The problem:

A major UK Gas supplier needed to streamline the collection of customer gas meter reads. It recognised that if its collection of meter readings were improved this would enable them to supply more accurate customer bills, whilst enabling them to better forecast their gas usage.

Existing data collection methods included:

• filling in a form on the suppliers website
• writing on a form to be posted back to the Gas supplier
• phoning the Gas supplier's customer service department

Of all these three methods, the Internet based solution was preferred by the gas supplier, but least used by the customers. This was because it was seen by the customers as being the least usable and was a lot of hassle.

The postal system cost the supplier time and money in paying for the return postage and to have data entry clerks to input the data.

Calling up the customer service staff to enter a meter read meant that more staff were required, and they spent a lot of their time dealing with the simple process of taking a customers meter read, rather that solving complex queries.

The solution:

A bespoke IVR system integrated into the suppliers gas management system was the solution, with capacity for many thousands of callers per month and allowing up to eight customers to simultaneously leave their meter reads.

A fully automated IVR system was deployed to allow the automatic collection of meter reads. The system authenticates the user by prompting for the input of their customer ID number and meter reference (both of which are printed on every invoice).

It then queries the suppliers database to determine how many digits exists on the customers meter, and prompts the caller for the appropriate length meter read. It then validates the read and saves the information in the suppliers database, before asking the caller if they have another meter read to enter.

The suppliers gas management system then processes the read and takes the appropriate action. The whole process takes less than a minute, and requires no human intervention, freeing up the customer services staff for more productive uses.