Solution Type: Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Primary goal: Legacy System to Cloud Platform Migration
Tools used: Microsoft Dynamics 365
About South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff
The Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) represents consumers of investor-owned utilities in South Carolina. The Public Service Commission of South Carolina is a state agency that represents utilities’ rates. The ORS participates in matters before the PSC for electric, natural gas, transportation, water, wastewater utilities, and telecommunication. ORS's primary function is to audit and inspect investor-owned utilities and provide limited overseeing of electric cooperatives. Created by the Enactment of Act 175 in 2004, ORS is responsible for many non-adjudicative functions associated with utility regulation.
Additionally, ORS also administers the leasing program of solar panels in South Carolina. Some of the other functions of ORS include:
● ORS serves as the mediator between consumers and utilities in South Carolina and between the consumers and electric cooperatives.
● ORS shares supervision with federal agencies for railroad and natural gas pipeline safety in the state.
● ORS plays a core role in assisting utilities in the restoration of energy systems during an emergency or disaster.
● ORS has regular management of licensing in transportation, including the enforcement of insurance and rates.
The Challenge
Outdated Database and Redundancy in Data
The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) struggled to reduce or eliminate repetitive tasks which impacted the agency’s productivity. With the agency using an outdated custom database to record and track consumer complaints, the entire system was slow in functioning and processing. Besides, ORS was still dependent on the database for numerous aspects, including contact information, payment history, invoices, utility certification status, etc. Users found it increasingly difficult to navigate through the system and make use of services. With an antiquated database, ORS was experiencing poor efficiency and productivity rates every day.
ORS was in need of a powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool that could revamp the entire system. The following were the key issues that a CRM tool would need to fix:
● Reduced some repetitive tasks with some automation
● Elevate the overall operational efficiency of the system
● Simplify customer service requests
● Track financial records for legitimacy and clarity
● Provide best-in-class customer experience in the front end
● Migrate data from the outdated system maintaining data quality
● Synchronize data across different departments
Enter SingleStone
The Approach and Solution
Modernization to Microsoft Dynamics 365 + Quality Data Migration
Microsoft Dynamics 365 has emerged as an inevitable but invaluable cloud-based application platform that blends two powerful aspects: CRM and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Dynamics 365 plays a crucial role in elevating the productivity of individuals and departments.
SingleStone suggested Microsoft Dynamics 365 for ORS. The seasoned technical team at SingleStone collaborated with the development team of ORS. Right from discovering what was needed to taking necessary action on development and testing, SingleStone provided the best services to upgrade the system of ORS.
SingleStone designed and implemented a solution for managing multiple regulatory providers to South Carolina ORS using Microsoft Dynamics 365. This was intended to provide intuitive employee experience aspects that included functionalities of workflow and automation. The tool reduced or eliminated repetitive tasks through automation, paving the way for enhanced productivity and capacity for users. The solution also involved the integration of several back-end systems.
Moreover, ORS was struggling to export data from the previous system before going live. As a result,the SingleStone team focused on ensuring high quality data migration as part of their solution. The experts at SingleStone efficiently exported the data from the previous data source before going live, leading to significant time conservation for South Carolina ORS. If it weren’t for SingleStone's timely solutions, ORS would have had to spend additional time and money to export into the CRM system separately. With SingleStone's ultra-modern solutions, ORS could go live with accurate data and a highly-efficient system.
The critical aspects of SingleStone's solution included:
● Modernization of the entire system to the newest Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
● Improved employee experience interface
● Elimination of repetitive tasks or reduction in the same
● Proper data synchronization and migration to the new system
● An end-to-end solution involving discovery, development, and testing
● Adequate training for personnel to familiarize themselves with Dynamics 365 CRM
The Results
SingleStone helped South Carolina ORS upgrade its system to the latest Dynamics 365 CRM and delivered the project beyond the client's expectations. SingleStone also helped the ORS migrate data to the new system and helped save time, effort, and expenses for the client. “The project management approach was impressive and effective. SingleStone's team is professional and trustworthy,” stated the Chief Financial Officer of the ORS. ORS was highly satisfied with the project and hopes to collaborate with SingleStone on further projects in the coming years. SingleStone's all-in-one solution included:
● Modernizing the system with Microsoft Dynamics 365: The highly-powerful CRM tool could reduce repetitive tasks and enhanced the entire system's productivity. By leveraging Microsoft Dynamics 365, ORS can now manage multiple utility providers without any hassle.
● Accurate data migration: SingleStone extended its solution to migrate data from the antiquated system to the new system without any data losses. This way, ORS could go live with accurate data, leading to best-in-class customer experiences.
● Compelling customer experiences: User experience has been a key metric of SingleStone's solutions. The business teams shared positive feedback on the website experience.
SingleStone's highly-reliable solutions help organizations to gain the all-important cutting-edge over their rivals. Our experts are well-versed with the current market trends and can seamlessly upgrade your system with the latest CRM and CMS tools. Schedule a meeting with our experts, and we’ll help you scale your business in the shortest possible time.