(Source: Business Wire)Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), the third largest electric power holding company in the United States, and Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in relationship management, announced today that they have entered into an agreement to provide an innovative next generation billing and customer management solution to support the rapid advance of smart grid technology and enable a richer, more effective customer service experience for utility customers.

Convergys will support Duke Energy's national leadership role in developing and implementing smart grid technology for approximately four million electric and gas customers in five states through the provisioning of Convergys Rating and Billing, Customer Management, and Collections modules as part of a highly scalable, real time Smart Customer Information System (CIS) solution. These modules are specifically configured by Convergys to meet the needs of 21st century smart grid energy providers and their customers.

Duke Energy, as is evidenced by its 5-year $1 billion plan for smart grid initiatives, is a national leader in developing smarter energy technologies. Duke Energy's smart grid will incorporate automated equipment, wireless sensing devices, and advanced meters to create a digital, real-time, networked power delivery system that provides two-way communication between Duke Energy and its customers. This will put more information and choice into the hands of Duke Energy's customers, empowering them to make wiser energy decisions.

Duke Energy's vision of this revolutionary network could not be fully realized without a fundamental shift in the way they manage data, provide customer options, and bill for energy. To that end, Duke Energy looked "outside the box." It sought out an innovative solution already proven to provide real time, two-way, scalable transactions.

Duke Energy selected the Convergys Smart CIS Solution to deliver highly scalable real-time rating, dynamic billing, flexible customer and account management, and collections capabilities.