We wish to share with you the achievements attained by Open in the year 2023. These milestones are the result of our steadfast commitment to providing superior service to our clients and supporting them in their technological management and evolution. In 2024, we look forward to continuing our work with innovation and quality to offer you an exceptional experience that enables you to effectively achieve your business goals and objectives.
1. Product Innovation
In 2023, Open released four Smartflex updates, incorporating over 2,116 incremental product improvements, distributed as follows: 756 in CIS, 164 in Self Service Portal, 539 in Mobile Workforce Management, 182 in Meter Data Management, and 475 in the product platform. These enhancements respond to the new requirements from our clients and technological improvements to strength customer and operational processes.
On the customer front, we added digital payment reception capabilities, expanded functions for debt collection management, implemented proactive digital interactions through chatbot support, introduced low code customization features to the self-service portal, and improved CSR’s productivity with Generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
On the operational side, we introduced “smart routing,” an AI-driven capability that optimizes fieldwork routes, considering workforce capabilities, location and street level conditions, leading to reduce the driving time and increment the crew’s efficiency.
To improve the training process for our clients, we developed Polaris, a tool powered by a Digital Adoption Solution (DAS), providing intuitive guides that not only simplify the training process but also enhance user experience by walking them click-by-click through our system processes.
Finally, to optimize the deployment, management, and monitoring of our system's IT environments, we introduced a tool called Kepler, which utilizes DevOps best practices and tools to automate operational tasks, reducing the risks and the efforts associated with manual intervention. Kepler, in combination with Open Vital Signs, Open's monitoring and alert system, not only increases the stability and reliability of the solution but also accelerates delivery timelines, and reduces operational risks, among other benefits for our clients.
2. Market Validation
To date, there are seven utilities running on Smartflex version 8, with continuous upgrades, managing over eight million service accounts. In addition, there are eight utilities in implementation or upgrade process.
Key remarks:
- We were selected by one of the most important water and wastewater utilities in Chile and will start implementation soon,
- We made progress in our implementation project at ECOGAS, a subsidiary of SEMPRA Energy in Mexico, a North American electricity and gas group.
- We upgraded several customers from older product generations to our latest product version, including EPM Group, a leading company in electricity, water, and gas, managing over 3.5 million service accounts, and two companies from the Veolia Group, a global leader in drinking water and sewage services.
- Tualatin Valley Water District and Clean Water Services in Oregon are running in our latest product version.
3. Advancing our Goal to be a Trusted Business Partner
At Open, we believe that customer care is fundamental. In 2023, we explored how our services can contribute to growth, customer loyalty, and adaptation to changing market demands.
Our SaaS customers are running with over 99.9% availability establishing ourselves as a reliable SaaS solution supporting critical processes for utilities.
To strengthen our services, we consolidated our “Open at the Wheel” implementation methodology, facilitating the use of Smartflex for our clients and reducing the risks associated with critical system changes in utility companies.
Lastly, to promote our training services, we have trained with our e-learning platform nearly 200 end-users and partners.
4. Recognized as an Industry Leader
In 2023, we received several business recognitions that not only strengthen our competitive position in the market but also inspire us to continue innovating and growing for the benefit of our customers.
Firstly, we solidified our position as the only qualified CIS provider with a perfect 5 out of 5 rating in the Gartner Peer Review. We were also highlighted in their "Market Guide for CIS," positioning us as one of the top 10 providers globally.
Secondly, we were featured by Frost & Sullivan in their Frost Radar for Customer Engagement, where we were recognized for our innovation and growth capabilities in solutions for electric companies and utilities for the second consecutive year.
Thirdly, we excelled as a key player in various industry events, such as CS Week in the United States and ANDESCO in Latin America. Additionally, our leaders were invited to speak at international events such as the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) and the American Public Power Association (APPA).
5. Innovation as a Pillar of Product Evolution
Open successfully conducted a Hackathon with its entire Development Center team. During the event, developers had the opportunity to create new features for the product. Among the upcoming additions are dashboard and analytics capabilities to leverage system information, as well as the integration of RPA capabilities using our digital guide, Polaris.
6. Human Talent Development
Throughout 2023, Open significantly reinforced its human talent development programs, including the Seedbed, Consultant School, Leadership School, and Professional Services BootCamp, investing nearly 20,465 hours in training.
7. Compliance
We received the SSAE 18 SOC 2, Type 2 assessment, providing our customers with the assurance that Smartflex SaaS has the necessary controls to ensure the solution availability, and the integrity and confidentiality of their information. Additionally, we reaffirmed our commitment to quality by obtaining ISO9000 certification for the 25th consecutive year.
Open International expresses its gratitude to its customers, employees, and partners for their trust and continuous support and anticipates a year filled with new challenges and successes in the utility market in 2024.
