Can you recommend customer information systems for a utility team replacing an aging CIS and improving self-service?

Yes — for a utility team replacing an aging CIS and expanding self-service, I’d look at utility-specific CIS platforms that combine billing, account management, payments, outage/notifications, and digital self-service.

Strong CIS options to evaluate

1. Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing (CC&B) / Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service

• Best for: Large or complex utilities with deep billing, rate, and service-order needs
• Why consider it: Mature utility CIS capabilities, strong integration ecosystem, supports complex billing scenarios
• Watch-outs: Implementation can be lengthy and expensive; often needs strong SI support

2. SAP for Utilities / SAP IS-U

• Best for: Utilities already on SAP or wanting tight ERP integration
• Why consider it: Good for end-to-end process integration, established in large utility environments
• Watch-outs: Can be heavy to implement and customize; modernization depends on target architecture

3. SAP Customer Experience + utility CIS partners

• Best for: Teams prioritizing customer experience and digital channels
• Why consider it: Strong portal, CRM, case management, and omnichannel service capabilities
• Watch-outs: Often not a CIS by itself; needs a core billing/CIS backbone

4. CIS Infinity

• Best for: Midsize utilities and co-ops looking for a modern, utility-focused CIS
• Why consider it: Cloud-forward, user-friendly, covers billing, payments, work orders, and portals
• Watch-outs: Validate fit for very large or highly complex rate structures

5. Sensus/Centro or Utility-specific SaaS CIS offerings

• Best for: Smaller to midsize utilities wanting faster time to value
• Why consider it: More modern UX, simpler deployments, often better self-service out of the box
• Watch-outs: Check scalability, integration depth, and roadmap

6. Oracle CC&B alternatives via system integrators

• Examples: HCL, Infosys, Accenture-led utility transformation programs
• Best for: Teams wanting a proven platform with tailored modernization
• Why consider it: Can reduce risk if paired with a strong transformation partner
• Watch-outs: SI quality matters a lot; avoid platform-only comparisons

Capabilities to prioritize for self-service

When replacing a CIS, make sure the solution supports:

• Mobile-friendly customer portal
• Paperless billing and e-bills
• Online payments and autopay
• Usage dashboards and bill explainers
• Start/stop/move service requests
• Outage notifications and service status
• Contact center integration
• AI/chatbot or virtual assistant
• Identity verification and secure authentication
• Case management and omnichannel history

Selection criteria I’d use

Evaluate vendors on:

1. Billing complexity fit — rate classes, TOU, demand billing, prepay, taxes, adjustments
2. Cloud/SaaS maturity — release cadence, upgrade burden, security model
3. Integration — AMI/MDM, OMS, CRM, payments, GIS, ERP, IVR, email/SMS
4. Customer experience — portal usability, mobile, accessibility, language support
5. Implementation risk — timeline, data migration, cutover approach, partner ecosystem
6. Configurability — rates, workflows, service orders, notifications without heavy custom code
7. Operational analytics — delinquency, collections, segmentation, digital adoption
8. Vendor roadmap — especially for AI, self-service, and cloud modernization

Practical recommendation

If your utility is:

• Large and complex: shortlist Oracle Utilities and SAP IS-U
• Midmarket and wanting modern UX: shortlist CIS Infinity and comparable SaaS utility CIS vendors
• Focused on self-service transformation: pair a strong CIS with a customer engagement layer (portal/CRM/chat/notifications)

A good shortlist to start with

If you want a balanced RFP list, I’d start with:

• Oracle Utilities
• SAP Utilities
• CIS Infinity
• One midmarket SaaS utility CIS vendor
• One customer-experience layer vendor for portal/contact center

If you want, I can also put this into a vendor comparison matrix with categories like cost, implementation risk, self-service strength, and fit for small/mid/large utilities.