The past three issues have focused on customer-friendly policies, including repayment plans, third-party notifications, and customer-selected due dates. Let’s continue the trend by looking at utility customer assistance programs. Customer assistance plans can take many forms. Common types include low-income […]
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Sometimes elderly or ill customers need a backup set of eyes and ears to ensure they pay on time. That’s where third-party notification helps.
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Recently, there were posts on two listservs inquiring about payment arrangement policies. This made me realize I haven’t written about payment plans in some time, so let’s take a look. Since I will be including payment plans and payment arrangements […]
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Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the Emerging Issues Forum sponsored by the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University. This year’s forum, Future Forward Water, “convened policymakers, experts, and other stakeholders to explore […]
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Recently, there has been a fair amount of activity on one of the listservs I follow about the impending penny shortage. Some areas are already feeling the impact, so if your office isn’t yet, you may soon. Production of pennies […]
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I’m writing this on Friday, Halloween Day, because I’ll be leaving tonight and out of town next week. If nothing changes between now and the time you’re reading this, with the federal government shutdown, many of your customers may find […]
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In a recent posting on a listserv I subscribe to, someone inquired if any other jurisdictions have a policy that requires employees who handle cash to make up shortages from personal funds. A similar question was asked back in 2012, […]
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With two business reviews I recently completed, both utilities required new applicants for service to show photo ID, but neither required a copy of the rental agreement or closing documents. Let’s take a look at why that is a poor […]
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Last year, I wrote about fraud prevention, specifically as it dealt with a small office with insufficient staff to ensure proper separation of duties. In that office, the same person who received payments was also able to make adjustments, which […]
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When doing a business review, one of the questions I ask is, does the utility leave a door hanger when disconnecting a customer for non-payment? During a recent business review, one general manager related a harrowing story of precisely why […]
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