The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) is a public utility, which provides water and electric service to Orlando, Fla., and other parts of Orange (News - Alert) County. It also serves St. Cloud, Fla., in Osceola County. As of now, OUC has more than 250,000 customers, which makes it the second-largest locally owned electric utility in the state.

Despite its popularity, OUC found that its internal expenses were a concern. It had to reduce them to keep utility rates reasonable. That meant it needed to centralize customer service, improve that customer service with technology, improve outage management, and close walk-in and drive-through facilities, according to Channel Partners Online.

So OUC looked to Unify, formerly known as Siemens Enterprise Communications (News - Alert). It decided on a voice-enabled, interactive voice response (IVR) platform. It would support phone-based customer service and online interactions. Among its features are Unify’s OpenScape, Web collaboration and conferencing.

With its selection of Unify offerings, OUC has been able to save money and improve customer service. As an example of the improved efficiency with Unify, OUC closed in-person support centers, thereby cutting expenses. By using apps for automated attendants, helpdesks and human resources staff are letting OUC be more efficient, as well.

Customers find benefits as well. They can use IVR to manage accounts. They can also turn on services without involving OUC staff. As an added plus, which benefits Florida’s Spanish speakers, the company’s IVR supports Spanish and English, which means OUC employees do not need to intervene as much. Also, OUC has voice-enabled apps. They let users make payments, report outages, report the need for tree-trimmings, read meters, and start, stop or move utility service, according to the case study.

In fact, OUC’s completion rate went from 54 percent to 65 percent – on start, stop, and move functions. Speech-enabled IVR was largely the reason for the increase. The IVR also allows for customer profiles and account details to pop up when customers call into OUC.

“We are giving our customers choice," Byron Knibbs, vice president of customer and sustainable services of Orlando Utilities, said in a statement. “No longer do they have to depend on us to call into a customer service call center. They can do everything they need online or through the IVR system."