Here are the top three takeaways from this episode:

1) The evolution of the CC&B (Customer Care and Billing) system: The guest, David McCracken, discusses his experience with CC&B and how it has evolved over the years. He highlights the power and flexibility of the system's data model and its ability to adapt to the changing needs of utilities.

2) The trend towards distributed energy and customer-centric focus: David mentions the increasing interest in energy usage and the desire for more information among consumers. He also notes that utilities are becoming more customer-centric, offering a variety of services beyond just electricity and gas, such as solar panels, hot water services, and air conditioning.

3) The integration of Salesforce with CC&B: David shares his experience with integrating Salesforce, a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, with CC&B. He discusses the benefits of combining the marketing and CRM functionality of Salesforce with the billing and metering capabilities of CC&B. He also mentions the challenges of integrating the two systems and the need for a balance between working with the product and meeting specific business requirements.

Timestamps

00:05:36 Adaptability is key in life.

00:05:58 Expect the unexpected in energy.

00:13:43 Importance of building in-house teams.

00:21:15 Integration of Salesforce and Oracle can be both easier and more confusing for utilities.

00:23:07 Trend towards best of breed.

00:32:13 Energy generation becoming more distributed.

00:33:07 Transition to micro generation is happening.

00:37:53 Adversity drives technological advancements.

00:43:02 Wide-ranging discussion on various topics.

Keywords

CC&B, Oracle, Utilities, David McCracken, project management, solution architect