ATLANTA, Jan. 29, 2002 — Utility companies are budgeting an average of just under $28 per customer for CIS improvements, with median upgrade costs of just under $20 per customer, according to a recent survey.
Utility industry research firm Chartwell Inc. also found that the dollar amount utility companies are budgeting for improvements to their customer information systems (CIS) is down significantly from a high point in the mid 1990s, although Chartwell’s current survey findings show budget estimates at the end of 2001 rose slightly from a survey taken two years earlier.
These and other conclusions surrounding CIS budgets and expenses are reported in Chartwell’s latest industry issue report, “The Chartwell Report on CIS Expenditures.” “The Chartwell Report on CIS Expenditures” combines data and excerpts from Chartwell’s industry- research report on customer information systems in the utility industry, “The Chartwell CIS Report 2002,” as well as additional analysis of data collected for that report in an exclusive survey of 100 utilities conducted in the final quarter of 2001.
“The Chartwell Report on CIS Expenditures” offers figures for CIS upgrade budgets reported by survey respondents broken down on a per-customer basis for easy benchmarking. It also includes a listing of IOUs, municipals and co-ops that reported their estimated CIS upgrade budgets to Chartwell.
According to Dennis Smith, Chartwell editorial director, this just- released industry report differs from “The Chartwell CIS Report 2002,” Chartwell’s in-depth research report on the topic of customer information systems, in that it focuses on financial information rather than encompassing the many issues surrounding customer information and management systems.
“This report includes valuable data on estimated CIS expenditures and is perfect for companies that want to benchmark what various utilities are budgeting for system improvements and maintenance costs,” Smith says. “We encourage those who need research focused on systems integration, upgrade drivers, vendors, outsourcing activity, and case studies, as well as costs, to purchase ‘The Chartwell CIS Report 2002.”‘
For more information on this and other Chartwell utility industry reports, please contact Dennis Smith or Philip Dunklin at (404) 237-9099, or visit www.chartwellinc.com .
