Oulun Energia

The 1.5 million invoices of Oulun Energia Group will be transferred to the Ropo invoice lifecycle management system during March and April 2018. The Group aims to free up resources from routine tasks for core business activities and to invest in activities such as its sales-oriented customer service, as tasks related to invoice lifecycle management are transferred to Ropo.

Oulun Energia has chosen Ropo Capital as its partner in invoice lifecycle management. The service agreement includes invoice delivery, receivables management and payment-related customer service.

Tiina Lyyra, CEO of Oulun Sähkömyynti Oy, says that the idea of switching to a comprehensive invoice lifecycle model arose from the desire to react to changes in the industry.

‘The energy sector is at a turning point. Big things are happening, and inside the company we have had to think about how to use our resources. Customer expectations are changing, personal services are being highlighted and digitalisation is bringing new challenges. This sets new requirements on what we, as an energy company, need to do,’ Lyyra says.

‘The renewal of invoicing began on this basis. We want to make sure that we remain at the forefront of development,’ Lyyra says.

Around 153,000 customers buy electricity and district heating, and Oulun Energia Group sends around 1.5 million invoices every year. Ropo Capital will take charge of overall invoice delivery and receivables management from March-April on.

A clearer view of receivables management

The transfer to a single service provider model will bring resource savings for Oulun Energia and improve the quality of customer service. In addition, the model includes comprehensive reporting tools that will make invoicing and receivables easier to monitor.

‘One of the benefits of the single service provider model is reduced supplier risk. Management of the entire process is easier and there is no need to operate with multiple systems. Instead of euros, we will save working hours. By transferring to Ropo’s services, we can better optimize our own resources,’ Lyyra says.

‘Ropo was able to meet all of our needs. We want to focus our resources on sales-oriented customer service, while offering payment-related customer service of the same quality and expertise as before. With Ropo, we can develop our customer service without significantly increasing our resources. In all, we will have a clearer view of receivables management – and that is important,’ Lyyra says.

The implementation process has been handled to a tight schedule. The reason for this was the energy company’s ongoing process of changing the invoicing system. They wanted to integrate the invoice lifecycle solution as part of the implementation of the invoicing system.

‘The new invoicing system and the Ropo lifecycle service are integrating seamlessly. Ropo’s services include many features that make our work easier. Cooperation between us, the invoicing system provider and Ropo has been successful,’ Lyyra says.

‘The schedule has been tight and all parties have had to be flexible and react quickly. Ropo has provided first-class service and project management. We have been highly satisfied with the partner we have chosen,’ Lyyra says.

Oulun Energia Group handles the production of raw materials, the production, sales and distribution of electricity and heat and a wide range of services including smart energy services, network management, subcontracting and maintenance services. In addition to the parent company, Oulun Energia Oy, the group consists of Oulun Sähkönmyynti Oy, Oulun Energia Siirto ja Jakelu Oy, Oulun Energia Urakointi Oy, Turveruukki Oy and Huoltovoima Oy. The parent company, Oulun Energia, is wholly owned by the city of Oulu. www.oulunenergia.fi