Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software


National Grid Implements Business Process Outsourcing to Reduce Costs and Improve Customer Service

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As a growing utility company, National Grid wanted to reduce call center costs and centrally manage customer information with an integrated archive, print, and electronic CCM solution.

The Challenge

Growth Management

National Grid expects its U.S. business to double in size.

Rapid Deployment

The facility that handled imaging for National Grid’s largest New York commercial and industrial customers provided only two months’ notice that it was closing. National Grid needed to get a new replacement solution up and running quickly.

Bill Retrieval Limitations

Providing past bills for dispute resolution or legal litigation was a time-consuming process, because these documents had to be recreated manually.

No Online Access

National Grid wanted to reduce costs and streamline processes by providing customers and call center customer service representatives (CSRs) with online access to its gas and electric service invoices.

The Solution

Full-Service Outsourced Option

National Grid implemented a co-sourced e2 Vault and e2 Service solution, part of Group 1’s Customer Communication Management portfolio. This high-performance solution is hosted in Group 1’s premier data center.

Centralized Document Archive

The integrated archive, print and electronic CCM solution provides real-time indexing, compression, storage, and retrieval of documents and data in their native format — delivering instant access to documents, regardless of their age or size.

Online Document Retrieval

The e2 solution gives both CSRs and customers online access to gas and electric service invoices — improving customer service and reducing costs.

The Benefit

Rapid & Efficient Deployment

Group 1 Software deployed the online solution in weeks and immediately started ingesting two to four million documents a month. Today, National Grid’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solution ingests over 10 million pages per month.

Consistent Performance

Due to e2 Vault’s high-speed compression and retrieval speeds, National Grid has seen no performance degradation as the archive has grown.

Cost Savings

With the integrated solution, National Grid was able to reduce costs in three areas: legal, customer service, and print and mailing.

Document Archive for Legal Compliance

Legal and audit departments gained a new archive system that can store up to six years of commercial and industrial bills and two years of residential bills — with immediate access to these documents online.

More Efficient Call Center

With online access to the exact bills that customers see, National Grid’s CSRs are able to provide efficient customer service and fast call resolution, thereby reducing call center costs.

Electronic Bill Payment & Presentment

National Grid now offers it customers the option of viewing and paying bills online, as well as access of up to two years of past bills from day one. To date, over 125,000 customers in New York alone have enrolled for the e-bill option, which significantly reduces print and mail costs.

Secure & Reliable Outsourcing

Taking advantage of Group 1’s outsourced solution does more than reduce National Grid’s in-house costs. Being hosted in our world-class data center ensures that National Grid’s data, documents, and complete solution are secure, reliable, and monitored 24/7 by knowledgeable personnel.

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