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BEND, OR., July 2, 1999 - Deregulation is changing the way utilities do business, and Orcom Solutions (www.orcom.com) is leading the evolution with e-business and customer care tools designed for the new marketplace. Orcom recently conducted a survey of utility executives in which more than 70% of those responding said they anticipate e-business will help them deliver better customer service while lowering their customer service and billing costs.

Additionally, Orcom found that 86% of those responding said improving access to Customer support and account information was an important objective of their web site, while 64% of those responding also rated support for electronic transactions and online billing as important.

“These survey results demonstrate that deregulation is causing a fundamental shift in how utilities and energy service companies service their customers. They understand electronic commerce can help them achieve their strategic goals,” said Mark Crapeau, executive vice-president of Orcom Solutions. “Orcom anticipated the impact of e-business on utilities and energy service companies and is ready with a suite of solutions to help our clients succeed in this new arena.”

Orcom’s e-business suite includes an Internet Access System that gives customers full-time access to their account information, current bill and usage history directly from the utility’s web site. Internet Bill Delivery and Payment allows customers to receive and pay electronic bills. Other services can include usage history and load profiling to help commercial and industrial customers analyze their energy consumption. A home energy audit guides residential customers through an online survey that produces a report identifying potential cost saving areas.

Almost everyone in corporate America has used at least one web browser to surf the ‘Net. Now, utilities can bring that same familiar browser format in-house with Orcom’s web-enabled customer information system. Every desktop becomes a customer service center when employees can access customer information and reports via the web, affording the flexibility to view and maintain records any time, anywhere.

For many companies, future success in the deregulated environment depends on the flexibility to adapt to changes quickly, without major internal restructuring and expense. Orcom’s outsourced customer care services provide the agility to manage rapid change while controlling costs. Orcom menu of outsourced services supports key business processes, including marketing, customer enrollment, billing, customer service, payment processing and collections.

Orcom’s Customer Care Services are delivered via a sophisticated high-availability network, supported by IBM’s managed operations. The high-availability network provides redundant connectivity and a mirrored environment to ensure virtually no downtime for mission-critical processes. Orcom is a leader in delivering tools to Support the exchange of customer data required by deregulation. Its Enterprise Transaction Gateway and e-commerce server handles the multi-entity data communication and verification utilities need to enroll and bill customers in an open marketplace.

About Orcom Solutions
Orcom Solutions is headquartered in Bend, Oregon, operates an office in Denver, Colorado and delivers outsourcing services from its Customer Service Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Orcom currently has more than 600 employees devoted exclusively to providing information solutions for utilities and energy providers around the world. Orcom Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of en.able, LLC, headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado.

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