How does your utility handle accounts for customers who have passed away? The best practice is to close the account in the name of the deceased customer and open a new account in the name of the executor or family […]
0 comments
Utility Billing
Recently, a prospect who was interested in conducting a business review encountered pushback from their board when they presented the idea. They reached out to me and asked if I could put together some reasons why using an outside consultant […]
0 comments
Recently, I wrote about the steps required to convert from billing in larger units, such as hundreds or thousands, to billing in individual gallons. (If your utility bills in cubic feet rather than gallons, please mentally substitute “cubic feet” everywhere […]
0 comments
Several years ago, a customer of a municipal utility in Florida made the news for paying her $493 water bill all in pennies. This was, in her words, a “peaceful protest” of her high water bill, for which the utility […]
0 comments
In a previous blog post, I wrote about why, when moving to an AMI system, I feel it’s imperative to read and bill in individual gallons. Today, as I’m assisting a customer with making the switch, I thought it might […]
0 comments
Recently, in one of the listservs I subscribe to, someone inquired if any other local governments were accepting Apple Pay or Google Pay as forms of payment. Unfortunately, the post didn’t get any responses, but it did get me to […]
0 comments
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 […]
0 comments
…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 […]
0 comments
…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 […]
0 comments
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 […]
0 comments