Lucent's Kenan Systems and MDSI Expand Global
Marketing Alliance For Utility and Energy Service
Providers
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and RICHMOND, British Columbia, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ --
Lucent Technologies' (NYSE: LU) Kenan Systems and MDSI Mobile Data Solutions
Inc. (Nasdaq: MDSI; Toronto, Montreal: MMD) today announced a global marketing
alliance between the companies' energy and utilities business units. This alliance is
an expansion of the April 1999 marketing agreement between MDSI(TM) and Kenan
Systems, which focused on joint sales and marketing and integration development for
the telecommunications markets.
The expanded global alliance will enable utility and energy service providers to take
advantage of the newly integrated Advantex(TM)-Utility workforce management and
mobility solution from MDSI and the Arbor(R)/Energy solution for innovative billing and
customer care from Kenan Systems.
The Advantex-Utility software solution allows electric, gas and water companies to
manage the mobile resources that are key to the delivery of customer service, such
as field service technicians, to facilitate customer acquisition, retention and service
innovation. The Arbor/Energy solution is a product-centric software solution for billing
and customer care, order management and customer analysis. By integrating these
industry-leading software solutions, utilities and energy service providers can improve
customer service, differentiate their services and increase profitability.
"The integration of these two solutions is a natural fit that combines sophisticated
workforce management with an innovative billing, customer care and analysis
solution," said Tanvir Hussain, director, energy and utilities business unit, Kenan
Systems. "The expanded alliance and integration, implemented in the
telecommunications market, can deliver great value to utilities through reduced
deployment times and lower cost."
Customer service can be improved and competitive differentiation can be enhanced by
automating business processes that have historically been handled manually.
Customer service requests, new service set up, and ongoing maintenance calls can
all be scheduled by the customer service representative (CSR) in real-time with the
customer. Additionally, all service work information collected in the field can be
forwarded automatically to billing and customer care for up-to-date, accurate
customer account management. And with Kenan Systems' web-based customer
self-care module, iCARE(TM), customers with Internet access can make basic
changes to their accounts, reserving CSR interactions for more complex issues,
further increasing operational efficiencies.
"Leading utilities recognize that excellence in customer care is critical to long-term
success, and the increasing interdependence of billing and workforce management
systems can provide an opportunity to achieve higher standards of customer
satisfaction," said Doug Engerman, senior vice president, utilities, MDSI. "Kenan
Systems and MDSI, the leaders in their respective areas of expertise, can now offer
energy service providers a best- of-breed, strategic solution backed by experience
and a proven track record."
The integrated solution is available today through Kenan Systems and MDSI.
MDSI Mobile Data Solutions is the leading provider of workforce management and
mobility solutions for companies that fully integrate mobile resources with the
enterprise. MDSI designs, develops, implements and supports solutions for the utility,
telecommunications, cable, field service, insurance, and state and local government
markets worldwide. With the Advantex product suite, professional services, and
strategic business alliances, MDSI business solutions extend the enterprise to
mobile resources, and draw mobile resources completely into the enterprise.
Founded in 1993, MDSI now has major operations in the U.S. and Canada, multiple
support offices around the world, and a large customer list that includes industry
leaders such as AT&T Wireless Services, Belgacom, Cablevision Systems
Corporation, Cox Communications, Detroit Edison, North Carolina State Highway
Patrol, Pacific Gas & Electric, Reliant Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric, Tele
Danmark and Telenor.
Kenan Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lucent Technologies, is an
award-winning provider of software products and services that answer the specific
billing, customer care, order management, decision-support and usage mediation
requirements of leading service providers in the communications and utility industries
world-wide, including gas, electric, water, mobile and wireline voice and data services,
broadband, Internet and value added services. Kenan Systems is headquartered in
Cambridge, Mass. with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. |
