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Co-Developed Solution with SPL WorldGroup Offers Public Utilities Integrated Customer Care and Billing System with Web Capabilities

PLEASANTON, CA., August 18, 1999 -PeopleSoft, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise application software for the public sector market, today announced the general availability of PeopleSoft Customer Information System (CIS) for Public Enterprises.

Co-developed with SPL WorldGroup, Inc. (SPL), the new software product allows public utilities to more effectively manage all processes in the customer lifecycle - from initiating service to meter management to credit and collections - leading to more efficient operations and improved customer satisfaction.

PeopleSoft CIS for Public Enterprises leverages SPL's expertise in the increasingly competitive public utility industry and provides an e-business backbone for Internet functionality and multiple options for web-enabled deployment of information.

The alliance delivers a PeopleTools-based version of SPL's CIS PLUS® product in the public utilities market. The system is designed to automate and support all aspects of customer service and management.

The new software solution integrates with PeopleSoft Financials, Human Resource, and Enterprise Performance Management applications to provide public utilities a complete view of their business - from front to back office - for improved decision making and streamlined customer care.

For instance, the system transfers transactional information, such as billing and credit, from the customer services department directly into the accounting department through the integration with PeopleSoft General Ledger and PeopleSoft Payables. Refund requests generated by the CIS immediately trigger the payables application to cut and process checks.

One of the first organizations to license the CIS system is Benton Public Utility District (PUD) in Washington State. Benton PUD provides electricity to more than 40,000 residents.

"We've always prided ourselves in providing excellent customer service. With CIS, we're able to improve upon that high standard by giving employees faster, easier access to more detailed information to better serve our customers," said Jack Swanson, manager of information systems at Benton PUD.

"With the PeopleSoft solution, we have a single platform that enables our IS department to more effectively manage time and resources."

"The system's flexibility allows users to add unlimited fields of information to locations, to Customers and to services. This enables us to tie a variety of information to a customer at different levels, making the data more meaningful for use when looking up accounts or service locations for example." Swanson added. "We can consolidate billing processes, allow flexibility in meter reading and billing cycles, and create customer billing and usage history by service."

PeopleSoft CIS for Public Enterprises enables organizations to efficiently collect and track revenues, as well as manage all aspects of a customer's lifecycle, including starting/stopping service, meter management, field service, billing, rate tracking, budgeting, payments, and credit and collections.

Another driving industry factor is the trend toward deregulation. "Now that deregulation has begun to impact public utilities, managers are looking for new technologies and business practices to allow them to operate more effectively and provide improved customer service," said Moshe Mor, president of CEO of SPL WorldGroup. "By combining PeopleSoft's leadership in enterprise systems for the public sector with SPL's leadership in utilities solutions, we were able to create a one-stop solution that satisfies customer demand."

Mike Eberhard, Vice President and general manager for PeopleSoft's Public Sector business unit, agreed. "With PeopleSoft CIS for Public Enterprises, organizations will have the tools to effectively manage their operations and customers," he said. "This system can help public utilities retain customers, improve customer service, and increase the city or county's revenue generation activities. Washington County, Md. and City of Ontario, California. have also licensed the CIS system and we believe the momentum and growth in this area will continue."

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