Saratoga Software has recently been awarded DTI assistance for a R4 million project to develop handheld solutions for the South African municipality and US utilities markets.
The goal of the project, called Mobile Connect, is to automate the outstanding functions in the utility industry that still tend to be paper-based. Those functions that occur in the field or at remote branches, such as the taking of meter readings, meter service orders, general service orders, field inventory management, collections management and customer service will all be moved to handheld devices. The solution is designed to connect seamlessly with a back-end system at the head-office.
Saratoga has already prototyped the underlying software architecture and the first module for the proposed system as a proof of concept. The first module handles meter readings for gas utilities in the US, and is currently in use at two clients in Tennessee. The back-end system in use for the prototype was Microsoft Great Plains.
Saratoga believes Mobile Connect will revolutionise the utilities industry by harnessing the next generation of handheld devices. Winning the DTI funding illustrates the potential of this new technology. This latest generation of handhelds provides for a functionally rich and appealing user experience, and will make possible the full integration of remote service branches and service personnel with the head office system. Apart from simple reading taking and some order management, this has never been done in the utilities industry before.
Saratoga Software is involved in development of solutions and technology partnerships with leading companies such as Actaris and PSU in SA and has clients in America using its utilities billing software. Saratoga Software is a Cape Town-based software development company, dedicated to designing and developing software solutions for organisations that believe there is an advantage to having technology that specifically meets their needs.
Saratoga Software provides innovative software solutions for the insurance, healthcare and utilities industries, as well as for human resource management. Saratoga also provides Web hosting, application hosting, Internet portal services and other e-business products and services.
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