This week is Customer Service week, a celebration of excellent customer service from companies across the country, and PSEG Long Island is joining the party. We recently expanded our customer services to include social media, which helps us better serve our customers across Long Island and the Rockaways.
The team responds to questions about billing, outages, MyAccount, and more on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. They’re available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
We chatted with two of our customer service reps about the most rewarding parts of their job, favorite memories with customers, and more.
Name: Lorraine B.
Title: Social Media Supervisor
Hometown: Franklin Square
Previous line of work / college major: Billing Analyst/Marketing
Why customer service?
I’ve been in customer service for almost 10 years. Before PSEG Long Island, I was a customer service representative for National Grid. I genuinely enjoy turning around a customer experience by helping a customer resolve an issue.
What’s the most rewarding thing about working with our customers? When we’re able to help one of our customers, it’s something we do because that’s the nature of the business we work in. With social media, when a customer thanks us publicly, their meaningful words are appreciated and the thank you is that much more rewarding.
What’re the most common types of questions you get?
We get a lot of questions about how customers are able to report an outage, make billing payments or general questions about their account. We handle each inquiry as if the customer were reaching out to us in the call center. Most customer service requests can be handled socially, either on our wall or offline in messenger. Certain account scenarios may require speaking with a representative, and at that time we would refer them to the call center.
What’s your favorite memory of working with a customer?
Shortly after I took my position as one of the social media supervisors, a customer posted on our wall that a cat had gotten stuck high up in the tree in her front yard. She was getting no help from the fire department or ASPCA. I reached out to the town’s fire department and explained how the post was public and that other customers from their town were commenting and asking if help was on the way. Shortly after I got off the phone with the fire department, they called me back advising that they were sending a truck to the location and asked me to let the customer know. Turns out, the cat was actually her pet. The customer posted a picture of the cat on our wall, thanking the social media team for helping bring her cat home safe and sound.
How do you think social media has helped us / you better serve our customers? Social media is the future of customer service. People today want answers even faster than they did, just five years ago. We’re given time to reach out to various departments without having to put customers on hold while looking for the answer. Being able to speak to our customers virtually allows us to not only answer faster, but more efficiently.
If you could tell our customers one thing, what would it be?
Follow us! The social media team is available to answer your inquires. We’re customers just like yourselves, here to help make your customer experience a great one.
Name: Alex C.
Title: Social Media Analyst
Hometown: Shoreham, NY
Previous line of work: Marketing Supervisor at Total Graphics
Why customer service?
Every job I’ve ever had involved working with customers. I have always enjoyed working one-on-one and going the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.
What’s the most rewarding thing about working with our customers?
Being able to help our customers when they need it the most. It’s important for our customers to know we are here to help, no matter what the issue is. Most customers who reach out to us are not aware we can help with most issues though social media. They are usually surprised and very appreciative, when we resolve them without them having to make a phone call.
What’re the most common types of questions you get?
We receive a lot of questions on how to report an outage. Some customers are not aware they can report it socially and get updates about the outage. This also gives us an opportunity to share other ways they can report an outage, such as online with our outage map or by text.
What’s your favorite memory of working with a customer?
I am fortunate enough to have many great experiences with our customers. One involved a customer who messaged us about a new pole that was being installed in front of their house. They were worried the support wire was being installed to close to where their kids play. We were able to reach out to the supervisor who was at the location and made them aware of the situation. We worked with the customer and made sure the support wire was installed in a safe location. The customer was very appreciative that we were able to help them so quickly.
How do you think social media has helped us / you better serve our customers?
Social media is a convenient way for customers to reach out to us regarding any questions with your account or service. You can message us at your convenience and get a quick response from our team.
If you could tell our customers one thing, what would it be?
We are here for you! Whether it’s a question about your bill, or an issue with your service, our social media team is here to provide assistance seven days week!
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