“Menard Electric Cooperative is exceptionally pleased with our decision to partner with CRC,” said Alisha Anker, general manager at the Petersburg, Illinois, electric utility, a thought echoed by many Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) members. Menard Electric Cooperative, an electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 11,000 meters throughout eight counties in central Illinois, recently joined CRC’s contact center services.

CRC offers utilities across the country seamless contact center and alarm monitoring solutions, including call management, line crew dispatch, AMI/CIS/OMS integration, CRCLink® outage communication software, and alarm monitoring. CRC also offers dynamic greetings, outage texting services, video monitoring of substations, a Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance solution which utilizes live agents for billing calls, and English proficiency translation services. From outage calls to billing calls, disconnects to emergency locates and more, CRC is there for its membership 24/7/365. By partnering with CRC, members find peace of mind as well as a cost-effective solution to their call handling needs.

Menard Electric Cooperative joined CRC’s contact center membership in February 2020, subscribing to its energy dispatch services which include inbound call management as well as dispatching of line crews. Anker says there are numerous reasons their recent partnership with CRC has benefited the electric cooperative, its employees, and its membership.

“We seamlessly integrated our CIS records, member bill pay portal, AMI functionality, OMS, and operations protocols for after-hours dispatch and CSR coverage,” she explained. “Since joining CRC, we’ve also added the invaluable ability to overflow incoming workday calls to their CSRs when ours are otherwise busy.”

Anker added that the business solutions CRC offers complement those of Menard Electric Cooperative. “The services of CRC have elevated our business relations, member communications, and satisfaction,” she said. “During this year of so many unknowns, the one certainty for Menard Electric Cooperative is that CRC will be there. Thanks CRC!”

Chris Holt, CRC’s president and CEO, is pleased CRC’s services meets the needs of Menard Electric Cooperative, its employees, and membership. “CRC is here for its membership 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Holt noted. “We constantly strive to offer products and services that simplify the day-to-day operations of electric utilities. We’re thankful to Menard Electric Cooperative for their partnership and look forward to working with them for years to come.”

About CRC
CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned, 24/7 contact center and alarm monitoring center. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Minn., Dunlap, Tenn., and Abilene, Texas. CRC serves 500 members and associate members in 45 states, representing 10.5 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop.

For more information about CRC’s services, contact Dan Otteson, senior regional business manager, at 800-892-1578, ext. 2137, or danotteson@crc.coop.