Johannesburg Water (Pty) Ltd is the private entity responsible for the water supply at consumer level for the Gauteng region, from Midrand in the north to Vereeniging in the south. This function previously rested with the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, but in a bid to provide a better service to Gauteng water consumers, it was subsequently privatised, hence the inception of Johannesburg Water.
As part of its initiatives to improve service to Gauteng water consumers, Johannesburg Water contracted Alcatel Business Systems (ABS) to provide a state-of-the-art communications solution. The R3.7 million project entailed a four-phase approach, the first three of which have already been completed.
The communications solution provides for state-of-the-art voice, data and cabling that link the two main buildings of Johannesburg Water and provide a state-of-the-art call centre that is manned 24-hours per day by around 40 agents. Service levels and call-response times are monitored on an ongoing basis and, for water consumers, this call centre means that they need only call a single number, where the calls are logged and service requirements dealt with in a timeous and efficient manner. With a waiting time of around 35 seconds, the fully automated call centre is monitored in terms of calls waiting, service levels and waiting time.
According to Johannesburg Water`s Executive Managing Director, Anthony Still, the company expects a 90% improvement in its ability to deal with the service requirements of around 20 000 Gauteng water users. Still added that the number of water consumers in Gauteng is expected to increase to around 50 000 in 2002 and the communications solution provided by Alcatel will ensure the ability of Johannesburg to effortlessly cope with this expected 150% increase in water consumers.
The OmniPCX 4400 communication platform provided by Alcatel provides for total transparency across the entire network with WAN/LAN routing as part of the system. All user connectivity is via at 10/100Mbps Switched Ethernet at wirespeed performances across a gigabit backbone to the entire network. The Alcatel switched solutions come with a high level of quality of service (QoS) at switched levels 2/3 to prioritise specific traffic patterns to deliver the required performances needed not only today but for the future as well. State-of-the-art technology provides an investment protection to Johannesburg Water and, once the final phase of the project (that will integrate the 10 water depots into the main communications network), is rolled out, Johannesburg Water will have a fully integrated, centralised communications system with voice and data transparency across the entire network.
The total turnkey solution provided by Alcatel further provides for a specific, tailored service level agreement with remote capabilities that mean that the system will be fully maintained from the Alcatel Call Centre.
Martin Baak assured Johannesburg Water that in contracting Alcatel, it has secured not only state-of-the-art technology (in line with the best in Europe), but service levels that will enable it to attain its goal of improving its service to Gauteng water users. Johannesburg Water`s Still not only complimented Alcatel on the state-of-the-art capabilities that its product offerings provide, but on the timeous and professional manner in which the project was implemented. Still continued by assuring not only substantially improved service levels to Gauteng water consumers, but immense cost savings.
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