Online Contracting System for Energy Supplier - SSE
Stredoslovenská energetika (SSE) is a well-established supplier of electricity and gas in Slovakia. The company was founded almost 100 years ago and has grown into the largest supplier of energy in Central Slovakia. SSE supplies energy to more than 700,000 customers, whereby products and services range from 100% ecological electricity, photovoltaics and heat pumps to energy certificates, energy audits and charging stations for electric cars. SSE is owned by the Slovak government and EPH. Lenka Dovalová is Project Manager in SSE.
Lenka Dovalová: "SSE wanted to enable end customers to conclude contracts for the supply of electricity and gas online using an electronic signature. We had existing systems, such as a document management system, software for processing incoming customer requests, a customer web portal and a website. We didn't have a signature solution or application that created document templates already filled with customer data. And finally, we needed some kind of orchestrator in the form of a BPM platform that would connect all these systems and applications and set the rules for the processes."
SSE understood it needed a BPM based solution for forms and processing which integrated seamlessly with eSignature, Alfresco DMS and other systems. The company looked at various options that could facilitate this.
Lenka Dovalová: "When we did our market research regarding the business process management platform, we already realized that Netgrif was an expert in this area. We knew several people in their leadership team and were impressed with their experience and capabilities. We compared the solution from Netgrif with the Camunda BPM platform. We approached three suppliers for the application form. Eventually, we selected Netgrif as the vendor of choice."
So, what was the reason SSE decided that Netgrif was the best fit for their situation and organization?
Lenka Dovalová: "We chose Netgrif because of their pro-customer approach. They tried to meet all our requests and were really looking for a solution to suit our needs. It is a relatively young company that does not have the arrogant approach of large suppliers; they sincerely care about their customers. They develop custom software and didn’t try to sell us off the shelf software that we’d have to adapt to. Of course, acceptable costs also played a significant role."
The implementation of the solution itself was done in an efficient and professional manner.
Lenka Dovalová: "We simply got started. We set the project team, prepared the project plan, agreed on the rules of cooperation and got to work! As a company, we have experience with a number of suppliers. I would rate the level of cooperation and communication with Netgrif as extremely good. They are one of the few suppliers who really meet the deadlines and follow the agreements. We communicated via emails, MS Teams, by phone, WhatsApp and in JIRA. We had a very open, transparant way of working and Netgrif was highly responsive to our requests."
Netgrif supplied two pieces of software to SSE: application form and business process management application.
Lenka Dovalová: "Thanks to Netgrif, we have a functional and reliable online customer contracting process. The project enabled our customers from the household segment to electronically conclude a contract without the need for a personal visit or a physical signature on paper. We have two new applications that we can use in the future to expand more online processes and a reliable supplier."
So, how does Dovalová see the future with regards to SSE’s relationship with Netgrif?
Lenka Dovalová: "Even though the project is finished, the cooperation continues. We are trying to improve existing processes and in the future we are thinking about expanding the solution to include new segments and processes. It’s great to be able to rely on a trustworthy partner like Netgrif for this. Netgrif is a customer-oriented company that sticks to agreements and meets deadlines. The most valuable thing is that they are really looking for a customized solution, tailored to our needs, and they’re not trying to sell off the shelf software whereby we’d have to pay for every small adjustment."
Technical study
Netgrif successfully implemented a project for Slovak energy supplier SSE (Stredoslovenská Energetika a.s.). This project is enabling households to conveniently close electricity or gas supply contracts online. The project was put into production in Q2 2023.
Problem Statement
The traditional process of contracting for energy supplier SSE forced customers to close contracts personally at POS or send documents via post. This created inconvenience for customers, took a lot of time to process and generated a lot of manual paperwork which is environmentally unfriendly. It was also increasing the administrative burden on the energy supplier, as they had to handle and process a large volume of physical paperwork.
Solution Description
To address this problem, Netgrif developed for SSE an online system that allows customers to complete all contract-related tasks digitally. Customers can simply fill in the necessary details in an eForm web application and electronically sign the contractual documentation. Also, eTask – the single management system dealing with contract processing was developed for SSE employees. This process-based web application handles all the eForms and guides them through the contract closure workflow.
Digital Transformation for Convenience
Streamlined Workflow and Efficiency
Environmental Sustainability
Implementation Process
The implementation of the online contracting system required the integration of the new online contract system into the existing infrastructure. Netgrif leveraged a Business Process Management (BPM) platform to automate and manage the flow of processes, enabling seamless interaction between various systems involved in the contract lifecycle. Netgrif BPM platform is integrated with Netgrif eForm application, digital signature solution, document repository, and Netgrif request processing system.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of the online contracting system brought several benefits:
- Convenience: Customers can complete the entire process online, eliminating the need for personal contact and physical paperwork.
- Efficiency: The automated workflow streamlines the process, reducing manual intervention and processing time.
- Environmental Friendliness: The system eliminates the need for physical mail, reducing paper consumption and promoting sustainability.
- Instant Document Access: Customers receive the signed contractual documentation immediately via email.
- Seamless Request Processing: SSE efficiently processes the received requests, thanks to the streamlined workflow facilitated by the BPM platform Netgrif.
Quotes
Mgr. Marek Mečiar – head of the informatics department, Stredoslovenská energetika, a.s.
SSE came up with a request for web forms that would guide our customers through filling out selected types of contracts and electronic signatures. The subsequent workflow of the contracts is ensured by process management directed by the same application equipment. I appreciate its readiness to quickly develop web and process-oriented applications, as well as its ability to integrate third-party systems. This is, of course, also the merit of the supplier, who fulfilled the role of integrator and did not hesitate even in difficult infrastructure conditions.
Ing. Lenka Dovalová – project management manager, Stredoslovenská energetika, a.s.
At SSE, we implemented a project thanks to which households can from April 2023 sign a contract for the supply of electricity or gas online. It is enough to fill in the data in the form application and then electronically sign the contract documentation. The entire process will take place online without the need for personal contact, or sending physical mail, and it is also environmentally friendly. The contract documentation is available to the customer immediately after signing it in his/her email. The following is the processing of the received request on the SSE side. The integration of new online processes into the existing infrastructure also required the deployment of a BPM platform that automatically controls the process flow and moves the request between individual systems. The BPM platform communicates, for example, with a form application, a signature solution, a document repository, a system for processing received requests, etc. We successfully completed the project mainly thanks to the supplier Netgrif, which, in addition to the delivery of the BPM platform and web application, also provided the role of the integrator.