Fueled by technology - a human-centric customer information system

With mutual trust as a grounding force, EY and Newfoundland Power set out to implement a new version of a customer information and billing product for the utilities industry that had never been deployed before. Because this version was brand new and it would be a first globally, there were additional risks and unknowns for implementing it. However, the two organizations seized on an emerging opportunity and would bring it to life together.

Embracing a human-centred approach, EY teams and Newfoundland Power dug in to truly understand how the legacy system was making it harder for employees to deliver on their purpose. What were the pain points? Where were the biggest struggles?

This rich user insight would form the foundation of the solution itself, and the change management plans that would ultimately help existing Newfoundland Power employees adopt and deploy the new CIS. That included phenomenally detailed people engagement and training programs.

Drawing on multidisciplinary bench strength from the global EY network, the build began to take shape. That ability to bring the right people to the right phase at the right time would prove to be a game changer. Working side by side, EY and Newfoundland Power remained relentlessly focused on driving a strong end result for the people who would use the modern CIS to provide next-level customer service.

The implementation was bigger than simply eliminating technological obsolescence. Utilities operate in a heavily regulated environment. Customers across the geography count on Newfoundland Power to deliver. What’s more, any failure on that front could lead to costly — and lasting — reputational and brand damage.

To help Newfoundland Power achieve their objectives, EY:

• Helped the utility deliver the world’s first implementation of the new version of the customer information and billing product for the utilities industry using the new proprietary user interface.
  
  
• Employed offshore capabilities — design, development, testing, reporting, data conversion and technical architecture — and multiple EY and industry tools — automated testing tools, batch execution tool, data generation tool, contact centre support tool — to efficiently deliver the engagement.
  
  
• Delivered 33 custom enhancements that reengineered business processes and 44 integrations, including finance, outbound dialer, website, bill/letter print and batch execution.
  
  
• Used industry and product knowledge, application experience and a commitment to win over Newfoundland Power’s confidence in building a high-performing delivery team to meet a tight timeline and budget.
  
  
• Applied change experience methodology to provide targeted organizational change management activities, including engagement communication, leadership alignment, end—user training and measuring business and end—user readiness.

On a Thursday afternoon in August 2023, a Newfoundland Power customer service employee inputted the final transaction in the utility’s 30-year-old CSS. The following Monday morning, David Steele, Partner, Technology Assurance, Ernst & Young LLP, engaged with a customer service representative to make a transaction to his account, the very first transaction uploaded into the new system. That moment is a testament to what’s possible when two organizations, teams and cultures rally together around a common cause and commit to building something remarkable.

Delivered on time and on budget, this first-of-its kind software implementation has since been recognized with the 2024 Expanding Excellence Awards: Best CIS Implementation (Level II). But the real win lies in the way Newfoundland Power customer service teams have been empowered in their day to day. By putting their needs, ideas and challenges at the heart of system design, EY and Newfoundland Power created a solution that dialed down pain points and improved efficiency.

What does that look like from day to day?

A streamlined technical stack means employees no longer build their own workarounds; everything was designed with their daily reality in mind. Customer response time is quicker; answers provided are more accurate; employees have the information and tools they need. With all customer data clearly visible and easily accessible, employees across the territory can now provide more consistent and improved customer service experiences. All of this is fueling better information flow to front line workers, improving employee engagement and customer experience overall.

The solution is also surfacing a host of opportunities for the future. Case in point: for the first time, the CIS allows Newfoundland Power leadership to see the cross-business impacts of innovations. This helps the organization ask — and answer — questions that were impossible to explore before. The data now tells a clear and transparent story that is already helping Newfoundland Power identify trends, look into future revenue streams, spot potential business process improvements, explore emerging technologies and so much more.

From the way electricity is distributed and sold to using tech to build electric vehicle infrastructure or refine power delivery systems: this CIS has positioned Newfoundland Power to glimpse the future of power and utilities — and make moves to help define it. Purposeful mission. Trusted team. Transformational result.