Oracle Energy and Water Customer Cloud Implementation for El Paso Electric

Background
Utilities have experienced more change in the last 20 years vs. the previous 100 years, and this pace of change only continues to accelerate. Challenged with the impacts of Grid Modernization, increasing customer expectations, and adapting to constantly changing regulatory requirements driven by economic, environmental, and social drivers, utilities need to do more with less. Oracle Energy and Water (OEW) Customer Cloud Service (CCS) offers best in class customer care and billing processes, creating business value by streamlining operations, faster issue resolution, and improved customer satisfaction. These solutions when combined with smart meter technology, customer portals like IDEA and other advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence can empower the utility to make informed decisions about resource allocation, promptly detect issues, and provide valuable insights to customers regarding their energy usage patterns. Implementing Oracle’s Utilities Customer Cloud Services is the appropriate and precise strategic move that positions the utility to meet the evolving needs of its customers and community.

The Challenges
CIS implementation projects are complex projects that are as much business transformation projects as they are IT system upgrade projects. They impact every aspect of your organization from the call center to legal to field operations. There are many critical aspects of a successful implementation, including an understanding of your business processes, technology, integrations, people, and organizational goals which are all vital in delivering a practical solution that benefits the utility and its customers.

The Solution
Meridian Integration is an organization that understands the complexities involved in CIS project implementation. They have a team of experts who possess deep expertise in this field, along with solid technical resources and organizational change management skills that enable them to systematically break down the complexities and ensure that your projects deliver the promised value while staying on time and within budget. Recently, Meridian Integration’s team of experts completed the implementation of Oracle Energy and Water Customer Cloud Service (CCS) and Managed Services alongside an AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) integration for El Paso Electric (EPE) and their 460,000 meters. This successful implementation is a testament that CIS projects do not have to be all-consuming.

CCS Implementation: As proud recipients of the Oracle Partner Pacesetter Award and Oracle Customer Cloud Service Certification, we are the trusted experts you need for a successful implementation process. Meridian skillfully navigates the complexities of the OEW solution and environment. We are proven experts in Oracle Energy and Water products, offering high-quality and efficient CCS (Customer Cloud Service), C2M (Customer to Meter), CC&B (Customer Care and Billing), MDM (Master Data Management), and ODM (Operational Device Management) implementations and upgrades that ensure success.

PMO & OCM: Our Project Management Office (PMO) and its Organizational Change Management (OCM) approach equip the resources for successful project management and change implementation – imparting relevant knowledge and fostering effective adoption of new practices. For complex projects such as CIS projects, 80% to 100% of project benefits depend on people change. Applying change management prepares, equips, and supports people so they can successfully change how they do their jobs. This enables you to capture the adoption contribution and people-dependent portion of the project’s return on investment (ROI). Meridian Integration’s integrated PMO & OCM methodology ensures that Change Management is considered at every project milestone, shortening the time to value equation and ensuring rapid adoption.

QAT (Quality Assurance and Test) as a Service: Meridian Integration empowers you with advanced tool sets allowing you to harness the power of advanced database analysis with QAT (Quality Assurance and Test) (Quality Assurance and Test) as a Service. Unlock AI and machine learning capabilities to optimize your applications and make them faster.

Application Support: Meridian’s experienced onshore application support team uses continuous improvement methodologies to reduce incidents and elevate the customer experience, allowing business resources to remain focused on their core responsibilities ensuring that they continue to meet their SQIs and deliver the best possible customer experience.

Application Maintenance: After these large implementation projects, there is often business fatigue, and ongoing maintenance can feel daunting. Our highly skilled professionals are here to provide exceptional application maintenance services. We ensure that your software applications are always up-to-date and running smoothly and offer comprehensive support for any maintenance issues that may arise. You can trust us to take care of your software applications while you focus on other essential aspects of your workload.

Digital Engagement: Meridian’s IDEA (Integrated Digital Engagement Application) is a web-based mobile platform that provides a user-friendly portal to enhance customer satisfaction and engagement. Meridian has utilized its expertise in the Oracle application suite to create a force multiplier for your initial CCS implementation. This unique scenario means you can deliver maximum value to your customers from day one without incurring additional integration costs or embarking on a secondary project.

Data Governance: Meridian’s Data Governance solution ensures your data is accessible and secure. You can be confident in knowing that your enterprise system’s availability, usability, integrity, and security are always pro-actively monitored. Meridian Integration provides our clients with professional managed security services and high-level IT support, a business-minded approach to your cybersecurity concerns and consultations that lead to stronger business continuity plans.

Lesson Learned when Moving to the Cloud

Configuration Best Practices: Streamlining configuration management simplifies the complexities of change management and testing to reduce costs for your cloud implementation.
Change Management: Cloud CM technology can reduce the need to customize, while improving user productivity by automating the deployment of changes mitigating human errors through a standards-based change deployment framework.
Expect a complete business transformation: Knowledge of how conversions impact field work, usage, and VEE results in a seamless transition to updated systems and processes.
Configuration Best Practices: Streamlining configuration management simplifies the complexities of change management and testing to reduce costs for your cloud implementation.
Change Management: Cloud CM technology can reduce the need to customize, while improving user productivity by automating the deployment of changes mitigating human errors through a standards-based change deployment framework.
Expect a complete business transformation: Knowledge of how conversions impact field work, usage, and VEE results in a seamless transition to updated systems and processes.

Results & Testimonials
Partnering with our clients with implementation and upgrades over the past fifteen years, we have helped them achieve their stated objectives by:

Streamlining operations through increased efficiency
Achieving faster issue resolution results
Specializing in implementing systems built for the unique needs of the utility industry.
Incorporating best industry practices Configuration Management for C2M and CCS
Experienced in Integrating technologies like smart meters.
Improving the ability to align with the evolving needs of its customers and community.
Providing a comprehensive test strategy, plan, and performance to ensure quality and timely delivery. 
Driving measurable improvement
Mitigating risks – while effectively and efficiently improving processes
Giving real-world tested methodologies with deep domain acumen in relation to CC&B/C2M/CCS Results

Migration of Oracle CC&B 2.2 to Oracle CC&B 2.4 to Oracle’s CCS implementation of MDM and AMI components implementation of Meridian’s IDEA customer for engagement platform v.20 for electric. Full integrated with EPE’s CC&B system and payment processing vendor. Managed OUAF support services.

Account Types: Residential and Commercial Electric

Testimonials
“We were fortunate to have a long-term partner like Meridian on our team for configuration of the CCS product. Their understanding of our business processes, technology and integrations was essential to delivering an effective solution for our business and our customers,”

Customer Information Systems and Billing of El Paso Electric Company.

Calls to Action
Explore the seamless implementation and integration of Oracle Energy and Water Solutions with the award-winning team at Meridian Integration! Our team takes pride in being the recipient of the Oracle Partner Pacesetter Award and Oracle Customer Cloud Service Certification, making us the trusted experts you need for a successful implementation process. Ask how we can help you achieve your goals.

About Meridian Integration
Founded in 2008, Meridian Integration provides turnkey technology solutions for the Utility industry. A member of the Oracle Partner Network, Meridian is a Certified Customer Cloud Solution (CCS) partner and has worked with hundreds of utilities since inception creating sustainable value while leveraging a broad portfolio of solutions and services. Meridian focuses in three primary areas: Elevating Customer Experience through the IDEA Digital Customer Engagement Platform, Driving Efficiency and Value through Advisory, Implementation, Upgrade, and Managed Services across the Oracle Energy and Water product suite, and Protecting Assets and Reputation through the implementation and management of advanced Cybersecurity solutions and services.