At Your Service

Walking into the Granbury office, or any United office for that matter, members are immediately welcomed by United’s front line team of communicators—member service representatives (MSRs) stationed in the lobby.

Among the mix of Granbury MSRs on this day is Chrissy Cain, a busy mother of three. Her lively personality shines through as she eagerly attends to members as they come in or, in the absence of helping members who visit the office, she is constantly responding to member service needs by phone.  

 “I love getting to help members with the process of setting up new services and being able to lead them in the right direction for financial assistance with bills,” she says. “It’s my favorite part of the job.”

More and more, requests for help in paying higher electric bills has become a trend in those member service relationships due to surging temperatures, increased kWh usage, and rising natural gas prices that fuel higher energy costs.

“MSRs are working harder than ever to manage the high call volume and answer members’ questions, and to help guide them through this difficult time,” says Cain.

Accessibility to knowledgeable employees and responsiveness to members’ needs are key to United’s mission to provide exceptional service and value to its membership.
To make sure this goal is met, the cooperative currently operates from seven office locations throughout United’s service territory that are staffed with MSRs like Cain who are ready to assist members in person and over the phone.  

An Empathetic Ear

Cain says she and 27 fellow MSRs try to help members navigate through difficult times by staying aware of current developments within a changing economy, rising energy and fuel prices, as well as cost-saving methods members can employ to improve energy efficiency in their homes.

When Cain receives calls regarding higher bills, she says she aims to help educate them not only about how to lower their usage, but also on what is causing the increased costs.

“I explain to them first that the extreme heat we have been experiencing is driving up their electric usage, which is increasing their bill,” she says. “As for the overall cost of energy, I try to educate members about how natural gas prices affect costs for wholesale energy that United purchases and delivers to members without markup. I also remind them the cooperative is a not-for-profit distribution utility, so the increase in electric costs isn’t benefitting United.”

Cain says that after explaining the reasons for the increase, members are usually understanding. However, if they want more in depth information, Cain directs them to our website where they can get a better understanding of why power prices fluctuate.

Each day, MSRs respond to an average of 40-60 calls, or attend to the 40-50 members who come to cooperative offices in person. In addition to answering questions about billing, providing energy solutions and establishing accounts, MSRs field the surge of phone calls that flow in when there are wildfires, storms and other outage events.

Cain says she has empathy for members in any situation.

“I try to put myself in their shoes so I can relate to them and understand where they’re coming from,” Cain says. “I know that it’s frustrating for them, but I let them know that our operation crews are out there working hard in the heat or cold to get things fixed as safely and quickly as possible. I also try to assure our members we will restore their power.

“The most important thing during those types of calls is to focus on obtaining as much information about the member’s service as possible so that we can route correct information to our System Operations team, who will direct our crews to the location and get them on their way.”

A Helping Hand

In United’s Cleburne office, MSR Cassidy Van Zandt works just as tirelessly behind the front desk to serve members. The wife and mother of a toddler says she personally understands the struggles caused by the recent increase in the cost of living.

“I know it’s hard right now with bills being so high, and I feel for members and want to help them in any way I can,” she says.

Van Zandt also is receiving an influx of calls regarding higher power costs during the recent heat wave, and she regularly explains to members how higher temps mean air conditioning systems have to work harder and longer to maintain desired indoor air temperatures.

“I always address their AC system first because that’s where the majority of their usage is probably coming from during this time of unprecedented heat,” she says. “We give them energy efficiency tips and offer free energy audits. Lately, we have helped many members through Texas Neighborhood Services, which is an organization supported through the co-op’s Operation Round Up program.”

Operation Round Up gives members the option to round up their bill to the nearest dollar to assist members in need.

Van Zandt says she didn’t know much about delivering electricity before working at United. Now she says she learns something new almost every day.

“I have learned a lot since being here, and I understand that bill fluctuations can be confusing for the members,” she says. “This is why I stay open and honest about explaining everything. I want to be very detailed and upfront with members when I interact with them.”

In her time at United, she has experienced managing phone calls during all situations, including the recent wildfires in Glen Rose and all throughout the service territory. She makes a point of being patient and calm during these types of stressful situations as she considers it one of the most important aspects of the job.

“While it can be tough to provide an exact estimate of how long an outage will last because situations can change once crews are on site, we have a lot of internal communication constantly going on to keep us updated,” she says. “We share that information straight with the members as we receive it. We focus on letting members speak first and express their concerns, and then we assure members that we are doing everything we can to get the power back on as soon as possible.”

Managing Member Services

Member Services Manager Gynger Gossett said that all United MSRs understand that economic challenges and outage situations trigger hardships for many members, which is why member service representatives work diligently to help members understand all of their options and what they can do to lessen the struggles they are facing.

Gossett started as an MSR 26 years ago. And while a lot has changed since then, her passion for what she does and her dedication to serve members remains the same.

“Our MSRs truly care about our members and try their hardest to find ways to help them during difficult times,” she says. “They educate the members on payment options, arrangements and budget billing among other measures, and that extra help turns out to be a blessing for many members. Our member service representatives are at the forefront as trusted energy advisors—keeping members up to speed on everything going on with the cooperative and the energy industry.”

As a service-oriented organization that is member-owned, United employees recognize how crucial it is to stay informed so they can meet the membership’s needs. Cain says she’s taken her training to heart, which is why she and the other MSRs are always prepared to give members the answers they need.

“When members are frustrated, we want to help them understand what’s going on,” Cain says. “So, I just think of it as how I would want to be treated if I had a question. I’ll call everyone in the department or whatever it takes until I can get them an answer.”