“I thought I had the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something that would become an industry standard and it has! I was very glad to be part of the process.”
~Ron Becher
The AWA had been using a program written “in house” for about six years. It functioned well and met their needs in particular as it related to having the ability to modify the software as staff needed. If there was functionality that the users of the system requested, these requests could be easily accommodated. However, AWA began to experience compatibility issues with the newer operating systems (OS), and there was a legitimate concern regarding how long the software would continue to run properly.
The AWA was an existing and long-standing customer of Link Computer Corporation (LCC)—the power behind Muni-Link. LCC founder, Tim Link and Sr. Business Analyst, Derek McLaurin approached Mark Perry & Ron Becher with the idea of being a design partner for a web-based utility billing software. “I did some research, and I couldn’t find any existing “hosted” software already out there. I even looked at some of the larger companies and…nothing. So I thought we had the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something that would become an industry standard and it has! I was very glad to be part of the process.”
“It was a treat for me to work with people that were able to understand what I was talking about. They were open minded and listened and really comprehended what I was telling them. That was really nice…you don’t come across that very often. Derek was very good at being able to take the information I gave him and convert it into what
the real needs were. The design went well because there was a higher level of understanding with the team than what I’m used to.”
“We began the design process in May of 2011, and went live on January 1, 2013. We were the first of the four
design partners to do that.” Ron attended a series of meetings here at LCC during the design process where
he offered input and feedback. He was very impressed with the Muni-Link team. “To do this…design and
implement a solution of this magnitude in only a year and a half is really something. It’s not as easy as people might think. It was really impressive to me.”
“Being a Muni-Link customer positions us moving forward to be nearly worry-free about our systems. No worry about whether the software is compatible with our OS, no worry about upgrades, no worry about backup for our systems or data and no worry about losing our network connection. I have peace of mind moving to this type of solution…it’s instrumental in taking us into the future.” Ron expressed that he appreciates the updates and changes he’s seen. “There continue to be new ideas implemented that will keep it fresh. Muni-Link will never become obsolete. In my opinion, I couldn’t have made a better choice than switching to Muni-Link.”
