City Of Phoenix Customer Service Reps Make Over 28,000 Calls To Help Customers During Coronavirus

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

November 25, 2020

Customer service is often overlooked until it's needed. This year, the City of Phoenix City Services customer service was needed more than ever. Deborah Doss is the Treasury Collections Supervisor for Phoenix Water customer service and has been with the city for 16 years, 10 of those years have been with the Water Services Department.

The majority of Doss' career has been in collections, working for a private company before she started with the city. She now leads a team of customer service representatives who work with customers to collect outstanding payment on their water, trash, and sewer (City Services) bill.

Prior to the ongoing pandemic, Doss, and her team of five customer service representatives' primary role was to collect payment on outstanding bills. When 2020 changed everything for everyone, Doss and her team transitioned to helping customers find financial relief through the CARES Act.

Customers are still encouraged to pay any amount possible towards their monthly bill, but with the CARES ACT, customers have options to help find some relief with outstanding payments. Doss' staff educates customers on the CARES Act and assists them with enrolling in payment plans, allowing customers to remain in good standing.

The CARES Act appropriated $150 billion to State, Local and Tribal government to alleviate the financial impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. The City of Phoenix received a small portion of this funding. The money allotted to the city was made available to customers – through residential and commercial assistance programs - to pay their City Services bill in hopes of relieving stress for city of Phoenix customers. Doss' team took the lead on calling customers with outstanding accounts, to inform them of the dollars available and instructions on how to apply.

“People repeatedly call in and say they lost their job; they don't know what's going to happen and I'm here to help them" Doss said. “Customers are crying and scared. They don't know how they're going to get by, and our team is there to offer hope. We don't like to rush the calls."

“The work our customer service representatives are doing is essential in assuring the public health benefits of our water systems and solid waste disposal. Without it, the good work of Water Services and Public Works couldn't get done," said Assistant Director, Holly Rosenthal of Phoenix Water.

Doss and her team's dedication to getting the word out about the financial relief led to them make over 28,601 calls from July - October 2020. Doss' 'How can I help the customer?' attitude has come a long way in helping city of Phoenix customers find hope in a time when things seem so uncertain.

It is important for the staff to reach as many people as they can. Having Spanish speaking staff available to assist the significant Latino population in Phoenix, went a long way to reach an audience that may not have been able to connect otherwise.

The work the customer service staff is doing is ongoing, as the effects of the pandemic still linger. Their essential work has been supported by the City of Phoenix and due to the nature of the work, teleworking was not an option for Doss and her staff. The City of Phoenix issued a city-wide mask mandate, installed plexiglass to help create physical distance for employees, and provided hand sanitizer and masks. Some of the employees were relocated to different facilities to give, at minimum, six feet of distance.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.