TOA Technologies wins prestigious European Smart Metering Award

CLEVELAND, Jan. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TOA Technologies, the leading global provider of cloud-based field service management solutions, has won a European Smart Metering Award in the category of Smart Metering Service Provider 2013, presented at the Smart Metering UK & Europe Summit in London. These awards are given annually to companies that demonstrate their commitment to advancing the smart metering initiative with technology.

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The 2013 awards highlight the importance of field service management solutions in the European utilities market, and specifically how it supports the smart meter initiative. This initiative, which mandates the deployment of smart meters to 80 percent of European households by 2020, will accelerate in the next 24 months as the deadline approaches to meet certain regulatory requirements.

Energy suppliers preparing for smart metering installation are faced with many challenges – not only the complexity of large-scale deployments, but also the challenge of winning consumer confidence. Customers are concerned about privacy and the cost-effectiveness of the smart meter rollout, making it critical for these companies to ensure that their customers have a favorable experience during the installation and maintenance process. As a result, utilities are placing more attention on their field service workforce, who are specifically responsible for smart meter installation in customers' homes. This presents a valuable opportunity for utilities to influence customer satisfaction – as a smart meter install is typically the first time utility field service personnel directly interface with customers in their homes.

Accepting the award on behalf of TOA Technologies, Doug McCullen, sales director, commented: "The shift to smart metering represents both an immense challenge and an immense opportunity. For utilities, it means changing how utilities think about people, processes and technology – especially the field workforces and how they interact with customers. Winning this award underlines the impact that TOA Technologies' field service management expertise and technology will have on driving both a successful smart meter rollout and long-term improvements to utilities' field workforce operations and customer satisfaction."

TOA Technologies' field service management solution, ETAdirect, helps utilities overcome particular workforce scheduling and customer experience challenges associated with smart metering deployment. While legacy field service management solutions traditionally approach field service management projects as a simple routing and scheduling problem, TOA believes field service should be focused on delivering a superior customer experience while still achieving true workforce optimization. This translates to increased productivity and reduced costs as well as enhanced customer satisfaction.

Added Yuval Brisker, co-founder and CEO of TOA Technologies, "We're proud to be recognized for enabling the transformation of field workforces installing and maintaining smart meters, giving utilities the opportunity to build better, more connected relationships with customers, one smart meter at a time. And, looking ahead, the smart meter initiative is just the beginning for how utilities will transform their field service operations. We're looking forward to continuing to partner with utilities throughout Europe to sustain field service efficiency and positive customer experiences."

For more information about TOA Technologies, go to http://www.toatech.com.

About TOA Technologies

TOA Technologies is the leading provider of cloud-based field service and mobile workforce management applications. ETAdirect, TOA's patented platform, improves customer service while dramatically reducing operational costs and delivering immediate and lasting return on investment. As the industry's only complete on-demand solution, ETAdirect uses time-based pattern recognition and predictive analytics to provide the most advanced and accurate field service management application on the market. ETAdirect reduces customer wait times while dramatically increasing field workforce efficiency. TOA's solutions are cloud-based, quickly deployed, highly configurable and easily integrated with existing CRM, ERP and other solutions.

Across four continents, ETAdirect manages mobile workforces for some of the world's most recognizable global brands in the satellite/cable/broadband, telecom, utilities, insurance, home services and retail industries. Named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management, TOA Technologies is headquartered in the United States and has offices throughout Europe, Latin America and Australasia.

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Yuval Brisker
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SOURCE TOA Technologies