Cullman Electric Cooperative of Cullman, Alabama, recently joined the contact center membership of Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC). Cullman Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 43,000 meters in north central Alabama.
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 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.
Cullman Electric Cooperative joined CRC’s membership in April, subscribing to its overflow contact center services. CRC’s overflow services are utilized by those utilities that have in-house 24/7 member services and/or an IVR and dispatch their own line crews. CRC is then utilized in times of need when call volume is too great for a utility to handle internally.
Signing on to CRC’s services was part of an upgrade plan at Cullman Electric Cooperative, explained Grady Smith, president and CEO at the cooperative. “Our partnership with CRC was part of a comprehensive overhaul to virtually all of the systems and services we utilize at Cullman Electric to provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to our members,” said Smith.
And, since becoming a member with CRC in April, Cullman Electric Cooperative has experienced a number of weather-related storms that have affected a significant portion of its membership with outages, quickly putting the new partnership to the test.
“Since going live with the new configuration that includes utilization of CRC’s call center, we have experienced several extreme weather events affecting upwards of 25 percent of our members,” Smith explained. “Thus far, we have been very pleased with their handling of the heavy call load and their ability to remotely submit outages directly into our new OMS system.”
Chris Holt, CRC’s president and CEO, explained that CRC has put much effort and resources into adding people and technology to increase its call handling capabilities. “Severe weather is a stressful time for any utility, oftentimes causing widespread outages,” he said. “Our membership can rest assured that CRC is working with their team to receive, report and organize outages as efficiently as possible. We can be counted on to be there when our members need us the most.”
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 over 430 members and associate members in 46 states, representing nearly 7.6 million consumers. Visit CRC on the web at www.crc.coop.
For more information about CRC’s services, contact Cheryl Haney, regional business manager, at 800-892-1578, ext. 8707, or cherylhaney@crc.coop.
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