Tele-Works and Data West Partner to Bring Affordable IVR to Utilities

Blacksburg, VA and Durango, CO (10 Jun 2009)—Tele-Works, Inc., the leading provider of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) products for the utility and local government markets recently partnered with Data West Corporation, provider of BillMaster Utility Billing software for municipalities and the utility industry, to deliver BillMaster Voice.

BillMaster Voice integrates Tele-Works’ IVR technology with BillMaster’s utility billing software and  provides account holders with 24/7 access to account information through a touchtone phone. Account holders can hear account balances and payment history and make payments with a credit card or eCheck. In addition, the outbound calling feature with BillMaster Voice helps assure that your customers are informed in cases of emergencies or planned outages. The system also allows utilities to place automated outbound call reminders to past-due accounts, reducing shutoffs by 30-70%.

"Data West continues to build strategic relationships with industry leaders that will enhance our clients’ responsiveness and deliver added value to their customers,” said Richard Brown, President of Data West Corporation. “This collaborative partnership in the area of IVR further expands Data West’s ability to offer fast, simple, and secure access to our clients.”

“Tele-Works is extremely excited about our new partnership with Data West. We believe utilities will benefit from our experience with the utility and local government markets,” stated Erik Amelink, VP Business Development of Tele-Works Inc. “Data West clients will now be able to use an integrated IVR solution that allows their customers to make payments via the phone and helps them to collect delinquent accounts and avoid the shutoffs that are typical in a tight economy.  We look forward to a great relationship,” Amelink concluded.

This partnership will help utilities streamline past-due revenue collection, better manage their customers with 24 hour account access, and enable outbound calls notifying customers of emergencies and shutoffs.

About Data West Corporation:   
Founded in 1975, Data West creates software products which are grounded in the real world needs of the utility industry.  Its flagship products and services include BillMaster and BillMaster Mobile.  For more information, visit www.dwcorp.com. See the Data West press release here.

About Tele-Works:
Founded in 1986, Tele-Works delivers industry leading Interactive Voice Response (IVR) products to utilities and municipalities throughout North America to streamline customer communications, improve collections, and grow customer satisfaction.  For more information, visit www.tele-works.com.