Utilities Company OnStream, On Time, On Schedule for ASSIGN Appointment Scheduling System

Immediate ROI & Efficiency Savings Promised

Ipswich, 24th November 04 – Wheatley Associates, Europe’s No.1 provider of field force scheduling solutions, has today announced a major contract with OnStream, part of National Grid Transco, for its ASSIGN appointment booking and scheduling system. ASSIGN will now manage the schedules of 400 OnStream field workers installing domestic electricity meters throughout the UK.

Using a unique algorithm, ASSIGN can schedule very small appointment windows, enabling organisations to significantly improve on CRM and efficiency. Scalable up to many thousands of individual jobs each day, ASSIGN can schedule appointments for the largest and most demanding field forces, in the most complex of environments. Each ASSIGN user immediately sees significant ROI benefits.

OnStream provides a comprehensive meter reading and data management service to major gas suppliers throughout the UK. The company’s aim is to provide the highest level of customer service through more efficient appointment scheduling.

John Wheatley, Managing Director of Wheatley Associates, explains, “We estimate ASSIGN will be scheduling three million home visits across the UK in 2005. Our new ASP solution, GRASP, is designed to repeat that success in other markets such as housing associations and local government.”

OnStream’s deployment of the ASSIGN solution will be completed by Christmas.

About OnStream

OnStream is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid Transco plc, set up to enter the competitive metering market. It is managed and operated separately from the Group's Transco business. Previously known as Utility Metering Services (UMS), OnStream was created to meet the challenges of the British metering market being opened up to competition.