New London, Connecticut Extends Partnership with Veolia and Implements New Utility Billing Program
BOSTON – As operator for New London’s water and wastewater system, Veolia, the global leader in environmental solutions and optimized resource management, will implement a new utility portal and billing software under a 5-year contract extension – highlighting the city’s commitment to exceptional customer service and improving access to online billing and consumption data.
Under a comprehensive operations and maintenance (O&M) agreement, the City of New London, Connecticut has partnered with Veolia since 2008 to manage its water and wastewater assets, in addition to providing customer service, utility billing and collection for nearly 14,000 accounts. Due to the successes achieved during the initial years of this public-private partnership, New London recently turned to Veolia to execute further enhancements to customer service and improve access to utility data and online bill payment. Under this new 5-year contract extension, Veolia will manage and implement a customer utility information and billing software solution for the city – extending this long-term O&M partnership through the year 2033.
“With this new online portal, residents will be better able to budget for utility expenses, pay their bills, report issues and manage their consumption, greatly improving the customer experience – which remains one of our top priorities,” said Chairman of the Water & Water Pollution Control Authority Barry J. Weiner. “Veolia’s superb track-record in New London, combined with its demonstrated expertise in utility software applications and implementation made them the right partner to advance this new customer service program.”
Veolia will roll out the new utility billing and customer portal in phases over the next year, allowing New London residents to view consumption history and pay their bills easily through auto bill pay, one-time online payments or through remote pay locations throughout the city. The City of New London will also be able to access custom reporting, streamline work order facilitation and accelerate recovery of utility expenses. This customer information and billing solution was designed exclusively for utilities and municipalities, making this software solution the ideal platform for the City of New London.
“Since beginning this O&M partnership, the city has achieved significant operational and infrastructure improvements, including significant annual savings, reduced life cycle costs and superior environmental compliance,” said John Gibson, president and COO for Veolia North America’s Municipal and Commercial Business. “We applaud the City of New London for launching this innovative customer-focused program and its continued emphasis on service, environmental safety and conservation.”
Veolia group is the global leader in optimized resource management. With over 174,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them. In 2014, the group Veolia supplied 96 million people with drinking water and 60 million people with wastewater service, produced 52 million megawatt hours of energy and converted 31 million metric tons of waste into new materials and energy. Veolia Environnement (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) recorded consolidated revenue of $30.3 billion in 2015. www.veolia.com
