Water Plus
6 min
Water Plus was seeking a new partner to deliver a cash and payment processing management service that would improve efficiency across customer transactions. The solution needed to meet strict customer SLAs while transforming the existing model through API-driven automation and greater operational efficiency.
At the outset, Water Plus’s existing approach required a more structured and forward-looking strategy for managing customer payments. We were appointed to transition the service in its current state, while simultaneously redesigning and establishing new end-to-end process maps. The primary objective was to ensure a seamless migration with no disruption to customers, while safeguarding continuity of service and enabling improved cashflow performance.
What our client needed
To improve the efficiency of existing processes, we applied specialist expertise and resource to reduce Water Plus’s suspense account. At the time, the service was heavily manual and relied on printing remittance attachments from emails in order to allocate customer payments. The aim of the solution was to improve visibility and control over customer payments through a more strategic, structured approach aligned to Water Plus’s wider business objectives.
The project was also delivered during the COVID-19 period, requiring a shift to fully digital customer engagement and remote workshop delivery, replacing previous on-site collaboration sessions.
Customer payments were being allocated to suspense accounts where key information such as remittance details, account numbers or other identifiers was missing, preventing accurate allocation. While Water Plus had already taken steps to improve the quality of information received from customers, further optimisation was required to reduce delays and improve processing efficiency. We introduced a more proactive approach to obtaining missing information directly from customers, enabling more accurate and timely allocation of payments and reducing reliance on suspense handling.
What we gave them
To define the strategic delivery approach, we undertook a fact-finding initiative with Water Plus to understand current challenges and future requirements. Through a series of workshops, we brought together specialists from both organisations - including developers, operations, solutions and project teams - to analyse the existing service and agree areas for improvement. All requirements were captured within a Functional Requirements Specification (FRS), providing a clear, jointly agreed reference point for both parties.
We then deployed an intelligent payment allocation system using multiple data sources and customer behaviour analytics to allocate payments at both customer account and invoice level. To enhance the customer experience, we also developed a payment journey user interface providing real-time visibility of payment status and allocation, supported by historical data insights. This transition from manual processes to automation significantly improved operational efficiency and increased same-day payment matching.
Throughout delivery, technical challenges were jointly identified and reviewed in weekly sessions between Water Plus and our technical teams, ensuring a consistent focus on continuous improvement across the lifecycle of the contract and aligning with Water Plus’s wider improvement strategy.
What was the impact
- Reduction of the suspense by 48% within six months of going live
- Reduction of legacy suspense by 60%
- 90% of processes implemented and documented to reduce risk of reliance on single point of failure
- 100% SLA delivery on transactional service
- Increased allocation of payments from current service of 40% to 95% on day one
- Partner-led relationship with mutual support to deliver continued success during service transition
- Client visibility with detailed reports and status updates on cash allocation
- ADIR solution provided visibility on images for cheques and remittances 24/7