Aetra Water Company Achieves 'One-Second' Service With Datamax-O'Neil Printers

Aetra's meter reading and billing previously involved a cumbersome three-step process that included different contractors for meter reading, bill printing, and bill delivery. At the first level, contractors were sent door-to-door to read meters for water consumption. These meter readers can typically capture data from 100 meter stands a day. The captured data would then be processed at the central data centre and the bills printed by another set of contractors. The last batch of contractors then deliver the bill statements to the right address. The entire process, from the initial capture of customer data to water bill delivery could take up to as long as seven days. In addition, as the process involved 3 contractors, the cost incurred the cost incurred for meter reading, bill printing and bill delivery was high.

These issues were a major concern for Aetra's management. As a water service company, the ability to Managercapture and process meter-reading data both accurately and efficiently was critical to the success of the company.