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Conference Review:

As the title suggests, this conference targeted senior personnel from the Information Systems, Finance and Customer Service departments. By all accounts the conference was successful in content and participation, though there was the obvious lack of papers geared specifically towards finance.

Customer Service topics dominated the agenda and it also received due mention in the opening remarks delivered by John Joseph, Managing Director of the St. Lucia Water & Sewerage Inc., Marcellus Phillip, Financial Controller, St. Lucia Electricity Services Ltd., and B. Cheryl Hosier, Member Service Coordinator, CARILEC.

"Many Caribbean companies including water, telephone, and electric utilities are grappling at meeting the needs of the "New Age" customer who is more sophisticated, demands a higher quality of service ( not necessarily at a higher price), and one who has a lower tolerance for why certain services are not available or cannot be provided upon demand.

The Customer Service Department is one on the receiving end of much scrutiny, heavy review and the recipient of cash injections by way of new and improved technology aimed at providing a first-class service at a more economical cost" (excerpt opening remarks - B. Cheryl Hosier)

"Within the industry, as elsewhere, most utilities over the past decade have invested heavily in Information technology. Investments range from the most sophisticated computerized generation systems to specialized systems for managing and controlling the technical operations of the utility thereby ensuring the most economical use of generation plant while maximizing quality of supply to customers".(except opening remarks - Marcellus Phillip.)

The essence of these two excerpts was captured in many presentations. Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCO) and Axiom Corporation brought the point home in their presentation of "Business Process Review and Technology upgrades". The presentation was a case study of JPSCO's review of its business operations as it relates to the provision of service to customers.

The company's commitment to service was especially highlighted in a mission statement "….to become not only the best Utility Service Provider in Jamaica but the best Service Provider PERIOD!!". Charles Matthews, JPSCo President & CEO

Other utilities would do well to adopt such a goal, as in the absence of competition, many are lackadaisical in their approach to Customer Service. To some it is only lip "service" as they take advantage of their monopolistic positions and do not see a great enough need to embark on and implement programs geared towards customer satisfaction.

Another very focal point at the conference was the importance of Information Technology in the business today. IT has become the machinery which drives the changes and opens up the avenues for increased productivity, efficiency and overall improvements not only in business processes, but also in the company's human resources.

Azad N. Hosein, of Microsearch International in his Lecture-style presentation of
"Planning and Managing the Economic Performance of Development Projects" paved the way for a very congenial atmosphere for the conference. Many agree that the concepts in his presentation were not new, but Mr. Hosein in his very illustrative delivery, sought to focus attention on the factors, processes and strategic management tools involved in the successful execution of development projects.

The conference was very interactive, with impromptu participation from all utilities represented. Case Studies were also presented on behalf of Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. (GRENLEC) and Dominica Electricity Services Ltd. (DOMLEC).

The forming of strategic alliances for the improvement of operational aspects of the utilities is now a growing trend. More and more utilities are turning to the expertise of outside firms to provide technological and developmental support. GRENLEC's presentation was based on Workflow Management, a system designed by Corporate Workflow to simplify and improve the work order process at that utility.

DOMLEC hired the services of Advanced Utility Systems for the installation and set-up of a CIS. The presentation was an update to one heard last year on the implementation of the said system. In an earlier paragraph we heard about JPSCO's work with Axiom Corporation on their technological upgrade.

John Rickards from St. Vincent Electricity Services Ltd. (VINLEC) talked about e-commerce possibilities for utilities. Unfortunately for most of our utilities, the possibilities and options made available by the advent of e-commerce, are but mere possibilities, whilst other more advanced utilities are already experimenting with systems especially in the area of bill payments and queries.

Plans to have a live video-conferencing demonstration with a utility did not materialize as envisaged. However, Mr. Edwards from Cable & Wireless was on-hand to make the presentation and demonstrate the use of the facility by having a live video-conference call with a colleague at a down-town office. This initiative has received notable support from utility personnel and already many are looking forward to taking advantage of this modern convenience. CARILEC is committed to making the idea of video-conferencing meetings a reality.

A full set of the presentations are available from the website www.carilec.com and on a conference CD. This year for the first time, participants were given presentation CDs instead of handouts. The organization received high praise for this achievement. A small number of CDs are still available and can be obtained by writing to Maron Samuel at jsa@carilec.org.

We would like to sincerely thank all the conference participants, sponsors and presenters. Special thanks to the host utility - St. Lucia Electricity Services Ltd., and Mr. Marcellus Phillip for their contribution. We are also most grateful to Mr. John Joseph for his very thought-provoking remarks.

It is our wish that this conference grows, and we encourage greater participation from the Finance departments within our member utilities. From all accounts, this conference is valued, but it can only survive with increased input and participation from members within all the departments targeted by the conference.

We would like to settle on a venue for the 2003 conference early enough to start marketing the event. We are inviting suggestions from member utilities for the hosting of conference. Further information can be obtained from B. Cheryl Hosier at the secretariat.

The post-conference newsletter will be out shortly and will provide greater details on the conference, its sponsors and the presenters.

Best wishes.

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