CWD Customer Service Turnaround Project - Phase 1

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1 CITY OF CLEVELAND CWD Customer Service Turnaround Project - Phase 1 Project Briefing for Cleveland City Council, Public Utilities Committee November 16,

2 Agenda Turnaround Project o Goals o Actions and Accomplishments o Overall Evaluation o Phase 2 DPU/CWD Reorganization 2

3 Project Goals Accurate meter readings Accurate bills Quickly answering customer calls and first call resolution Collecting money owed to CWD for water usage More responsive to the needs of our jurisdictional partners Key Issues Incomplete and ineffective operating procedures/processes Non-optimal organization structure and staffing, skills, training Lack of daily/weekly/monthly metrics for each business area Large backlogs (pended bills, field orders, etc) Competing projects, prioritization of resources 3

4 Actions and Accomplishments Stabilization of core customer service areas More accurate meter readings fewer estimated bills More accurate bills fewer pended bills Improved call center operations Increased collections; turn-offs of delinquent accounts Substantial reductions in backlogs Coordinated/prioritized competing projects Comprehensive analysis of root causes Issues are pervasive - no silver bullets Fixed 73 technical/systems/data issues Improved 54 operating procedures/processes Comprehensive approach yielded 145 priority improvements for Phase 2 4

5 Accurate Meter Readings Fixed ubiquitous handheld double-beep warning Improved accuracy of meter readings by at least 8% (positive impact on over 33,000 quarterly bills) Integrated vacant property information into CC&B Identified accounts associated with vacant lots (4,800) and unoccupied properties (2,500) - stop uncollectable billings Completed/eliminated field activities which prevented more current work from being scheduled Eliminated nearly 10,000 unresolved field activities Identified true non-progressing meters Eliminated field investigation work for 23,000 locations not requiring meter change/repair 5

6 Accurate Bills Began billing active meters that had not been billed 2,574 accounts will now be consistently billed Resolved missing service agreements for accounts with multiple services 2,089 accounts will now be billed for all services (water, waste water, local charges) Reduced backlog of suppressed bills August 12-1,923; November Increased billing based on actual reads Prevented valid low meter reads from failing the very low check, resulting in estimated bills Improved remediation of non-progressive meters Reduced number of estimated bills by 10,000 Corrected accounts that had received inaccurate final read adjustments 353 account adjustments being corrected by backlog team 6

7 Quickly Answer Customer Calls Implemented new call center metrics which are in-line with industry standards Answer 80% of calls in 30 seconds or less Abandoned call rate less than 5% Consolidate all call centers under one manager Improved oversight of similar job functions Developed call scripts for frequently occurring call types Ensures consistent information from customer service representatives Cross-trained CSR s to handle calls in all queues (Customer Service, Pay and Collections) Improves wait times and reduces call transfers Created dedicated work group to support complex billing issues 7

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9 Collect Money Owed to CWD Restarted active collections efforts on August 1, 2011: Eliminated non-collections activities from Collections Developed prioritized Collections Plan High $ accounts first Implemented outbound collections contacts Redeveloped customer contacts 1 st notice, final notice, tenant notifications, door hangers Training/coaching to improve staff performance Stopped sending active accounts to collections agency 9

10 Collect Money Owed to CWD, con t Implemented corrections to past due totals on final notices Notices now show outstanding balances for all service agreements Removed credit score as a criterion for disconnections Equitable treatment of all customers Correct credit review date so that accounts are eligible for shut-off once delinquency criteria are met System flaw postponed the credit review date for some accounts until 2040 or later 10

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12 From September 2009 through July 2011, Water A/R averaged $1M per month increase 9/09 : $19.0M 7/11: $43.1M Since August 1, 2011, A/R more than 180 days delinquent is declining 12

13 Coordinate/Prioritize Competing Projects July 16, 2011 CWD fixed rate charge IT contractors and employee resource coordination AMR/Turnaround Project integration Ensure AMR project fit with customers and CWD customer service operations January 1, 2012 rate changes CWD, NEORSD, Euclid, Strongsville, North Olmstead, Fairview Park, Bedford Heights, Newburgh Heights 13

14 Responsive to Jurisdictional Partners Developed process for coordinating service requests from other jurisdictions Single point of contact 90 days notice for simple rate change 180 days notice for structural changes Developed implementation strategy for January 1, 2012 rate increases CWD, NEORSD, Euclid, Strongsville, North Olmstead, Fairview Park, Bedford Heights, Newburgh Heights NEORSD customer service coordination Euclid and Bedford Heights waste water collections 14

15 Use of Operational Metrics 15

16 B&V evaluation at beginning of Phase 1 16

17 B&V evaluation at end of Phase 1 17

18 Phase 2 Building on Improvement Phase 1 Stop the Bleeding Root cause analysis Focus on highest value fixes Phase 2 Entrench normal operations Finish core system fixes Complete mandatory projects Implement prioritized enhancements by June 30,

19 Phase 2 Focus Complete system fixes by March 31, 2012 Complete data integrity fixes, e.g. Datamatic interface Resolve all backlog causes, e.g. invalid to-do s and field activities Complete other CWD priorities by June 30, 2012 Adoption of Phase 1 process improvements Weekly metrics-driven performance management Complete backlog resolution Automate active collections Integrate CC&B (billing system) with Ellipse (work management system) Complete all mandatory projects Oracle database upgrade CC&B version upgrade 9 new rate structure changes and increases AMR interface completion, business impact/process changes, training, testing, deployment 19

20 City of Cleveland Department of Public Utilities Reorganization Plan Presented to Cleveland City Council, Public Utilities Committee November 16,

21 Motivation for Reorganization Strengthen business focus on customer service Business areas operating in silos Redundant operations within divisions Improve customer service and utilities operations support functions HR, IT, Finance, Communications Inefficient and redundant operations across divisions Complete DPU-wide organizational reviews undertaken over the past two years 21

22 Why Reorganize? Improve efficiency Provide better cost effective customer service Deliver excellent customer service Make customer service DPU s top priority Responsive to our customers and regional partners Facilitate accountability Reduce layers of bureaucracy with oversight of customer service function Simplify organizational structure to: identify problems; elevate problems for solution; solve problems; and hold managers accountable when solutions are not achieved in a timely fashion 22

23 Why Reorganize? Position DPU and CWD for future changes Technological, Operational and Financial Make DPU a provider of choice to allow for service area expansion to further reduce average costs Focus CWD on its core activity delivering high quality water Maintain water quality Make DPU/CWD a model for other utilities 23

24 How is the new structure different? Elevate customer service as a DPU priority reports to Director through the Assistant Director of Public Utilities Eliminate two layers of bureaucracy over CS Consolidate all CS business areas under A.D. Meter Services, Billing Services, Customer Care and Collections Implement CS metrics for all divisions with monitoring by A.D. Consolidate functional/support services at DPU level in four areas: Chief Information Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Public Affairs and HR 24

25 How will things be better? DPU/CWD well positioned to maintain and build upon improvements of Turnaround Project Better customer services means: Accurate meter readings Accurate bills Quickly answering customer calls and first-call resolution Collecting money owed to CWD for water usage DPU and CWD better positioned for future growth/challenges Provider of choice Shift to fixed cost recovery model Equalization of rates Continue to provide high quality water 25

26 Commissioner CWD Dep. Commissioner Customer Focus Dep. Commissioner Org. Performance Asst. Commissioner Human Resources Asst. Commissioner Budget and Finance Asst. Commissioner CAS Asst. Commissioner D&M Asst. Commissioner Engineering Asst. Commissioner Plant Operations Asst. Commissioner IT DPU Security Risk Strategic Business Program Communications Manger Performance Development and Support Finance/Procurement Billing/Meter Reading Admin. Chief of Dist. Administration Capital Projects/ Facilities Management Asst. Administrator IT Environmental Programs Asst. SBP Media Communications Performance Management Project Director Customer Service/ Collections Admin. Chief of Dist. Pipe Repair Advance Planning and Hydraulics Baldwin IT Administration Safety Programs Project Director Special Events Benefits and Payroll Central Warehouse CAS Admin. Project Director Chief of Dist. Meters Administration Crown GIS Sustainability Programs Graphic Design Talent Acquisition &Workforce Planning Capital Finance Projects Budget/Procurement Projector Director Asst. Admin Budget and Procurement Dist. Inspector Morgan Public Outreach/ Legislative Affairs Employee/Labor Relations Building Maintenance Dist. Engineer, Permits and Sales Nottingham PU Building Maintenance General Maintenance Backflow Admin. Parma Control Legend Communication Center Water Quality Reporting Structure Changed by DPU Consolidation Process Management Maintenance Reporting Structure Changed by CWD Reorganization Consulting Engineer CWD As Is Organizational Chart 26

27 Asst. Director Customer Service Director DPU Security/DPU Police HR Chief Information Officer Chief Financial Officer Chief of Public Affairs Commissioner CPP Commercial Care/ High Level Complaints Unit Training Infrastructure Telecommunications Risk Management Rates Coordination with City Priority Strategic Planning Commssioner CWD Customer Care Labor Web IT Security Procurement Budget Legislation Community Outreach/Special Events Commissioner WPC Meter Services/AMR Recruitment Standards Application Support Controller Intergovernmental Affairs Communication Billing Services Personnel Collections Compensation Water Review Board DPU To Be Organizational Structure 27

28 Director DPU Commercial Care/ High Level Complaints Unit Asst. Director Customer Service Customer Care Collections Billing Services Meter Services Correspondence Skip Trace Supervisor Out Bound Collections Supervisor Field Operations Supervisor Front Desk Supervisor Mail Staff Meter Reading (Phases out w/amr) Meter Operations AMR Analyst AMR Contract Management (Phases out w/ AMR) Call Center CSR Datamatic (COR) 1st Shift Supervisor CSR Telephone Operators Meter Readers Meter Repairmen Call Center Supervisors Call Center Monitors Dispatch (COR) CFR CSR Data Analysts Field Technicians CSR III CSR II Outbound Calls (COR) 2nd Shift Supervisor CFR Investigations (Consolidated from Permits and Sales, Meter Reading, Call Center, CAS & Collections) CSR I CAS To Be Organizational Chart 28

29 Commissioner CWD Dep. Commissioner Engineering Dep. Commissioner Operations Dist. Engineer, Permits and Sales Capital Projects/ Facilities Management Plant Operations Risk/Impact Assessment D&M Advance Planning and Hydraulics Dist. Inspector Asst. Administrator Environmental Programs Chief of Dist. Administration Backflow Admin. Baldwin Safety Programs Chief of Dist. Pipe Repair Crown Process Management Morgan Asst. Admin Budget and Procurement Nottingham Building Maintenance Parma Control General Maintenance Water Quality Communication Center Maintenance CWD To Be Organizational Chart Consulting Engineer 29

Administrative Services About Administrative Services

Administrative Services About Administrative Services About The Department oversees and directs the operations of Finance, Human Resources, Sales Tax, Purchasing, Information Technology, Risk Management, Budget, the Public Information Office, Front Desk Reception,