The City of Lafayette needed a Utilities solution that would meet its needs and enhance the way the city does business today and in the future.
New World Solution
The City of Lafayette has used New World’s Logos Financial Management, Human Resources and Utility Management solution for seven years.
Benefits
New World’s software helps the City of Lafayette streamline processes.
Provide a decentralized organization, allowing individuals to enter their own time
Integration eliminates redundant data entry, reduces the amount of paperwork and human errors
Decrease the time spent generating utility bills from 16 days of the month to four days
Enhanced and automated reporting capabilities
The City of Lafayette is a growing community, and by 1998, the city realized they had outgrown their current public administration software on a System 36 platform. It was time to find a new solution.
Lafayette was looking for a software solution that was flexible, integrated, easy-to-use, and provided room to grow. The twelve member Technology Committee chose New World Systems' Logos Public Administration software, because the functionality met these needs. Lafayette utilizes the software's key elements in their Utilities, Finance and Human Resources departments.
"Our previous software did not have a Cash Register Interface, so we had to process bills and payments through the cash register then re-enter the data into our system," said Mona Holdcraft, City of Lafayette Controller. "We process 23,000 utility bills each month, and it used to be a four day process each week equally sixteen days per month. With New World's software billing only takes one day per week or 4 days per month. Our efficiency has greatly increased."
With the number of college students from Purdue University, the City of Lafayette needed a system that provided a simple process for setting up new customers and the ability to track the history of each customer when they re-locate within the service area. Lafayette adds approximately 500 new water services each year, and New World's software gives them the functionality they need and the space to expand.
The Human Resources Division is implementing a new payroll process that will be tracked and reported by each department. With their previous software, the City of Lafayette payroll department gathered everybody's timesheet, entered the dates and times into an Excel spreadsheet, and then keyed the data into the system. Now each department can log their time directly into the system and submit the timesheets. Information only needs to be entered once, which reduces data entry and inaccuracies.
"Before New World, we were using a System 36 platform that did not provide enough space for our needs," said Melanie Brown, City of Lafayette MIS Manager. "I am very comfortable with the AS/400, because it is a solid and stable platform that is not sensitive to multiple users in the system. Melanie Brown and Mona Holdcraft both agree that they would recommend New World's software to other agencies because of its capabilities and New World's professional services.
"Our Project Manager was great," said Brown. "His knowledge was solid and stable. He also did in-house programming to help us through the conversion. I have been through major conversions, and this experience was very smooth and organized. The leadership from New World was extremely professional."
"One of New World's strengths is the support staff and project management," said Holdcraft. "During the conversion there was a variety of people with expertise in different modules, which was more effective than if only one person had all of the essential knowledge."
