ASX listed IT solutions provider Atturra said it has delivered a customer portal and relations management solution for South-East Queensland’s Unitywater utility.
This is the first phase of a project that aims to enhance the utility provider’s land-developer experience in applying for connections, disconnections, or alterations to water and wastewater networks.
Unitywater provides essential water and wastewater services to more than 800,000 people in Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast, and Noosa, one of Australia's fastest-growing regions.
The Development Portal, designed by Atturra’s Cloud Business Solutions team is powered by the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Experience Platform.
It is also integrated with numerous external platforms and has already processed close to a thousand applications since it was launched in July this year, as part of a streamlined experience for land development customers.
Previously reliant on multiple tools for managing applications, Unitywater has now consolidated these tools into one platform, and automated processes.
The new solution replaces manual workflows, emails, spreadsheets and attachments that made it more challenging to ensure efficiency and oversight.
By automating key steps and integrating with at least six legacy systems, Unitywater is now positioned to manage payments, track application statuses, and assess data trends more effectively.
Users now benefit from a seamless, end-to-end online application process that includes secure payments, and real-time visibility about the status of their applications.
The portal also enables the developers to see inputs from third-party consultants, providing a comprehensive and transparent application journey.
Key features of the new system include automated quote management, water infrastructure agreements, and the streamlined release of bonds and funds. Atturra’s design also incorporates clearer workflows, reducing the likelihood of human error and improving decision making through advanced reporting and analytics.
As the solution evolves, it will be able to service at least 1000 users, including developers, and consultant engineers, as well as other stakeholders in the development industry.
“Atturra worked closely with Unitywater to bring our vision to life,” Katherine Gee, executive manager of Unitywater said.
“The improvements we’ve implemented together have laid the foundation for more significant system improvements that will have a material positive impact on the Unitywater business and its development customers," Gee added.
"We’re facing high levels of growth in our region and the new system provides a foundation to deliver more approvals to enable this growth," she said.
The Development Portal is hosted on Microsoft Azure and integrates seamlessly with other Unitywater applications that have previously been deployed.
Some of these include Novoplan, Gentrack and Maximo, which support the automation of repetitive processes like notifications and data updates.
Phase two of Atturra’s work at Unitywater will involve additional enhancements and functionality to further enrich the user experience for developers and certifiers.
“Our extensive experience in the utilities sector, combined with our collaborative approach, has enabled us to make a significant contribution to Unitywater’s operations,” Greg Mace, executive general manager of Atturra’s Cloud Business Solutions said.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Unitywater, bringing new functionality to their customers and further establishing ourselves as a trusted Microsoft partner in the utilities and energy industry," Mace added.
