KIUC to Bolster Customer Support Services

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s members will soon benefit from additional customer support when reporting outages after-hours.

Whenever an outage occurs, members are encouraged to check KIUC’s outage map (www.kiuc.coop/outage-center) or the KIUC Facebook page to confirm that KIUC is aware of the outage. “If you see your outage listed on either of these sources you can be assured we are aware and are responding and there is no need to call us,” says KIUC’s Member Services and Communications Manager, Beth Amaro. 

If members don’t see their outage listed on either of these sources, they are encouraged to call 808.246.4300 to make a report. Amaro emphasizes “in an emergency event such as a downed power line, or fire on or near utility property you should always call us directly or call 911.”

As of Wednesday, October 1, KIUC will contract with Cooperative Response Center (CRC), a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center providing support to rural electric utilities, to accept these calls after hours and on weekends. 

Currently, after-hours calls for outage notifications and emergencies are routed to personnel at the Port Allen Generating Station. “Our workers at Port Allen do a commendable job dealing with after-hours calls. However, we have very limited after-hours staff and when outages occur, the calls can sometimes delay their ability to resolve the outage,” says KIUC’s Chief of Operations, Brad Rockwell. 

When the CRC service goes live on October 1, members reporting outages or emergencies outside of normal business hours will be connected to the CRC call center, where representatives can address concerns. “The CRC agents will be able to monitor our system to confirm known outages or report new outages to our power plant personnel,” says Rockwell. “This will ensure no call is missed and our power plant operators can focus on critical operational needs during these periods.”

Amaro says keeping your contact information updated is crucial. If you are calling from a phone number KIUC has on file, your call automatically will sync with your account information, considerably shortening the CRC response time. She also noted that CRC agents are located on the continental United States and over time will become more familiar with place names on Kaua‘i. “We appreciate our members’ patience as CRC works to provide the best possible service to KIUC.”

Routine matters such as setting up accounts, billing questions, account payments, and other general inquiries will continue to be addressed by KIUC’s member services personnel during regular business hours. 

“This is an important safety enhancement to ensure members can notify us of power-related and safety issues at all hours of the day without delay,” says Amaro. 

“Keeping you informed, especially when outages occur, is vitally important for us at KIUC,” says Amaro. Feedback on the CRC service is encouraged, and can be sent to info@kiuc.coop.

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