WARRINGTON, England, August 20 /PRNewswire/ --     United Utilities is investing a total of GBP30.3 million to provide a
faster and more efficient service to customers. Part of this investment is in
a state-of-the-art workforce management solution with IBM* (NYSE:IBM) and
SAP.

Customer Services Director Brian Hurd said: "It is a highly sophisticated
project with a simple objective - to ensure we get the right people to the
right job at the right time.

"It has been designed to speed up our response to customers' problems,
such as leaks or loss of supply, and is part of United Utilities' strategy to
become a world class operator of utility infrastructure."

The system links the various operational arms of United Utilities and
will provide real-time information on every job in progress.

From the moment a call is received by a customer service representative
the problem is computer analysed and monitored through to its conclusion.

It will also plan and schedule future work to ensure the most efficient
use of staff.

Mr Hurd added: "This is the first time such a project has taken place in
the water industry and it will improve our reaction time and efficiency
enormously.

"It will analyse everything we do and we will be able to see at a glance
the progress on every job. Should anything start to fall behind schedule we
will be alerted immediately and will be able to rectify the problem."

IBM has already begun work on designing and deploying the system which
will be fully operational within the next six months.

John Granger, IBM's General Manager Global Business Services said: "We
are working with United Utilities on this important project at a time when
the efficiency and customer service delivered by utilities companies is high
on the agenda. The partnership exemplifies IBM's commitment to working with
Energy & Utility clients on projects that will bring about major changes in
their business, working with them towards their vision for the future."

Nigel Trapp, Head of Utilities, SAP UKI said: "To support their business
change, United Utilities needed a robust and wide-ranging workforce
management solution. Together with IBM, we are working with United Utilities
to roll-out SAP's industry-specific applications for Utilities across their
business, from handling the initial telephone call at the call centre through
to the mobile computers used by the field engineers."

*The agreement with IBM was signed at the end of 2007.

Notes to Editors:

Interviews with IBM available through Nilima Patwardhan, IBM Press
Office: +44(0)20-7021-9191

Interviews with SAP available through Molly McDonagh, SAP Press Office:
+44(0)20-8917-6287