Helping utilities improve business office operations and better serve their customers
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Today we’re going to look at the three Rs – not the old standby Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Instead, we’ll examine three actual Rs – Roles, Responsibilities, and Rights. These three Rs impact both your utility and your customers. Which […]
…postage rates are going up again! Yes, indeed, on July 14, the cost of a first-class letter will increase five cents from $.68 to $.73. The cost of a postcard will increase three cents from $.53 to $.56. This means […]
…a business review? If you haven’t, maybe it’s time you did. Why do we need a business review? I met with a prospective customer last week and, as we discussed what I do, I explained why a business review makes […]
This year’s Utility Staffing Survey represents the fifth Utility Staffing Survey, so I thought I would try to examine some trends. You can review the results of all five previous surveys here. Meter reading processing The 2016 Utility Staffing Survey […]
This is the second of two consecutive Utility Information Pipeline issues reporting the results of the 2024 Utility Staffing Survey. 122 utilities representing 21 states, ranging in size from 20 to 137,661 active accounts participated in the survey. This is […]
For the past two months, I’ve been conducting the 2024 Utility Staffing Survey. This survey has become a biennial survey, alternating years with the Utility Fee Survey. The initial Utility Staffing Survey was in 2016, followed by additional surveys in […]
Continuing with the theme of fraud prevention, this issue looks at another fraud case involving an easily overlooked internal control. Cheaters never win! I’m a huge Carolina Hurricanes fan and, when a player from the opposing team is charged with […]
Following up on the last issue dealing with fraud prevention, this issue looks at void payments and another important, but easy to implement, internal control. As with the last issue, today’s example can easily be implemented by monitoring existing reports. […]
Recently, I’ve been giving some thought to a new presentation dealing with fraud prevention. The working title is Safeguarding your Business Office Against Fraud. It will draw upon my experiences with the handful of fraud cases I either worked with […]
Have you ever wondered if your office is understaffed…? Do you need to justify a new position to management…? Here’s your chance to find out! You’re invited to participate in the 2024 Utility Staffing Survey. This survey will examine staffing […]