For many utilities, partnering with Cooperative Response Center, Inc. (CRC) to offer call-handling services is a no-brainer. For the Carthage, Tenn.- based Upper Cumberland EMC (UCEMC), a distribution cooperative serving nearly 50,000 consumers in north central Tennessee, the move to CRC has definitely been a positive experience.

“Upper Cumberland EMC partnering with CRC has been a great decision,” said Wade Givens, IT director at the cooperative. “They speak our language, which is essential for our service crews. CRC’s professionalism in dealing with our members is outstanding, and they treat our members like their own.”

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.

UCEMC joined CRC’s contact center membership in July 2020, subscribing to its energy dispatch services which include inbound call management as well as dispatching of line crews. The collaboration and service excellence CRC provides was a draw to the utility and its cutover process was very helpful, resulting in a successful transition.

“The onboarding experience was very organized and ensured we hit the ground running,” Givens explained. “CRC wanted to know how WE do business, not fit us into a mold of how others do. We are not staffed 24/7, so before CRC, large outages would quickly overcome our capacity to handle calls. No more. Without a doubt, CRC has bettered our member services. If you are looking for a call center partner, you can’t go wrong with CRC.”

Chris Holt, CRC’s president and CEO, is pleased with UCEMC’s feedback and is happy to partner with the utility to provide service excellence to its membership. “We have a great team of employees that work very hard to ensure a smooth transition to our services,” he explained. “Once on board, our dedicated CSRs act as an extension of our membership’s offices, making sure callers are helped with the care and concern they deserve. We’re happy to welcome UCEMC to our membership!”

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 nearly 520 members and associate members in 47 states, representing over 11 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.