THE ESC PARTNER ECOSYSTEM

HometownHUB (HtH) brings together digital engagement, human support, and AI insights to empower utilities with smarter customer care.

At HTH, we provide a complete customer care model that delivers end-to-end customer experience solutions purpose-built for this industry.

Our services include:

• ONSHORE CALL CENTERS: Highly trained North American-based agents with deep utility expertise.
• BILLING SUPPORT: Exception management & complex issue resolution.
• BILL PRINT & MAIL: Accurate, timely delivery of customer communications.
• DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT: Customer self-service tools enabling easy access to account management, payments, & service requests.
• PAYMENT OPERATIONS: Secure, multi-channel solutions integrated with utility systems.
• AI-POWERED INSIGHTS: Advanced analytics to reduce costs & improve satisfaction.

What makes HTH different? We combine utility-specific expertise with secure operational systems & proven processes. Our unified approach delivers reliable, scalable, & compliant engagement—from billing to call centers to digital platforms.

InvoiceCloud, an EngageSmart solution for online bill payment services, announced a strategic partnership with ESC Partners (ESC) to bring digital payment solutions to municipal tax collection and utility services. The partnership leverages InvoiceCloud’s cloud-based payment and engagement solutions with ESC’s hands-on integration, implementation, support, and services to help municipal and public service organizations streamline operational efficiency, improve customer engagement, and increase city and utility revenue.

ESC Partners, a member of the Oracle Partner network, was recently selected by the City of Dothan, Alabama for a $12M digital transformation initiative, which incorporates the integration of streamlined digital services including simplified digital permit processing, and improved employee self-services. A key feature of the project is the implementation of new online payment and account management solutions from InvoiceCloud.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with ESC Partners,” said Invoice Cloud President Tom Griffin. “This is an important recognition for our SaaS technology platform, which is now being used by more than 1,700 government entities. Additionally, this is an important win for city governments, investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and public-owned utilities working with ESC to streamline their operations and provide their citizens and customers a more engaging and secure payment experience.”

The ESC Partners and InvoiceCloud partnership will include integration with ESC’s suite of digital solutions to bring online bill pay and management services contributing to added benefit, operational efficiencies, and improved customer experience to ESC customers in public utilities and municipal operations.

“As an organization who is the front-runner in Oracle Customer Cloud Service (CCS) implementations globally, we were seeking a teammate who is aligned with our pace and view of the future. We are both evolutionary catalysts in our respective fields and this partnership is ultimately a big win for our customers,” said RJ Kumar, CEO of ESC Partners. “We are privileged to have a partner like InvoiceCloud who is ahead of the curve in delivering stellar service and current technology addressing these objectives that is also complementary to our culture and offerings.”

ESC Partners, an Enterprise Solutions Consulting brand, and SL-serco, a non-engineering consultancy, have a confirmed memorandum of understanding (MOU) in place to provide collaborative long-term project planning (discovery, research, consulting, implementation, support services) to small and medium-sized utilities and municipalities around the globe.

This cooperative effort can be applied to any account for utilities or cities, whether the client is a current ESC Partners/SL-serco customer or a potential one. SL-serco’s insights are software agnostic and can be applied to ESC’s focused Oracle system implementations, services, and solutions.

SL-serco’s meter procurement knowledge and digital twin capabilities have a proven track record of imbuing confidence in every customer interaction, and ESC Partners is well-known for relationship-based care-as-a-service (CaaS) offerings that respond to the needs of every utility client. With this MOU in place, the two companies can quickly expand their spheres of influence as trusted SaaS support partners.

“The SL-serco team has been so impressed with ESC’s work with City of Moreno Valley, Carmel Utilities, City of Tempe, and so many others, that the choice of partner to build out further was obvious,” said Laurie Allen, President of SL-serco. “And ESC’s genuine commitment to each and every client mirrors our company’s value set perfectly; in that mindset of collaboration, we are very similar.”

“We’ve seen the help SL-serco has offered utilities with meter consulting and procurement,” said RJ Kumar, CEO of ESC Partners. “Through fair dealings, smart planning, and customer-first thinking, they’ve created a community of trusted clients who genuinely value their support and input. Along the same lines, we have a community created from a kindred vision but covering a different part of the project process. Together, we can assist a utility from the start of a customer service/AMI plan, through the strategy and build, past go live, and into support. With this single MOU, a utility invests once in this partnership of SMEs and gets twice the ROI.”

CloudAvanti is a boutique consulting firm specializing in Oracle Cloud ERP, EPM, HCM, and SCM solutions. With a focus on speed, simplicity, and strategic outcomes, CloudAvanti helps mid-market clients across North America implement cloud solutions that scale with their business.

All of ESC’s utility-focused software services are built on proven, tested Oracle cloud applications, & every ESC customer benefits both from the history & heft of the Oracle name, as well as the dedication & installation experience of our team. We are your personal connection to the regularly updated Oracle universe, making sure the process is simple & easy for your entire team. Working with Oracle through your ESC representative is the perfect balance for your implementation, managed services, or consulting project.

PwC works with power & utility companies globally to address challenges such as aging infrastructure, rising energy demand, & the integration of renewable energy sources. Their services focus on grid stability, cost efficiency, customer experience, and operational resilience while leveraging AI, analytics, & digital tools to support data-driven decision-making & future-ready strategies.

Cloudvice is an Oracle-focused cloud consulting company that helps organizations modernize operations using Oracle Cloud and AI. 

KloudGin provides cloud-based, AI-enabled work and asset management solutions specifically designed to help utilities manage field operations, assets, crews, and customer service more efficiently. Their platform unifies construction, asset management, and field service workflows.

Hansen provides billing, customer information systems (CIS), and data management software for utility companies.

Paystar provides online payment and billing tools that help utilities collect payments faster, automate office workflows, and give customers a smoother digital experience. 

KUBRA provides a full suite of customer-experience, billing, payment, and communication technologies used by electric water, gas, and other utilities across North America.

Smart Energy Water (SEW) builds AI-driven digital platforms that help electric, water, and gas utilities improve customer experience, modernize field operations, manage outages, and streamline billing and payments.

VertexOne provides cloud-based customer information, billing, payments, mobile workforce, and data-analytics platforms that help water, gas, and electric utilities modernize operations and improve customer experience.