LPandL Customer Service — Expert Operational Guide

Contents

1 LPandL Customer Service — Expert Operational Guide

Overview and Customer-Facing Principles

LPandL customer service should be structured as a utility-grade contact operation: predictable, measurable and focused on rapid restoration for outages, accurate billing for customers, and transparent communications. For a typical municipal or regional utility serving 50,000–250,000 customers, best-practice performance targets include a First Call Resolution (FCR) of 82–92%, Average Handle Time (AHT) of 6–8 minutes for billing and account tasks, and a call abandonment rate below 5%.

From 2018–2024 the utility sector shifted heavily toward digital-first service: self-service apps and outage maps now handle 35–60% of routine interactions when implemented well. LPandL’s customer experience roadmap should therefore balance 24/7 automated channels with staffed escalation lanes for emergencies and complex account work.

Contact Channels, Hours and Typical SLAs

Design a channel strategy where customers can choose by urgency: phone for outages and safety, mobile app and web portal for account management, SMS/email for status updates, and in-person for elderly or technical-help customers. Example recommended operating parameters: phone center staffed Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 and Sat 8:00–12:00; emergency outage reporting available 24/7. Target SLA: emergency outages acknowledged in 5 minutes, priority restores within 4–6 hours for single-circuit outages and 24–72 hours for wide-area storms (dependent on damage).

Useful contact-channel design (examples):

Primary customer service number: (555) 123-4567 (example) — staffed for billing and outages during business hours; emergency line transfers to 24/7 dispatch.

Automated outage reporting: SMS code or web form returning a ticket number within 90 seconds; push notifications for restoration progress.

Web portal/mobile app: account balance, payment, outage map, and downloadable usage history (CSV/PDF) with meter-level granularity and 15-minute demand data where smart meters are installed.

Billing, Payments and Collections Best Practices

Clear billing reduces inbound volume. Include line-item usage (kWh), demand charges (if applicable), tax and fee breakdowns, and a year-to-date comparison in every bill. For late-fee policy consider a capped percentage — e.g., 1.5% monthly or $10 minimum — and publish it on the bill and website. Offer multiple payment paths: ACH (no fee), credit/debit card (flat fee e.g., $2.95), pay-by-phone (IVR) with fee disclosure, and in-person cash payments at designated locations.

Effective collections combine empathy and automation: set a 30/60/90-day cadence, with the first contact automated SMS at day 30, a friendly outbound call at day 45, and a payment arrangement offered at day 60. Track cure rate (percentage of arrangements that prevent disconnection) with a target >65%. Maintain an emergency assistance policy and partner with community agencies to prevent disconnections for medical or hardship cases.

Outage Management and Field Coordination

Outage communications must be factual and frequent. Use automated mapping that aggregates smart meter and AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) data; publish estimated restoration times (ERT) and update ERT at least every 60–90 minutes during major events. For staff logistics, maintain strike teams and mutual-assistance agreements; predefined agreements with neighboring utilities reduce mobilization time from 24–48 hours to 6–12 hours.

Operational metrics to monitor during events: number of customers affected, crew hours deployed, average restoration time per incident, and cost-per-restoration. A post-event root-cause review within 14 days should capture failure modes and investment recommendations (e.g., vegetation management spend, pole replacements) with projected ROI and timeline (budgeting year +1 or +2).

KPIs, Workforce Training and Technology Stack

KPIs should be published internally and to the governing board annually. Key performance indicators: CSAT (customer satisfaction) target 85–92%, NPS (net promoter score) target 30–50, FCR 82–92%, AHT 6–8 minutes, digital adoption rate >40% within three years of launch. Track contact volumes by channel to right-size staffing and shift patterns around peak demand (bill cycles and storm seasons).

Recommended tech stack: integrated CRM (e.g., Salesforce or MS Dynamics), outage-management system with GIS, workforce-management software, IVR with speech recognition, and a customer-facing web/mobile app with push notifications.

Training: quarterly simulations for outage scenarios, monthly coaching on de-escalation and empathetic language, and new-hire certification that includes meter-reading basics, safety rules, and data-privacy procedures. Maintain a knowledge base with time-stamped articles and CSAT-linked article scoring.

Scripts, Escalation Paths and Reporting

Provide agents with templated opening statements and escalation triggers. Example opening: “Good afternoon, thank you for calling LPandL. My name is [Agent]. Can I have your service address or account number to locate your account?” Escalate to Level 2 when an outage lacks a crew assignment within 30 minutes, when billing disputes exceed $200, or when the customer reports a documented medical necessity tied to continuous power.

Reporting cadence: daily dashboards for operations during events, weekly performance summaries, and a monthly executive report showing trendlines, root causes for major incidents, and customer-impact metrics. Publish an annual reliability report with SAIDI/SAIFI metrics (System Average Interruption Duration/Frequency Index) and a three-year capital plan to address reliability gaps.