Software Tracks Input of Utilities’ Customers

An Oxnard software company, Oasis Technology Inc., is providing a multimedia system for tracking communications between Southern California Gas Co. and its more than 4 million customers.

The system, called Oasis, records and stores information related to gas company customers’ comments, complaints and problems.

The information is stored on computer disks and is instantly accessible to all computer work stations within the giant utility, according to Oasis President George Baldanado.

Virginia Allen, customer relations manager for Southern California Gas, said the utility adopted Oasis early last year. “Our experience has been quite positive so far,” she said. “The system allows input and access into customer files from every personal computer in the company.”

Allen said the gas company has been instrumental in having Oasis Technology invited to demonstrate its system to an American Gas Assn. meeting in September.

Thus far, Allen said, Oasis is used primarily to store information punched in by gas company employees. Eventually, the system will scan correspondence and other material, copying them onto disks.

In addition to saving time and money, Oasis allows management to note trends in service complaints, Baldanado noted.

Baldanado is a former programmer with Litton Computer Services, a Woodland Hills unit of Litton Industries Inc. He founded Oasis Technology in 1979 and has concentrated on developing the Oasis program since then.

The privately held firm has only seven employees, but hopes to grow if other utilities join in using Oasis. Several in California and the Midwest are considering adopting the system, Baldanado said.

He said that the program’s installation costs from $50,000 to more than $1 million, depending on the size of the utility, plus 1% per month for maintaining the program.

Neither Southern California Gas nor the software firm would say how much the utility is paying for the service.