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Peoples Energy Corporation |
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System: MyAccount Customer Portal
Industry: Diversified Energy Company
View the MyAccount Site
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Background: |
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PEC was seeking ways to reduce their call center volume and IVR traffic in an effort to provide faster customer service and save operating costs. They determined that the most effective approach would take advantage of existing processes contained within their legacy customer information system used by CSRs. In a cooperative effort, PEC teamed with AD/S to help provide some additional expertise that was necessary to Web-enable this legacy code.
PEC turned to AD/S to help design an Internet architecture, develop an application that would leverage their legacy investment, create a Web Service that their customers could use and provide a foundation for future Web-based projects.
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The Success Story:
The first step was to prove to the Customer Service Department that Web-enabling IVR functionality was even possible. AD/S quickly created a prototype consisting of inquiries commonly performed by the IVR system. No new back-end code was required. The success of the prototype convinced the users to move forward with the project.
We then met with Customer Service personnel to determine what functionality would be best suited for the Web and would have the desired effect of reducing calls. AD/S consultants followed our project management methodology to document required functionality and write detailed functional specifications. We fully documented each component necessary to build the system, taking care to optimize code reuse and leveraging existing code wherever possible.
AD/S helped PEC design the hardware and software architecture needed to support the Internet application. We worked with the technical support group to define a secure, scalable solution that mixed new technology in with their current software. With our strong background in middleware technology, we were able to architect a high-performance, integrated solution that is non-intrusive. The application utilized new technology to build wrappers around existing back-end stored procedures and online transactions and turn them into Web Services. The reuse of back-end components allowed for a quick deployment and fast ROI.
AD/S developed the entire front-end and middle tier of the application and helped define e-commerce policies and procedures. We built a performance reporting system that tracks timings gathered by the application and provides PEC with critical data such as which transactions are most often used and how well the back-end is performing. AD/S also led the effort to load test the site to ensure that the infrastructure would adequately handle the expected traffic.
As a result, PEC’s customers now have immediate access to their information and can avoid waiting on the phone for service. The stage is set for PEC to build upon this foundation and continue to expose their legacy code and processes to the Web and reduce call center costs.
Client Comments:
“AD/S has been a great fit for Peoples Energy. They bring the consistent talent and experience of a large consulting firm without the expensive price. AD/S consultants combine a wide variety of technical backgrounds and practical business experience so they can handle a range of IT projects from legacy systems to Internet initiatives. It is refreshing to find a firm that truly puts the customer's needs first.”
Mike Conneely, Peoples Energy Corporation
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