Dear Buckeye REC,
When a power outage occurs on the Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative system and we call to report it, why are we sometimes talking to a person in another state? This doesn’t make sense. I hope there is an explanation.
Sincerely,
Wondering
Pedro, Ohio
Dear Wondering,
A major power outage caused by a storm, natural disaster, or substation failure might affect thousands of households served by BREC. Everyone whose electric service has been interrupted naturally wants to call and report the outage. The result: a volume of in-coming calls impossible for co-op employees to handle, and an overloaded phone system which rewards callers with a “busy” signal.
In our opinion, nothing is more frustrating to a co-op member than getting a busy signal when they try to contact our office. The second most frustrating thing is getting a recording and never talking to a “real person.”
Consequently, BREC contracts with the Cooperative Response Center (CRC), an answering center with several offices staffed by experienced operators who take calls during power outages and after regular business hours.
This arrangement, which has worked well for several years, allows BREC members to report outages, power supply problems, or other matters “24-7” and whenever trouble has occurred on the system.
On extremely busy business days, CRC will field calls about bills and payments, too. Overflow calls roll over to the answering centers when co-op personnel are swamped.
“There are days when we are almost overwhelmed by in-person business transactions and telephone calls,” said Linda Ratliff, who supervises BREC’s seven customer service representatives at Rio Grande and Linnville.
“Having this relationship with CRC means our co-op members can get through and talk with someone. All messages taken by CRC are forwarded to us, and we return the calls as soon as possible.”
Last year, CRC handled over 21,000 in-bound telephone calls for BREC. Total phone activity was much higher because co-op employees are the front-line for incoming calls from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
CRC operates answering centers in Dunlap, Tennessee, and Austin, Minnesota. Most BREC callers are routed to Tennessee, so don’t be surprised if the operator has a southern accent.
In addition to receiving calls, CRC also places calls to BREC members for various reasons: delinquent accounts, load control, etc.
Because telephone call volume fluctuates from potentially thousands of calls during major outages to less than 200 calls on a “light” business day, BREC does not have to internally staff for the peak periods. CRC backstops the co-op and allows members to talk to a “real person,” albeit one who might speak with a Tennessee drawl.
This system has worked well in the past and in many cases appears almost seamless. Every department at BREC is linked into CRC, and we have come to rely on the services that the call center provides.
-- Steve Oden
Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative
Buckeye Rates