Long-Term Planning for Improved Customer Service in Toronto Pays Off in the Midst of Significant Change

摘要

The City of Toronto is constantly searching for ways to improve performance and enhance the value it provides to its 2.4 million residents. At times, that means exercising exceptional patience and long-term vision in order to achieve the ultimate goal. That was certainly the case in implementing improvements in water meter reading and customer billing in Canada’s largest city. rnThis presentation will explore how staff ideas coalesced into a vision for higher standards of billing accuracy and water consumption information for Toronto water customers, in order to help them manage their use of water. Initial investigations into the benefits and drawbacks of automated meter reading (AMR) began in the late 1990s but it was not until 2005 that the City was able to confirm its business case and proceed with the project. rnInitial efforts in this area were delayed due to preparations for Y2K, in order to ensure that customer billing would not be interrupted or corrupted by technology malfunction. Shortly thereafter, the cities and metropolitan services of the Region of Toronto were amalgamated into the new City of Toronto. Harmonization of customer services throughout the amalgamated city gave rise to a Universal Metering Project to install water meters for approximately 80,000 accounts. Differences in metering practices required bylaw changes to provide uniform definition of meter ownership, harmonization of rates, and agreed direction for meter performance. rnA business case for City-wide meter replacement and implementation of an AMR system was prepared in 2001-2002. It recommended the use of a fixed radio system to read the meters. Counterbalancing this analysis was the then-predominate use of touchpads and drive-by radio systems for water meters across North America. At the same time, the Province of Ontario was embarking on a new “smart” metering program for electric service. All of these factors combined meant that City staff had to wait before embarking on wholesale water meter replacement, persevering with its vision for better customer service while waiting for the technology and metering situation to clarify. rnMore than five years after beginning the process, the City of Toronto was finally able to validate its business case and proceed with AMR in 2005. This presentation will explore the many factors and decisions involved this long, interactive process to provide excellent customer service in the face of political, technological, and market change.