Spring 2021 is finally here; what a relief, January and February seemed to be never ending this year! The ‘new normal’ continues and we very much hope to be able to return to our office in the not-too-distant future, if everything goes according to plan.  The whole team has risen to the challenge of remote working but undoubtedly some things are just better done in person.

The managed services team settled well into their new home (before Christmas) and apart from a few IT hiccups, all went well. We are looking forward to heading back and getting to know our new neighbours a bit more; where we were previously surrounded by sheep, we now have people 😊. Just a reminder that the new address is Datamere Managed Services, Unit 38, Basepoint Business Centre, Crab Apple Way, Evesham, WR11 1GP.

The DTN and Faster Switching project have been very much the focus for the business over the last few months and this work will continue but we are also beginning some work on the much-anticipated P & L Reconciliation development; more about that later on. The DTN work has progressed well and by the end of this month all inbound and outbound DTN flows will be fully supported in GENUS©. It’s been a huge task, thank you to Paul O’Neill who has made this happen.

There is quite a bit to report back from the Datamere Team and as result, there are a few changes afoot. Firstly, congratulations to Marcia Cox and her family who will be having a new baby in Spring 2021! It’s the first new addition for a while now and a new baby is always exciting news! Marcia will hopefully be with us until the beginning of May and will be taking just a short break when the baby is born (so she can keep on cracking the whip with her various projects!)

Also, on the baby news front, Simon will be joining the ranks as a Grandad later on this year; congratulations to him and his family and good luck for the new arrival.

In other news, Nikki Lowe who works in the DMS team will be relocating from the West Midlands to Liverpool with her family in the next few months.  Unfortunately, as a customer service administrator we will need to replace her as the role does require a presence in the office. But Nikki will continue to work behind the scenes for the DMS team on some projects so you will continue to hear from her for a few months to come. As a result of this, the managed services team will be recruiting for a new team member as soon as we are able to get back into the office and onto an even keel.

And finally, for this section, just a reminder that we have a range of systems and functionality that may be of use for many of you. These range from a white label supplier system, to a siteworks processing system, to advanced billing and branded customer web portals plus much, more.  If you need a piece of software connected to utilities, it’s likely we may already have something that might be able to help you.

See you in the Summer, maybe even in person!

Faster Switching Update

The project continues at pace and many of you have been in touch about your requirements. We will be issuing some functionality documents in the next few weeks which explain in detail, the changes that users will see in GENUS©. Additionally, we do have UAT versions that are now available should you wish to start reviewing the changes. The live date for the project is still over a year away but testing will pick up pace over the course of 2021.

GENUS© is scheduled to undergo testing in Tranche 4 of the official user testing which will be in Autumn 2021.  We don’t believe there is any obligation for smaller independent suppliers to be involved with the official programme testing but should any supplier wish to be involved directly, please arrange this with the PMO and keep us informed of your requirements.

We would, however, recommend revisiting your internal business processes to ensure that these are reflective of the new industry processes and timescales.  On the managed services side, we will review the changes and report back on any amendments that are required in order to remain compliant.

Commercially, we will be in touch over the next few months to discuss a deposit schedule for the new development and to understand any specific requirements that your business may have.

P & L Reconciliation

Our next planned tranche of development work will be on P&L reconciliation, an area we have wanted to review for quite some time now. We are currently analysing the requirements and development will begin shortly. The proposed functionality will import industry invoices (Transportation, Shipper and MAM) into their own tables within GENUS© at a portfolio and site level basis. From here and by looking at the billing data, EUC codes and AQ of a site, GENUS© will provide the P&L reconciliation for a specific site, allowing the user to identify profitable and of course problem sites where an intervention may be necessary.

The functionality will sit behind a switch for GENUS© direct clients and will be available as a reconciliation service under managed services (DMS already offer a partial reconciliation service but this will encompass far more data and offer greater transparency).

If you are interested in learning more, or would like to have any input into the functionality please email julie@datamere.co.uk  so we can take any comments on board. If we are able to accommodate particular requests we will aim to do so.

Shipper Services

One of our supply clients is able to train, assist and provide support for those clients who are moving into the world of becoming their own supply shipper.

Areas of expertise include support with accession, Gemini support, industry processes such as settlements, and balancing trades. If you are interested in further information please contact julie@datamere.co.uk  and we will make the necessary introductions.