NORWICH – As part of an effort to enhance its in-person customer service functions, Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) will be adjusting the hours of its Customer Service Center on North Main Street to manage the flow of customer interactions each day.
Effective Monday, April 3, 2023, NPU’s Customer Service Center will be open from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; on Wednesday, the Center will be open from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm.
“We are always looking to improve the way we interact with our customers – to meet their needs, process their transactions and answer their questions,” said Chris LaRose, General Manager of NPU. “By making these adjustments, our team will be more available, particularly during the middle of the day.”
Based on a careful analysis of foot traffic and phone call volume, NPU determined that more customers could be served during the middle of the day – when there is a spike in activity – by making slight adjustments to lunch schedules and adding 30 minutes to the end of the day on Wednesday.
NPU’s Customer Service Center is staffed by 14 Customer Service Representatives and a Manager. This team manages an enormous workload and is the primary point of contact for NPU with their customers. In a typical year, the NPU Customer Service Center manages:
- 7,500 customers who come into the Center with questions or concerns.
- 15,000 customers who come into the Center to pay their bills in person
- 131,000 customer phone calls to process payments and resolve a variety of issues
- 310,000 bills generated for all residential and commercial customers.
These adjustments will not add to NPU’s operational costs and included the input from the entire Customer Service Team.