Use of IT for Billing and Collections

Billing forms the core of the commercial operations for any power distribution utility. It is through the metering, billing and collection process that the utility realizes its revenue. Many deficiencies exist in these processes resulting in huge commercial losses, and creeping inefficiencies, which can be effectively reduced through IT initiatives and strategic partnership. In previous Unit, we have discussed two types of metering, namely, HHD devices and AMR, which use IT for reading meters and generating related data and reports. In this unit,we discuss the use of IT for billing and collection. A good billing solution is required for Handling Complex Billing, Revenue Protection, Establishing a System of Checks and Validations and Satisfying Consumer Demand.Utilities are using the systems of spot billing/Simputer to generate bills and online payment for collection of revenue. We shall focus on these technologies in this unit.