Business Situation
Sorgenia is an Italian company that produces and sells electricity and natural gas, serving more than 300,000 customers, at last count. It is a leading privately-owned company in its sector in terms of customer volume and energy sold, and it ranks among the top five in the Italian market. The company operates four power plants with an installed capacity of 3,170 megawatts, which is increased to 4,000 megawatts thanks to its subsidiary, Tirreno Power.
To maximise this positioning and optimise its costs, Sorgenia focused on innovative technological solutions. It took on a complex digital transformation project that revolves around Microsoft's Cloud Computing, consulting, strategic and technology work provided by Accenture and Avanade – a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft – for the design and implementation of its journey to the cloud.
Solution
The company chose Microsoft, Accenture and Avanade to help support its transformation. This partnership was a good fit since Sorgenia already had solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics and its legacy system was Microsoft-based. The great interoperability offered by the Microsoft platforms was also a big advantage since these could relate even with third-party solutions and ensure industry standard compatibility. The migration involved all mission-critical scopes:
- CRM and ERP for customer acquisition and management, digital channel Presidium and overall process efficiencies;
- Analysis and management of big data through the creation of a data hub;
- Collaborative and communication solutions to improve productivity;
“Due to the skills and reliability that these three players demonstrate when it comes to complex digital transformation projects. It is undeniable that Microsoft solutions and platforms have revolutionised computer science and that the strategic role of Accenture and Avanade can make a difference increasing the success of a project."
When the digital transformation project launched, Sorgenia became the first Italian utility to operate completely in the cloud. The Microsoft solutions, adopted thanks to the collaboration of Accenture and Avanade, help Sorgenia with effective customer management. The Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform in cloud, helped optimise the acquisition of new customers and relationship management of current ones. This is also helping the company respond to ad hoc needs, through small customizations needed in the utilities market – such as the interaction of CRM with credit-check systems to verify the creditworthiness of new customers.
Results
Sorgenia employees are now able to use business applications access and user-friendly communication tools, to share information and complete tasks anywhere and anytime. This has provided for positive cultural changes, improving the well-being of Sorgenia employees and providing a better work-life balance. Now, approximately 300 employees can also work from home. They are also experiencing improved collaboration and productivity. Additional benefits include:
- Reduced operating times
- New analytical capabilities of customer data
- Due to quicker back office activities, employees are dedicating more time to other operational activities
- Improved billing-related performance
Thanks to the creation of a data hub on the Microsoft Azure platform in cloud, Sorgenia has laid the first foundation for effective management of big data in total compliance with the highest security and privacy standards guaranteed by the Microsoft cloud and in accordance with the new GDPR.
Learn more about Avanade’s intelligent business solutions and Microsoft Dynamics 365 capabilities. You can also Innovate faster when you take your applications to the cloud. Learn more about how to exploit the full power of Azure.
Sorgenia’s road to 1 million customers supported by the cloud
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