BT pilot scheme provides Northumbrian Water with real-time information on tap

07/11/2006

BT today announced that it has signed a deal with Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) to deliver a pilot scheme to integrate a location and mobile data solution which will run for up to five months.  Following successful pilots, one in the north east and one in the south east operating areas of the water company, full roll-out will further improve the business’s service operations from the management of its field based engineers through to its CRM system.

Under the pilot scheme, BT will provide a solution to NWL which enables managers to establish in real-time the location of all field operatives, to facilitate, for example, a quicker response to an emergency situation by deploying the engineer nearest to the incident.  In addition, the technology deployed will allow the seamless communication of field data between remote operatives and their base delivering a joined up and streamlined process across the business.

The solution uses the latest GPS/GPRS technology and is planned to be rolled out across NWL’s fleet of approximately 1,000 vehicles and 1,500 field operatives over the next 12 months.

Brian Olley, Work Management Programme Manager, said:  “At NWL we are continuously developing ways to enhance the quality of customer service, improve productivity and provide better tools for our employees.  The deal with BT will enable us to further improve our front-office services, as well as streamline our back office process, resulting in a more efficient and responsive organisation, which is good news for both our customers and shareholders. Today’s announcement is part of our five year programme, which will see us investing £1billion to deliver improvements to our services and the environment.”

The deal with NWL is the first time BT has offered a solution which amalgamates BT Mobile on Demand, BT Fleet Manager and BT Field Guardian to provide a single solution which aligns front office customer interaction with back office process scheduling and planning.

Tim Smart, president BT Global Services UK, said: “Drawing on our unique combination of skills and experience in managing our own field force, we have developed a solution for NWL which will help them improve operations across their business.  As a result of the fully integrated system, NWL will now have the ability to transfer information to field operatives any time, anywhere.  This gives NWL the ability to optimise their fleet, improve workforce productivity, and, most importantly, boost customer service. ”

Notes to Editors:
About Northumbrian Water Limited
NWL provides 2.6 million customers with water and sewerage services in the north east of England under the brand name Northumbrian Water and 1.7 million customers with water services in the south east, under the brand name Essex & Suffolk Water.

About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries.  Its principal activities include networked IT services, local, national and international telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and internet products and services.  BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2006, BT Group’s revenue was £19,514 million with profit before taxation of £2,040 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.  BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.   For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt

For further information on BT
Inquiries about this news release can also be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK, dial +44 20 7356 5369.  All BT Group news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.bt.com/newscentre.

Justine Manche, BT Global Services PR, Tel: 020 7356 5371 or email: justine.manche@bt.com

Judith Moore, Fishburn Hedges, Tel: 020 7544 3054 or email: Judith.moore@fishburn-hedges.co.uk