Most people think calling a utility company about their bill is about the worst waste of time ever, bar none. But Oncor has somehow made it, if not a joy, then less about the billing and animosity.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Oncor, an electric delivery company, expected calls to increase exponentially when a seemingly never-ending spate of 100 degree days pretty much guaranteed a spike in energy use and bills.

Expecting a lot of hot-tempered calls, Oncor was pleasantly surprised to instead receive many calls about ways to reduce bills in the future (how about that? customers understanding that hot weather leads to higher electricity bills!).

Brenda Jackson, Chief Customer Officer  for Oncor Electric Delivery Co., puts it all down to Oncor's customer-first focus.

• Call centers are staffed by "Texans who speak Texan"
• If customers are "confused about which company does what" in the electricity generation and delivery schema, they are encouraged to call Oncor, who will help them sort it out.
• Issues brought forward by customers are not allowed to drop

Oncor recognized that it had abdicated its relationship with its customers to energy retailers who, unfortunately, couldn't always answer customers' questions. In order to rectify that situation, Brenda Jackson was given a C-level position with the power to keep the focus on the customer and to urge transparency in Oncor's dealings with them.

She pushed offering apologies for trangressions, not excuses; working to restore customer confidence about the new SmartMeters; and getting to know the local business community. She always asks the rest of the team "What can we do better [for the customer]?

Ms. Jackson acknowledges that she may be an aggravation to some of her colleagues, but her results show that it has been worth the work.

Now...if an electical utility can make these kinds of strides in customer service, so can we all.

This article is cross-posted to our second blog:

The Successful CXO: Committed to Customer Service