Alexis Bechtel Director, PA PUC, Bureau of Consumer Services Kathy O’Brien Customer Assistance...

BCS Update, Warm Transfer, and

RSI/CURE Pilot Programs

Alexis Bechtel Director, PA PUC, Bureau of Consumer Services

Kathy O’Brien Customer Assistance & Complaints Division ChiefCACD Chief, Call Center Operations and Informal Consumer Complaints

September 16, 2015

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

Bureau of Consumer Services

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BCS Organization

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2014 was an anomalous year. 

BCS began 2014 with a caseload of 4,200 cases – unprecedentedly LOW.  o February – the Perfect Storm : polar vortex, variable rates,

consumers unaccustomed to shopping and managing their commodity rates

o By mid-July the caseload had grown to over 20,000 open cases (where the normal range would have been about 8,000).

Last year BCS took in approximately 14,000 more cases than normal (70,000 is normal, in 2014 we took in 84,000).

Last year BCS answered 56,000 more calls than we normally handle (approx. 180,000 is normal, in 2014 we answered close to 236,000 calls).

Caseload: Where are we today – and why?

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BCS has been working on closing that gap, but – We Need your Help!

Warm Transfer and the related RSI and CURE programs are a way that the companies can help close this gap and gain/retain customer satisfaction.

o Verizon’s Warm Transfer program: A pilot started in 2009, recently made permanent by Order of the Commission. As cases are taken in by PUC staff, complainants are offered the option to be transferred to a select team of Company representatives who are prepared to handle and expedite the resolution of PUC calls. 2009-2015 only service related case-types Approximately 98% satisfaction rate

o RSI = Resolution & Settlement Initiative. Launched in late August of 2014, the RSI is a voluntary program where in the past year companies have voluntarily reached out to contact and resolve over 1,000 of their PUC Informal Consumer Complaints (closed their PUC cases).

o The CURE program (Customer/Utility Resolution Effort) is a pilot program with two gas and electric utilities (PECO and UGI). Launched in May, 2015, It is similar to the RSI but is not entirely voluntary in that there are 12 select case types where the complainants must be contacted and results provided to the BCS to report back to the Commission.

Participating in these programs is a WIN:WIN for all parties involved.  It’s quick resolution – less paperwork for the Company & Commission - and it puts the company back in the good graces of its customers.  You’re helping to fix the problem. 

Caseload: Programs to Help

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Completely voluntary

Approximately 17-20 Electric, Gas, and Water companies participating

Over 1,000 cases closed between August 2014 to present

While BCS is not collecting data on attempts,

o Companies are reporting an approximate 12% closure rate for the select <CURE> case types

o Columbia Gas has been running a similar program for years very successfully in PA, VA, & MD (not tracked by the PUC/BCS)

RSI = Resolution & Settlement Initiative

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How does it work? When the company receives PUC case information through the Data

Exchange feed

o Company compliance staff reviews and selects cases where they feel they can satisfy or resolve the issue

o The company contacts the complainant via email or phone

o If resolved, email confirmation of a resolution is sent by both parties to BCS – OR

o The company representative and complainant can call BCS and leave a message (together) indicating satisfaction and giving the BCS permission to close the case

o These messages and/or emails serve as a “certificates of satisfaction” and allow BCS to close these cases (with a follow-up to the complainant, if necessary)

o 14 – 21 Day Turnaround

RSI

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Participation in the Pilot: PECO & the UGI Companies

Why are we doing this now?

The Commission was interested in expediting the expansion of Verizon’s successful Warm Transfer program to aid in returning caseload to a manageable level.

BCS felt the CURE to be a less technically challenging alternative and felt it gave the companies more control and flexibility in handling what are already primarily disgruntled customers.

CURECustomer / Utility Resolution Effort

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Differences in the program (vs. RSI):

Formal review and reporting to the Commission at 6-month intervals

Not voluntary for pre-selected case-types

What are the case types? We avoided straight payment related cases and stuck to cases related to:

1. Storm, weather, outages, and safety related

2. Service related issues (variety)

3. Inability to reach the company for any reason

4. Billing disputes, rate complaints, confusion about bills, competition related billing explanations, and CAP/customer assistance plan billing explanations

5. Security deposits (existing customers and/or applicants)

6. Payment Arrangement Requests combined with a dispute

CURECustomer / Utility Resolution Effort

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CURE Results to Date (5/1 – 7/31 2015) 994 Customers Eligible

209 Successfully CUREd (21%)

235 Unsuccessful (various reasons) (23%)

524 Not Attempted (53%)

Individual Success Rate (through August 31, 2015)

o PECO 20%

oUGI 12%

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Results to date (5/1 – 7/31) 2015

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Thank you to everyone who is participating in these programs.

We are pleased at the number of companies that have joined the RSI (voluntary program).

We need more of you to reach out to your customers and fix what you can.

Our goal is for companies to resolve 25% of their PUC Consumer Complaints (excluding PARs)

Every closure is a success story for all parties to the case (WIN : WIN : WIN)

Closing thoughts …

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Contact InformationAlexis Bechtel

Director, PA PUC, Bureau of Consumer Services

abechtel@pa.gov

Kathy O’Brien

CACD Chief, Call Center Operations and Informal Consumer Complaints

katobrien@pa.gov

Matt Hrivnak – CACD Chief, Competition and Informal Consumer Complaints mhrivnak@pa.gov

Dan Romage – Manager - Training, Innovations, Quality, and Systems dromage@pa.gov

Sasha Oberheim – CURE / RSI / WT Project Leader

soberheim@pa.gov

717-783-1661

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Questions?

PECO Customer Utility Resolution Effort

(CURE)

Benefits of CURE process

Satisfied customerQuick closing /decision from BCSMore efficient

• No written report with two year chronology.• No billing statements• No review process prior to sending report• No request for revisions

Not considered for Justified and/or Infraction determination

Win/Win for Customer and Utility

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Cases Opened May 1, 2015 – September 1, 2015 16

SUCCESSFUL UNSUCCESSFUL CURE

Cases Opened

CURE Status

Pending # CURE % CURE

Not Attempted

by Company

Customer Not

SatisfiedCustomer Refused

Failed Contact

Attempts

CURE Case

Opened in Error

1074 275 207 19.7% 373 105 3 87 24

17CURE – Customer & Utility Resolution Effort

Unsuccessful CURE - Not Attempted by Company 317ON - PAR WITH DISPUTE (#63) 106APPLICANT/DEPOSITS - SERVICE IS ON (# 28) 70CAP DISPUTE (#67) 53BILLING DISPUTES (# 18) 46SECURITY DEPOSIT - EXISTING CUSTOMER (# 72) 17SCHED DELAYS, PERSONNEL, DAMAGES (# 58) 9SERVICE (CO. FACILITIES) (# 48) 8EXPERIENCING A STORM/OUTAGE (# 02) 5ACCESS / DIFFICULTY CONTACTING CO (#17) 3

Cases Opened 833CURE Status Pending 187Successful CURE 146% Successful CURE 18%Unsuccessful CURE - Not Attempted by Company 317Unsuccessful CURE - Customer Not Satisfied 87Unsuccessful CURE - Customer Refused 3Unsuccessful CURE - Failed Contact Attempts 73CURE Case Opened in Error 20

23% Successful

of those completed146/646

High likelihood that 87% of those not

attempted are credit related

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UGI CURE

Chris Ann Rossi

Manager, Customer Services

Rose Williams

Supervisor, Regulatory Compliance

Ann Blaskiewicz

Customer Care Analyst and CURE Lead

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Background

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• Prior to pilot, UGI was not largely involved with RSI

• Started CURE pilot at UGI Gas• Ramped up to include 3 of the 4 UGI

companies on same CIS and Web Exchange• Invested in 1 full time FTE to support project • Initially contacted via call, added email

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UGI Statistics

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Current Status

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What’s Next

• Continue to Analyze Improvement Areas• Monitor Progress• Discuss Key Findings• Offer Suggestions for Improvements

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Questions?