Conclusion

To sum up, we find that AADC had great and important  information systems. And they are using it to facilitate their service, organize their task, and satisfied their user. According to our study we come up with these points:

•   Gain a lot of information about AADC Systems.

•    Know how the data are converted to information, and information are converted to knowledge in the real system.

•     Systems are used to facilitate company task, but   in some cases it have negative sides.

•     E-service and Smart system are most used systems in the most organization.

•     We have to be creative in doing systems and look outside the bounders .

Questions with answers about information system

• How is data being converted to Information, and then knowledge?

·         Customer Care And Billing System(CC&B):

If the consumers want to know their monthly water/electricity bill, the last date they paid and unpaid their bills. The employees will inter their consumer name, B.O Box, phone number, account number or cable number. In addition, they might find in extra information about the consumers like their name and the number of houses that they own.

·         GIS  System ( Geographic Information system ):

AADC can estimate the future need and plans for supplying water and electricity in each region by entering region name in the GIS System, which will give them the current houses there, the houses that will built in future, and the number of cables needed.

• How are the information systems reducing time/cost/errors?

1-Information systems collect all data and process it; to give information and knowledge that are useful for applicant use.

2- Information systems save time, save place, more organized, and lead to employees and customers’ satisfaction by facilitating their tasks and transactions.

• Can the information system(s) be enhanced to be more beneficial and how

•  Development on CC&B System.

AADC is planning to make a few enhancements on CC&B System, by adding more features that allow users (Employees) to be more flexible and comfortable by benefit from its criteria.

• Plans of having additional information system(s) implemented in the future and why?

•        Integrated Voice Response System (IVR).

Appling IVR system is under the process of study by AADC vendors, and will be used by call centre. Customers can find their data, pay their bills and complain in the same system without needing to visit AADC. And this system will save everything, and will be too easy to use and deal with.  

AADC Teams work

AADC depend on team works and groups to provide its services, which satisfies its clients because each team is specialized in performing specific tasks. AADC has seven teams each deals with specific systems.

Teams and their tasks in AADC:

-           Help Desk Team:

They receive and respond to calls, solve customers' and employees problems in the shortest time.

-          Call centre  team :

 They work 24/7.

-           Support Team :

This team is very important at AADC because it is the first line support. Their main work is dealing with hardware by requesting equipments for new staff and load back up for programs. Moreover, if there is any technical failure in the hardware, they are always ready to solve it. Also, they help employees in using printers, scanners, and other devices. In addition, if there is any problem in computers, they deal with it in a way that saves the files from any damage.

-          Network Team:

This team specializes in dealing with networks. They provide wireless network to all AADC offices, and communicate with Etisalat and Water & Electricity Authority; because all their works are associated with these two. They solve any problem related with network such as wireless or wired problems.

-          Server Team:

They link between AADC and ADDC (Abu Dhabi Distribution Company). They have services that include all ADDC (daily backup, e-mail, data and powers). This team work 24 hour and 7 days and they serve new employees with new accounts.

-          Security Team:

They install antivirus programs and block unauthorized websites on AADC network. They isolate and protect AADC network if any damage or viruses enter the device from any websites.

-          Application Team:

It is a second line support and it is a large team. They work in parallel with Abu Dhabi Distribution Company. Everyone in this team is responsible for specific program (software).

 AADC has a lot of systems but we take the most important systems that they use.

Information systems used and how it help the company

•          Information system (IS)

–        A set of interrelated components that collect, manipulate, and disseminate data and information, and provide feedback to meet an objective

All systems in Al-Ain Distribution Company (AADC) built using outsourcing method. They buy systems as a package from outside through searching, surveys and evaluating the best quality, and apply them with less time and cost. Deliver Manager (Laila Al Alawei) is the person who is responsible for the communication with the outsourcing company.

After we met with Salama Al Qubasi (Application Team Leader) and Zahera Al Shamisi (Application Team-Information Analyst), we got a general idea about AADC tasks and services that derived from the partnership with Injazat Company; which facilitate AADC task and do a significant part of its service. Injazat performs some AADC needs such as; choosing application vendors, evaluating and comparing instruments cost and quality, so Injazat Company is linking business with IT and service providers. The main systems that AADC use are Crista Report, Maximo, Smart System, and Customer Care and Billing System.

   • Size of different information system(s): Departmental/Organizational/Inter-organizational

-    Customer Care And Billing System(CC&B):

      It’s the main and current system used to pay bills in AADC. It includes a lot of information about customers, home services and bills. By using this system, they know when electricity reaches homes, when electricity bills are paid and when it cut off.

     This system save time, effort, and satisfies employees. However, increasing the pressure on the system at the beginning and end of each month represents one of the negatives that exposed the system, because most people pay their electricity bills and water bills in this period. This action may cause slowness in the system, and delay client's transactions.

-    Right- Fax System ( Automated System ):

       It is installed in the employees' computers, and it is used by all AADC users, managers, call center, and Injazat team. Also, Control Centre who works 24 hours and 7 days uses this system a lot. It works as an alternative to old fax machines which consume a lot of papers and may result in loss of many of these papers.

It can send faxes to any kind of fax machines through this system, and it saves documents as well. This system is more organized, controlled, allows managers to follow the staff and restrict them from unauthorized actions. It doesn't have many problems, unless the server is down. This leads to loss of time and delay sending and receiving faxes.

                -   Smart System:

Tracking times of the attendance and departure of employees, using access card. This program commits employees to come and leave on time. By using this system, employees become more disciplined and available. This system is an alternative to the fingerprint system that may not recognize the fingerprint sometimes.

 -     Hand Held Unit System(HHU) :

It is a system used to read how much water or electricity used in a certain building, and this task takes long time and needs effort, and this is very hard job for workers. If employee delayed from taking the reading to inform client about month bill, there will be no bills, and that may cause stop supplying water or electricity.

-     Avaya System:

This system is used by call centre team and it allows customers to inquire about their bills and help them to put complaints, and it operates within 7 /24. By using Avaya system, AADC can control the agent, follow most calls, and solve issues in shortest time. If the server crashes, customer transactions will be delayed which lead to waste customer time.

 -     E- Service System:

Its web service system provides an easy way for customers to pay their bills through online system. First they have to register to have a unique account on the system. This will save their time and efforts by making their life easier. The disadvantages of the system, is that sometimes the transaction will not reflect on the CC&B due to disconnecting of Database of the system or due to one service of E-service maybe down. These types of errors can be follows through Customers complaints or through end-of month reports coming from the system.

   -      GIS  System ( Geographic Information system ):

   AADC communicates with Municipality and Ministry of Planning, and work with them in       parallel in using this system. It includes house plans, graphics and electricity cables. Also, it uses maps to know where to place water and electricity pipes.

      •   Type of different information system(s): TPS, MIS, DSS, and EIS

Most of ADDC systems are Transaction Processing System (TPS), because it deals with   daily and routine duties such as customers billing, opening new accounts for users, tracing employees' attendance, receiving calls and serve consumers.

Overview Of the Comapny

Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) was established in 1998 and they started work in 1999. Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity is the original either Al Ain Distribution Company is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity with a fully paid capital of AED Billion 1,530,000,000.

Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) is responsible for delivering water and electricity to the Al Ain city and surrounding rural areas.

More than 1900 employees work at Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) at the end of 2008. They serve the people of Al Ain city is the nearly half million.

             

•        AADC has achieved:

1.  SKEA - “Shaikh Khalifa Excellence AWARD”.
2.   “ADAEP ( Abu Dhabi AWARD for Excellence in Government Performance) for the best Technical Project”.
3.   “Integrated Management System (ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 & 18001:2007 combined standards)”.  ¹

• Our Vision:
  “ To be one of the best water and electricity distribution companies”.  ²

• Our Mission:
  “ To distribute water and electricity in a reliable, secure, safe, environmentally responsible & cost-effective manner”.³ 

•   KEY STAKEHOLDERS:
            There are many key stakeholders in AADC, such as Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), developers, executive council, regulation & supervision bureau, Transco, customers and suppliers. AADC has a good and strong relationship with these key stakeholders. ADWEA is owns all of AADC. Satisfy customers is very important in AADC with give them a good services. The developers are planning and execution of capital works projects. The functions of their suppliers are to providing services to AADC and supplying their  products .

Reference:

1)      http://www.aadc.ae/ENGLISH/EN-T1-About.html

2)      http://www.aadc.ae/ENGLISH/EN-T2-mission.html

3)      http://www.aadc.ae/ENGLISH/EN-T2-mission.html


Reference website:
About AADC. (2009) [online]. available: www.aadc.com<http://www.aadc.com/

from this website, we got a lot of information about AADC that helped us in our project. The website of these company's consistent and contains several sections and easy for the visitors to get what they wants.

Referance interview:
Zahera, A. 2011. Interview with application team-information analyst [personal communication]. 13/10/2011

Miss Zahera in AADC helped us to gains what we want, and we visited AADC in 13 Oct. All staffs were helpful with us, we have not encountered any problems with them.