Allow customers to create and manage accounts, including personal details and service addresses.
Implement secure authentication methods, including password recovery and multi-factor authentication.
Customer Account Management:
Enable customers to view and update their account information, including contact details, service address, and payment preferences.
Provide tools for managing multiple accounts or properties under a single user profile.
Meter Reading and Usage Tracking:
Allow utility staff to input or update meter readings manually or integrate with automated meter reading systems.
Track water usage data and calculate charges based on consumption and applicable rates.
Bill Generation and Management:
Generate water bills based on usage data, including itemized charges, taxes, and discounts.
Provide options for customers to view, download, and print their bills online.
Payment Processing:
Support online payment methods, including credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and digital wallets.
Provide secure payment processing with integration to payment gateways and transaction management.
Bill History and Statements:
Allow customers to view their billing history and past statements.
Provide options to download or print previous bills for reference.
Automated Notifications and Reminders:
Send automated notifications for upcoming bills, payment due dates, and payment confirmations.
Provide alerts for overdue payments, account updates, and system maintenance.
Customer Support and Inquiries:
Provide tools for customers to submit support requests, report issues, and track the status of their inquiries.
Include a knowledge base or FAQ section for common billing questions and troubleshooting.
Rate and Tariff Management:
Allow administrators to configure and update rate structures, tariffs, and discount policies.
Support different billing plans and adjustments based on customer categories or usage patterns.
Reporting and Analytics:
Generate reports on billing, payment collections, outstanding balances, and customer usage.
Provide dashboards for tracking key metrics and performance indicators.
Dispute Resolution and Adjustments:
Allow customers to raise disputes or request adjustments to their bills.
Provide tools for utility staff to review and resolve disputes, including issuing credits or corrections.
Data Export and Import:
Support exporting billing data, reports, and customer information in various formats (e.g., CSV, Excel, PDF).
Allow importing data from other systems for initial setup or data migration.
Integration with Utility Management Systems:
Integrate with existing utility management systems for seamless data exchange and synchronization.
Provide APIs and connectors for integrating with other tools and services used by the utility company.
Non-Functional Requirements
Scalability:
The system should handle increasing numbers of customers, bills, and transactions without performance issues.
Support for scaling infrastructure to accommodate growth and peak usage periods.
Performance:
Ensure fast and responsive interactions, with quick bill generation, payment processing, and data retrieval.
Optimize performance to handle large volumes of data and concurrent users efficiently.
Reliability and Availability:
Ensure high availability with minimal downtime, supported by redundancy, load balancing, and failover mechanisms.
Implement regular backups and disaster recovery procedures to maintain service continuity.
Usability:
The user interface should be intuitive and user-friendly, accommodating users with varying levels of technical expertise.
Provide a consistent and seamless experience across different devices and platforms.
Security:
Implement robust security measures to protect user data, payment information, and sensitive billing details, including encryption, secure authentication, and access controls.
Protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats.
Maintainability:
Ensure the system is easy to maintain, with clear documentation, modular design, and support for regular updates and bug fixes.
Implement automated monitoring and logging to identify and address issues promptly.
Compliance:
Ensure the system complies with relevant regulations and standards, such as data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and financial regulations.
Provide features to support auditing, data retention, and regulatory reporting requirements.
Data Integrity and Accuracy:
Ensure that all data collected and processed by the system is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date.
Implement validation checks and data integrity mechanisms to prevent errors and data corruption.
Localization and Internationalization:
Support multiple languages and regional settings to cater to a diverse user base.
Allow easy adaptation of the system to meet local regulations and practices.
Accessibility:
Ensure that the system is accessible to users with disabilities, following web accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
Provide features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and adjustable text sizes.
Privacy and Data Ownership:
Ensure that users retain ownership of their data and can easily control, access, and delete their information.
Provide transparency regarding data usage, sharing, and storage practices, with clear consent mechanisms.
