e-mail, phone, or direct mail
- Offers more control over utility expenses
- Helps consumers understand how they're using utilities and how they can save
- Provides timely alerts when problems are detected
- Helps prevent property damage
- Simplifies customer-utility communications
- Enables utility customers to benefit directly from the AMI/AMR equipment investment.
Features
Easy-to-Use - The AquaHawk/UtilityHawk applications are intuitive and immediately understandable for end-users
Timely Alerts - Customers receive alerts via their preferred mode: e-mail, text, telephone, Web or direct mail
Threshold Alerting - Customers can specify an amount of usage (gallons/kWh/CCFs) or an amount of money ($) they want to spend each month. If they are trending to, or exceed this threshold, the system automatically sends them a notification. This capability helps customers better manage their utility costs
eBill - Integrated Paperless Billing Module - Registered customers can view, download, and print their utility statements. Users can also sign up for paperless billing and receive an e-mail notice anytime a new utility bill has been issued
Estimated Bill-to-Date - Customers can login and see an estimate of their bill anytime during the billing cycle. The system displays the number of days in the billing cycle
Projected Final Bill - Based on your utility usage patterns, the system will calculate an estimated final bill amount.
View Multiple Accounts - From a single user name and password, access all of your utility accounts
Third Party Account Access - Customers can allow property managers and others to access their online accounts. These users can also receive alerts
Mobile Device Support - View your online account information with a smartphone, iPad, tablet computer or other mobile device.
Alerts History - View a history of alerts and notifications sent by your utility
Communicate Directly with your Utility - Customers may enter notes in the portal and request the utility provider to contact them
Online Help Site - An online help site with instructional videos and explanations on how to use various features is included.
Achieve Water Conservation Goals - Customers can see how their usage compares to a water conservation target, water budget, ordinance limit, or price tier
Comparisons to Similar Users - A powerful way for utilities to encourage efficiency is to show customers how their consumption compares to similar users
Integrated Rainfall and Temperature Information - The system displays historical temperature (high, low, average) and rainfall information synchronized to consumption data.
Utility Benefits
- Expands online services
- Provides self-service tools so customers can answer their own questions
- Improves customer engagement and satisfaction
- Enhances customer communications
- Simplifies leak detection and notification
- Enables employees to resolve high bill complaints faster
- Reduce leak forgiveness expenses
- Boosts participation in water and energy conservation programs
- Easy-to-learn and operate
- Hosted service...no hardware or software investment required
- Highly configurable
- Integrates with most utility billing and financial applications and commercial AMI system
- Secure and reliable
- Affordable!
Features
Intuitive and Easy-to-Use - Whether your audience is 18 or 80, adept at using technology or not, AquaHawk/UtilityHawk is a user-friendly system that presents information in an immediately understandable way. Utility staff members will require minimal training
Online Help Site - An online help site shows customers step-by-step instructions and short videos on how to perform routine functions
Advanced Leak Detection & Notification - Many AMI headend systems require utilities to run daily reports to find leaks, tampering, and other problems. It's not uncommon for these systems to flag hundreds of potential issues. Many flags are "false positives" creating unnecessary work for utility staff members.
AquaHawk uses statistical data analysis to determine when leaks, over-irrigation, and other problems have occurred. Custom rules can be applied to each account so that different types of water users--residential, commercial, or industrial--can be evaluated correctly.
Analyst Review - Experienced analysts review all leak alerts before they are presented to the utility for action. The system prioritizes problems and provides a powerful communications system so staff members can alert customers.
Multiple Notification Methods - Utility staff can alert customers via e-mail, text message, automated call, or direct mail.
Vendor-Neutral Solution - Don't be tied into a single vendor for your meter reading system, Meter Data Management System (MDMS), and your customer portal application.
Our solution is platform independent and works with Silver Spring Networks, Tantalus TUNet, Sensus FlexNet™, Aclara STAR® Network, KP Electronics Mega-Net, Itron ChoiceConnect™, Neptune R450™ and R900®, Badger GALAXY®/ORION, Zenner STEALTH, Datamatic MOSAIC™ and other leading systems
Powerful Search Capabilities - A powerful keyword search capability enables utility employees to pull up accounts by partial: name, address, account number, meter number or other account attributes
ePay - Integrate with Online Payment Services - Buttons in the application can be linked to a utility's online payment system. Single sign-on integration makes it easier for customers to use these cost-saving services
eBill - Integrated Paperless Billing and Online Bill Presentment Module - Registered customers can view, download, and print their utility statements. Users can also sign up for paperless billing and receive an e-mail notice anytime a new utility bill has been issued
View Water, Electric, and Gas Usage Data for All Accounts - Utility staff can easily view usage data by current and prior: hour, 24 hrs., week, month and year, for residential, commercial, and industrial accounts
Import Contact Information - Phone and e-mail contact information may be imported into the system from any utility billing/financial application
Add Notes - Utility staff may enter notes into a customer's account record
No Hardware or Software Investment Required - AquaHawk uses the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or subscription model. There's no hardware or software to purchase and the application is operated using a standard Web browser and an Internet connection. Implementation is fast and easy, requiring minimal involvement from your IT staff
Configurable Login Page - Utilities can customize the AquaHawk/UtilityHawk home page by adding their logo, editing any text on the page, and configuring various URL links
Account Tagging & Grouping - Group accounts by entering custom tags/labels. Enables utilities to categorize different water users and find them quickly
Achieve Water Conservation Goals - Customers can see how their usage compares to a: water conservation target, water budget, ordinance limit, or price tier
Comparisons to Similar Users - A powerful way for utilities to encourage efficiency is to show customers how their consumption compares to similar users
Integrated Rainfall and Temperature Information - The solution displays historical temperature (high, low, average) and rainfall information synchronized to consumption data