CIS Infinity

Advanced Utility Systems Corporation produces a flagship customer information and utility billing solution called ýCIS Infinityý.

CIS Infinity combines comprehensive functionality, a reliable technology base, and an industry-leading integration strategy to help utilities improve their revenue stream and provide first-rate customer service.

Video Overview

CIS Infinity Advantages

• Comprehensive functionality: CIS Infinity has unmatched functionality, which means you can automate repetitive tasks, put paper-based processes online, and improve your revenue stream, all without expensive customization.
• Easy-to-use interface: CIS Infinity is easy to navigate and use. This makes training and user adoption faster and easier and ensures that your users will get the most value from the solution as soon as possible.
• Minimal Programmer Involvement: CIS Infinity was designed from the outset to be easy-to-use for both the user and system administrator. Because Advanced avoids custom coding in favour of sophisticated configuration tools, implementation is faster, cheaper, and more reliable.

In addition to Advanced Utility Systems Corporation’s flagship product CIS Infinity, three additional products are available to be used in conjunction with CIS Infinity.

Account Management

CIS Infinity’s user interface is designed to provide access from the account inquiry screen to all customer information with the click of a mouse. CIS Infinity retains all customer history including calling history, correspondence notes, comments, service orders, usage, credit and payment for an unlimited period of time. It can manage single accounts, master accounts and temporary accounts. CIS Infinity also provides access to available and installed service offerings, product offerings, equipment offerings and program offerings.

Automatic Write Offs

Additional features within the collections module include the ability to write-off accounts, add bankruptcies and send overdue accounts to a collections agency for follow-up. Once the parameters for you local business practices have been configured within CIS Infinity, users can automatically write-off accounts using the write-off pick-up routine.

Billing Management

With CIS Infinity, you can implement a wide variety of complex billing processes, including:

• Consolidated bills for large industrial or government clients
• Miscellaneous billing for non-utility transactions
• Billing for different types of readings, including meter reads and consumption

Real time transactions eliminate the need for day-end processing. The integration of the customer information component and the billing component of CIS Infinity makes processing adjustments, estimates and final bills quick and easy. You can define your own exception parameters and processes, make special discount and credit arrangements for individual customers, implement alternative tax rates and apply multiple taxes.

Canceling and Re-Billing

CIS Infinity allows users to cancel and re-bill inaccurate bills in one step. If an adjustment needs to be performed on a bill, the customer service representative can select the bill and request to cancel and re-bill it. When the bill is canceled the software will prompt the user for a new read. When the new read is inserted the bill will be picked up in the billing procedure, re-printed and updated automatically. A customer service representative can choose to cancel and re-bill the entire bill or individual services on the bill. If there is no read available the customer service representative can simply cancel the bill and choose not to rebill the account.

Consolidated Billing

With CIS Infinity, you can consolidate bills from several accounts in one bill (for example, one bill for a landlord who owns several properties). You can also meet specific billing requirements for certain individuals, regardless of when or how the bill is produced (for example, large-print bills or bills in a language other than English).

Credit and Collections Management

Collections procedures including penalty pick up are automated based on collection parameters defined by the user. CIS Infinity will build credit ratings based on your specifications. The software stores unlimited collection history for each account, which is quickly accessible through the customer information screen. Collection history is customer specific and aggregates a customer’s credit rating based on all of their previous properties. CIS Infinity automatically tracks payment arrangements and their current status, initiates collections procedures (call, notice and print) and assigns follow-up tasks.

Credit Ratings

CIS Infinity tracks each individual’s credit rating using a credit point system. The credit rating system is easily configured and can be tied to transaction codes such as NSF checks or collection actions such as notices or disconnections. A user can also manually adjust the credit rating if the user feels the customer’s credit rating should be increased or decreased.

Customer Contact

When customers call you, they expect their Customer Service Representative to have knowledge of all correspondence with that customer. The Contact tab is available on the Main Customer Service Form. Not only is there a record of historical transactions, but newsletters, notes, and service orders may be generated and tracked.

Estimating

CIS Infinity can be configured to offer different estimating procedures for each service. Bills, deposits and equalized billing can be estimated based on a user-defined formula, for example:

• The amount of the last bill
• The average of the last six months, year or two years
• The same as the bill six months, year or two years ago

With CIS Infinity you can also track the history of the service address and the previous customer’s history for greater estimating precision.

Exemptions

The Collections module within CIS Infinity allows a user to exempt specific customers from collections actions. Customers can be made exempt from all collection action or be exempt from specific collection actions such as notices, disconnects or penalty charges.

Inventory Management

CIS Infinity offers an inventory management module that connects your inventory to every part of your business, from billing for a service based on the meters installed at the service address, to mass additions and updates of your meter inventory.

Payment Arrangements

CIS Infinity allows payment arrangements to be tracked on an account. Arrangements can be made for a single payment for the overdue amount or for multiple payment arrangements until the total arrears owing is paid off. Users are notified if any payment arrangements are broken so you can take the appropriate action if a customer fails to meet their payment obligations.

Pre-Authorized Payment

CIS Infinity makes it possible for your organization to offer five different types of preauthorized payment plans, including equalized and actual billing. CIS Infinity interfaces with all major financial institutions. Users can define the equalized payment quote formula based on consumption history. Payment plan accounts can be automatically reconciled and CONFIDENTIAL and PROPRIETARY 4 reminders and/or labels can be produced. Customers are able to choose which days their payments are drawn from their accounts.

Service Address Management

CIS Infinity separates the customer account number from the service address number.

Combined they represent the complete customer account. Separated they allow information about the service address to be maintained with the building or premises.

Service Order Automation

Managing service orders is a key part of any utilities business. CIS Infinity provides the functionality to make this happen smoothly and effectively. It can initiate work, track work through a pending order process, update orders, and view historical orders; both service and meter based.

Usage Management

CIS Infinity is used in over 75 sites throughout North America to effectively manage usage. At each of these sites an interface has been developed with the meter reading systems including hand-held, automated meter reading systems, and time-of-use systems. CIS Infinity has the ability to capture and track consumption-based usage based on the passage of time as well as measured flow. The system also validates consumption, processes reads and tracks unauthorized use.