Kuopion Vesi - Better User and Customer Experience with New Communication Platform
We wanted to make the system as easy to use as possible. And we have succeeded in that.
The expansion of the operational area triggered the need to improve communication
Kuopio Vesiliikelaitos was incorporated at the beginning of 2020, when the municipality of Siilinjärvi also became a shareholder alongside Kuopio. This significant expansion of the operational area triggered the need to solve the challenges related to the communication of the operational units. Kuopion Vesi chose Symbio as its partner to develop a new communication system.
In the following, Jani Koski, Water Network Manager at Kuopion Vesi, tells his thoughts about the development project and cooperation with Symbio.
The lack of a unified system can cause embarrassing situations
Our company lacked a unified communication system, where, for example, notifications of quality problems or other announcements can be recorded. When the operating area is wide, it is important to know the ongoing disturbances and tasks in the company. And it’s downright embarrassing if the person answering the customer’s call doesn’t know if the problem belongs to our operations.
The new communication platform answers to these needs. In addition, we may have a surprising need to get access to a fault report from years ago with exact times. An example of such a situation could be a broken pipe, which may later result in a compensation claim for the company. Information from the new communication platform will not be lost over time but will be retained and can be examined if necessary.
The easy-to-use system guarantees active use and allows you to quickly get an overall picture 24/7
Ease of use is the spearhead of the communication platform. Therefore, I believe that it will also be actively used. The platform has been in test use by emergency workers, and they have already been using it a lot.
We have an extremely functional enterprise resource planning system where it would have been possible to run communications as well. But the function is behind too many steps and functionalities, and it would not have made a communication system for active use possible. We operate 24/7, also on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I can check what is happening with us in real time on my mobile phone. That to me is the gem here.
Getting good results also requires shooting down your ideas
I think the implementation was successful. Perhaps the best thing was that even though we had strong opinions about the implementation, the experts at Symbio challenged these views. In addition, they actively came up with ideas, producing, for example, “tribal codes”, e.g. On-call Workers and Day Shift Workers, in the system. Although there was no such idea when starting the project, this addition is a big deal for the use of the system.
Symbio had professionals who knew how to shoot certain ideas down. In this way, the end result is also better.
Jani Koski, Water Network Manager, Kuopion Vesi
Kuopion Vesi Ltd – responsible and reliable partner for a good life
Kuopion Vesi Ltd is a water supply facility owned by the city of Kuopio and the municipality of Siilinjärvi. As the largest water supply operator in Pohjois-Savo, we are responsible for the water supply services of urban areas in Kuopio and Siilinjärvi. In addition, we act as a wholesale company for most of the water cooperatives operating in the rural areas of the owner municipalities. Our company’s turnover is around €30 million, and we employ 95 water supply experts. Our services are used daily by 120,000 residents of our operating area as well as numerous companies. We produce our services with strong professionalism, listening to our customers and valuing our environment.
07.09.2022 | References
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