Billing Expertise For Utilities Data

The Challenge 

A property management company was struggling to have a full overview of the utilities supplying its multiple developments. There was also no individual responsibility in place when taking on new developments, leading to frequent occurrences of late invoicing – and supply disconnections to some sites.  

The Solution  

Ben Hayward joined Innovus eight years ago as an apprentice within the Accounts Payable team, where he was supported to complete his AAT Level 2 and 3 qualifications. Ben took the initiative to collect data from all of the property management company’s developments to identify each suppler. He also worked closely with the multiple utility companies and energy brokers to fully understand their processes. Over time, Ben built strong and trusted relationships and attended regular meetings to identify and promote an even better way of working.  

Innovus Accounts Payable Manager Helen Alexander says: “We recognised that there was a significant issue facing the property management company. A process (and person) needed to be in place to ensure the company had full oversight of which supplies were at each individual site so correct invoicing could be applied. I encouraged Ben to learn about the entire utilities procurement process and he was eventually promoted to Utility Ledger Controller.” 

The Result 

The property management company now has a full overview of the utilities providing all of its residential developments. On a monthly basis, Ben and the team are continuously working to manage bulk supplier imports for 15,000 meters. This has resulted in greater billing accuracy with zero supply disconnections.  

Helen adds: “Ben has made tremendous progress with this project. The property management company now has in place a simple but very effective solution to enable my team to accurately reconcile the accounts. This is vital not only for existing managed developments, but also for when property management companies take on new sites.”