17th annual awards will be presented on March 3, 2023, in Las Vegas

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Leading insurtech Zywave has been named a Finalist in two categories in the 17th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program. The two categories Zywave are recognized for are ‘Achievement in the Use of Data & Analytics in Customer Service’ and ‘Best Use of Technology in Customer Service – Computer Industries.’

Zywave_logo (PRNewsfoto/ZYWAVE)

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious American Business Awards® and International Business Awards®.

“I’m incredibly proud of the massive transformation Zywave’s customer support team has undergone over the past couple of years,” said Heather Guntrum, Zywave’s Chief Customer Officer. “Our adoption of best-in-class talent, technology, and process has resulted in best-in-class support and service for our customers, which is our ultimate goal. I want to congratulate and thank our hard-working support team for their commitment to continuous improvement and out-of-the-box thinking.”

As part of a key initiative, Zywave has made significant technology investments over the past few years to support the shift from reactive to proactive support. Some of the technology advancements Zywave adopted include utilizing AI/NLP technology to provide smarter, more proactive and efficient service; launching a 24/7 self-service portal accessible directly from its cloud-based products; and automating its ticketing system to increase efficiency and productivity.

“We are honored to be recognized for our efforts using technology, data and analytics to improve our customer support,” said Zywave Vice President of Customer Support, Emre Tekoglu. “It is a true testament to the determination and dedication of our team, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to serve our customers to the best of our abilities. We will continue to strive for excellence in this area and provide the highest level of customer satisfaction.”

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The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during a gala banquet on Friday, March 3, 2023, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than 400 professionals from across the globe are expected to attend.

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 49 nations and territories, were evaluated in this year’s Stevie Awards competition. Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 170 professionals worldwide, working in seven specialized judging committees.

“2023 Finalists have every reason to be proud of their achievements and the recognition they’ve received from the Stevie judges,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. “We invite every Finalist organization to bring their teams together at the March 3 awards banquet in Las Vegas to celebrate their recognition together.”

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

About Zywave
Zywave leads the insurtech industry, fueling business growth for its partners with cloud-based sales management, client delivery, content and analytics solutions. Zywave’s all-in-one platform provides customizable, user-friendly options that enable insurance professionals to build a unique solution to fit their specific growth goals. More than 15,000 carriers, agencies and brokerages worldwide—including all of the top 100 U.S. insurance brokerages—use Zywave solutions to enhance client services, achieve business growth and promote greater health, wellness, risk management and safety. Additional information can be found at www.zywave.com.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Contact: 
April Larsen
414.918.0547
April.larsen@zywave.com

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A public-private partnership has formed between Republic Services and Larimer County, Colo.

Officials and the company have committed to diverting 50 percent of waste from landfills by 2030. A new landfill will be constructed in the northern part of the county.

Republic acquired locally-owned Gallegos Sanitation just two years ago. It will take on all costs associated with building and operating the new landfill, as well as closing it at the end of its life. The company will split the cost of a recycling center with the county.

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By definition, a truly frictionless customer experience (CX) is unobtainable even though it is the end state every fintech company strives for.

Along the way, the focus falls on providing enhanced experiences that stem from the points of friction identified across the customer journey. In doing so, businesses can improve on the products, processes, and services they deliver.

According to Gartner, this requires fintechs to remove the elements that create unnecessary friction or make it unnecessarily difficult for customers to access products and services. To this end, Gartner repositions the focus on frictionless CX with its aim rather on creating an effortless experience. This is important as it shifts the spotlight from what it calls ‘feel good’ moments that have low impact on loyalty or repeat business. Instead, more attention is put on using CX as the means to secure repeat business while reducing operating costs.

Removing friction

Modern customers expect fintechs to focus as much on the experience they provide as the products and services being offered. An enhanced experience is important because it shows customers that the fintech acknowledges its failures and is working on improving those areas while also removing the elements that can lead to dissatisfaction.

For organisations that get it right, success looks like increasing customer satisfaction, retention, and referrals largely due to making sure pain points are seen, heard, and addressed. This is done by tracking the customer journey, measuring satisfaction, and customer effort. Ensuring that customer sentiment and the voice of the customer are prioritised across the business guarantee bonus points.

Fundamentally, the only way a fintech can remove friction is to ensure its service teams are equipped to assist customers when they do have a problem, query, or complaint.

Channels of engagement

For this to happen, the company must embrace all of the channels within its capabilities to invest in an omnichannel CX. A PWC report found that the number of companies doing this has increased by more than 60% in recent years.

Closer to home, the State of CX in South Africa 2022 report writes that 45% of financial-sector respondents identified seamless omni-channel experience on their channel of choice as the main factor influencing customer satisfaction.

As many as 64% of local fintechs have fully implemented virtual assistants and chatbots or are in the process of doing so as critical enablers of this omnichannel experience. Similarly, 27% of companies in financial services have installed bots on messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, compared to only 7% average in other sectors.

At Mukuru, our purpose is to enable greater degrees of financial inclusion for customers on the African continent – still predominantly cash-based – and globally, which is why we take a tailored approach to customer channels.

Channels such as USSD and WhatsApp perform well across Africa, whereas our app is a more relevant channel for UK customers. We have seen the impact of this strategy with WhatsApp, our biggest transacting customer channel in South Africa, where the proportion of transacting customers have almost doubled in the last three years.

The golden thread running through a successful omnichannel strategy is how best to meet customer expectations. This requires providing the right fintech employees with the tools, systems and processes to effectively support customers. With these in place, the most common points of friction can be addressed.

These include things like resolution time and understanding who the customer really is. In the case of the former, the challenges encompass response times and why the first point of contact might not have the answer. When it comes to the latter, it is about knowing who the individual customer is without having them provide different pieces of information at every engagement point.

Fintechs must therefore be more consistent and remove the frustration of customers repeating the query to every person in the engagement chain or, even worse, having to phone back at a later stage. Furthermore, the value of self-services cannot be ignored as digital-savvy customers might prefer to resolve the common queries they have themselves.

Through all of this, the fintech must have access to fit-for-purpose tools, competent staff, and efficient processes across product lines and platforms.

Continuous journey

One of the biggest mistakes any fintech can make is to assume that creating a frictionless experience is a once-off exercise. As mentioned, becoming frictionless is an end goal that will never be fully realised. Driving this is setting the business up to learn from its past CX mistakes.

To do so requires the process of CX improvements to be formalised and rolled out to all applicable areas of the business. Service staff must be empowered to resolve customer pain points. Additionally, there is a growing need to establish effective self-service solutions where customers become less reliant on human touch points.

Perhaps most crucially, customer success can only be realised by continually monitoring the journey, touchpoints, and the voice of the customer.

All of this can be distilled into initiating a CX project, implementing it, and then iterating as needed. Mukuru has made CX a part of its ethos. This enables the business to continually drive improvements in this space.

Fintechs should strive to make every customer interaction with the business a positive one.

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As we look ahead to 2023, it’s not difficult to see that companies across the globe need to evaluate the upcoming customer experience trends if they want to remain competitive.

This article looks at how customer experience is likely to evolve over the coming year and what action steps companies should consider to set them up for continued success with customers.

What is Customer Experience?

Customer experience (CX) encompasses all aspects of how a customer interacts with a company – it’s about creating a positive relationship between customers and your brand by providing consistency and quality service across all channels. A good CX strategy in today’s world is what boosts customer loyalty, increases brand recognition, and fosters customer engagement.

The Growing Importance of CX

As technology advances, customers are expecting more personalized, efficient experiences when they interact with businesses in all markets, and the waste and recycling industry is no exception. Customers want faster responses, easier ways to get their questions answered, and access to information 24/7.

The customer journey has become more complex as channels like online ordering have grown in popularity — meaning that there are more touchpoints for companies to manage at every intersection. The ability to track customer journeys through these various channels, as well as create systems optimized for responding quickly and accurately to customer requests, is now essential.

And the waste and recycling industry faces some unique challenges in creating customer experience.  Our customers aren’t looking for a drawn-out experience that involves total emersion into a brand. What we offer is simple, or at least it should be to our customers.

They pay us, and we take care of their trash and recycling. That’s it. From a customer’s perspective, that’s as in-depth as the transaction needs to be.

As a result, the best experience we can offer is making it as easy and painless as possible to access our services so that consumers don’t have to give it a second thought afterwards.

The Rise of Economic Modeling

Get ready — because we are about to see a surge of CX teams using economic models. As waste and recycling businesses strive to remain competitive in today’s digital landscape, economic modeling has become an essential tool for developing customer-facing strategies. In the age of big data and artificial intelligence, economic models allow companies to accurately forecast future trends and make informed decisions on how best to optimize their customer experience. By understanding the economic forces that affect customer behavior, our industry can proactively plan for potential disruptions and develop strategies that will help us stay ahead of the curve in 2023.

Simply put, economic models help us understand customer needs, enabling us to better anticipate customer demands and develop customer-centric strategies in preparation for the future. For example, economic models can be used to understand demand elasticity, allowing firms to know when it is profitable to increase or decrease prices based on market conditions – and this plays very well into the seasonality of our business.

Additionally, economic models provide insight into how customers value different features or services offered by a business. This, of course, allows companies to better target promotions surrounding lines of business like roll-off rentals and yard waste collection accordingly.

With this information in hand, businesses are able to adjust their service offerings according to what drives optimal growth and profitability with minimal risk exposure.

Note: If you’ve never built an economic model before and need some help getting started, I found this video to be very helpful.

Data Science Reigns Supreme

Data science is quickly becoming one of the most important areas of study for customer experience management. In 2023 (and beyond), data will be used to identify customer trends, predict customer behavior and inform customer relationships. By leveraging data-driven insights, waste and recycling companies can tailor their strategies to meet individual customer demands as well as understand customer needs on a larger scale.

Data scientists have training on powerful tools that look at predictive analytics, which places them in a unique position to understand consumer behaviors in real-time and develop tailored experiences based on individual needs. And now, with machine learning algorithms, data scientists are also able to identify patterns in customer interactions and use this information to build out experiences that increase engagement, loyalty and retention.

Ultimately, data science enables the waste and recycling industry to create smarter customer experiences, which leads to increased revenue growth over time.

Preparing Your Teams Now

Here are several actions your business should consider in 2023 in order to prepare itself for future CX opportunities:

Create an optimized website: Make sure your website is up-to-date with modern design elements such as responsive layouts, which makes content accessible on any device type. You’ll also want to make sure your page loading times are low so users don’t leave out of frustration due its slow load times. Beyond that, you’ll want to go ahead and study up on user experience and SEO best practices. Websites are no good if customers can’t find and easily navigate through them.

Monitor feedback: Set up feedback mechanisms throughout each stage of the customer journey so you know what areas need improvement immediately following each transaction. Tracking feedback is key in understanding what areas need attention if you want keep up with evolving consumer preferences.

Train staff: Don’t forget about keeping your frontline employees up-to-date on new regulations or software updates they may need extra training on — this helps prevent misunderstandings and costly mistakes down the line. This type of gap in efficiency or accuracy is exactly what will cause the customers of 2023 to choose a competitor.

As we look ahead at expected trends surrounding CX, now is the time invest our resources wisely. The importance of creating an effective customer strategy before everyone else catches up cannot be understated, but it’s equally important not forget old fashioned, community-centric engagement and touchpoints that made our industry charming to begin with. Those who take proactive steps now — whether it’s deploying robotics process automation (RPA) or just getting more involved in local charities and events — will surely benefit from higher satisfaction rates among stakeholders in 2023 and beyond.

 

Brianna Langley Henderson is a customer experience strategist with over seven years of experience working in CX, marketing, and public relations. She currently works as a Regional CX Strategist at Waste Connections. In this role, she speaks at several internal company conferences each year, and has been featured in prominent customer experience publications such as CMSWire. When she’s not busy monitoring and tailoring customer experiences, Brianna can be found spending time outdoors with her family or enjoying a good book.

The best way to connect with her is through LinkedIn.”

 

 

Editor’s Note: Do you have an opinion or article you would like to share with Waste360 readers? Send an e-mail to [email protected]

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Getting an MBA as a CPA is wise if you want to advance your career. It not only teaches you how to perform various tasks but also prepares you for today’s fast-paced business environment.

Networking Opportunities

Getting a CPA and MBA can help you increase your visibility in the field, improve your management skills and build better relationships with other business professionals. You may also have the opportunity to participate in networking events, which will improve your chances of finding a job, hiring a business collaborator, or discovering a new sales strategy.

You may be surprised by how much information you can obtain through networking. This is because there are many online platforms for networking, including LinkedIn, Meetaway, Twitter, and social networking sites. These websites can be used to find out what companies want from a prospective hire. You can also learn about new sales techniques and competitors’ marketing strategies.

The best part about networking is connecting with people from all walks of life. You can network with co-workers, former teachers, and other alumni to get an insider’s view of the industry. The connections you make can also lead to future opportunities. They can also provide advice on how to advance your career.

Prepares You For Constant Changing Business Environment

Whether you’re an aspiring CPA or just looking to make the leap from small business to large enterprise, you may have questions about the best route. In short, MBA as a CPA can be a smart move. For one thing, you’ll be in a better position to tackle the thorny business administration issues. The degree also gives you the know-how to build a successful partnership, which is a smart way.

In short, you will be armed with the tools needed to succeed in the financial industry. In addition to a solid education, you will learn the ins and outs of business management and finance. You’ll also be introduced to the latest management concepts and theories. You’ll have the opportunity to network with other grads in your same field and peers in the business.

You’ll get the chance to put your skills to the test by assisting in financial analysis and reporting. You’ll also be exposed to the latest marketing and customer service trends. This is all in a safe and supportive environment.

Cost of an MBA vs. a CPA

Whether you’re looking for a higher-paying job or a way to advance your career, the cost of an MBA vs. a CPA can be an important decision. For example, a CPA will be a better option if you’re looking to start a business. However, an MBA can be a great option for those who want to expand their skills in management and strategy.

Both programs require a bachelor’s degree. But MBAs can be completed in as little as one year, while CPA programs take a full year. In addition to providing a broad understanding of business topics, an MBA can give you advanced financial analysis, management, and strategy skills. You can also network with other professionals in the industry. This can be extremely helpful when you’re seeking new employment.

The cost of an MBA versus. a certificate depends on your school and location. Typically, an MBA will be more expensive than a CPA. This is because a CPA usually includes the cost of the CPA exam. Some MBA programs offer discounts to CPAs.

Salary

Both an MBA and a CPA can lead to profitable employment, but their earning potential varies. The average starting income for MBA graduates in 2020 is expected to be $79,043 per year, according to compensation forecasts by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). However, it depends on the state, the experience, and the type of MBA obtained.

Different CPAs have varying income potentials. The average yearly salary for accountants and auditors is $71,550, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, CPAs with more experience can earn more; those with 20 years of expertise could make up to $150,000 per year.

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Marks the fifth consecutive year Adaptiva has been named a finalist in this award program.

Adaptiva logo

Adaptiva logo

KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adaptiva was named a Finalist today in the Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software – Up to 100 Employees, and Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year – Technology Industries categories in the 17th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in each of the categories.

Adaptiva’s customer success team has maintained a stunning 100% customer satisfaction for more than 52 months straight and has steadily improved already impressive response rates to an average of just 22 minutes. The team is made up of highly skilled and experienced professionals, many of which are former customers, who are dedicated to ensuring that every customer receives the highest level of service and support.

“On behalf of Adaptiva and my co-leader in EMEA, Andy McDonald, we are honored to receive this award and to be recognized for the hard work and dedication of our customer success teams across North America and EMEA,” said Tom Gibson, Sr. Director of Customer Success, US for Adaptiva. “Our customers are the heart of our business, and we will continue to strive for excellence in everything we do to ensure that they are completely satisfied with our products and services.”

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 49 nations and territories, were evaluated in this year’s competition. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during a gala banquet on Friday, March 3, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“2023 Finalists have every reason to be proud of their achievements and the recognition they’ve received from the Stevie judges,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. “We invite every Finalist organization to bring their teams together at the March 3 awards banquet in Las Vegas to celebrate their recognition together.”

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Learn more about Adaptiva at its website, adaptiva.com. Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

About Adaptiva
Adaptiva’s autonomous endpoint management applications fill capability gaps of leading unified endpoint management platforms for Windows. Autonomous Patch intelligently automates the entire software patching process from identification to enterprise-wide deployment for Windows devices. Endpoint Health’s automated health checks and remediations maintain compliance and health of Windows devices in enterprise environments. OneSite Anywhere instantly distributes software and content to any Windows device in any location with a single server. Learn more about how Adaptiva’s applications ensure your Windows devices remain healthy, productive and secure at adaptiva.com.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Contact Information:
Andy Tolton
Sr. Director, Corporate Marketing
andy.tolton@adaptiva.com
+14256812770

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Done well, content marketing helps businesses build brand awareness, increase visibility, and generate more leads—ultimately driving sales and growth. Yet, many businesses struggle with their content marketing.

It takes a ton of effort to create great content that provides value to audiences and delivers on your KPIs. And although you may be focused on creating quality content, inevitably some critical mistakes end up diminishing the impact you want to have.

To harness the full power of your B2B content marketing, here are the five biggest mistakes you need to avoid.

Mistake #1: Lack of a Content Strategy

Fully 64% of the most successful B2B content marketers have a documented content strategy, compared with just 19% who do among the least successful.

In the absence of a strategy, most businesses tend to create content that has inconsistent messaging and confuses audiences. When that happens, you lose your prospects early in the customer journey, without gaining any tangible benefits from your content marketing efforts.

A well-defined content strategy for achieving your organization’s goals can help you create content that reaches the right audience at the right time to move them down the marketing and sales funnel.

Keep in mind that every content piece you create must have a specific objective attached to it. But don’t try to tick all the boxes with one piece; that will only weaken its effectiveness.

For your content to be most effective, ask yourself what purpose it serves. Is it to generate leads and build engagement, enhance brand reputation, increase keyword presence?

Based on your “why,” choose an appropriate “how” to begin with your content creation:

Mistake #2: Limited Access to the Right Resources

Let’s face it: Creating content—from coming up with a good idea to bringing it to life—is challenging. A lot of research and expertise is required.

Often, content creators do not have the time, resources, and capabilities to create in-depth content on their own. The result is a half-baked write-up that does increase your asset quantity but fails to add value for readers.

Access to the right resources is crucial for content marketing. Having a knowledge bank can help.

You knowledge bank might include…

• A content matrix of published resources that can be used for interlinking
• A content repository that can help in creating new content on a topic
• Subject-matter experts’ insights for technical information and accuracy
• Brand guidelines and position on a specific topic

Content marketers should also have access to one of the most effective sources of content inspiration: their own customers.

“Content teams should be as close to the customer as the rest of the marketing team—listening to sales/customer service calls, taking part in customer interviews, and reviewing customers’ own content”, says Bethan Vincent, Fractional CMO at Open Velocity. “The insight gathered from these activities is invaluable to creating content that is actually going to resonate with someone.”

Mistake #3: Little Reusability or Distribution

Creating content with a one-and-done approach is another mistake that many content marketers make. If you create only new content and forget about your old assets, you are missing out on a big opportunity.

Content repurposing helps you do more with less. By converting your existing content into diverse content formats, you can increase its shelf-life.

For example, you can compile your similar topic blog posts into an e-book, turn podcasts into blog posts, create video content from written content, and convert case studies into articles or infographics.

You also need to diversify your distribution. A typical content marketing funnel focuses mostly on generating leads and works this way:

1. You publish content on the website.
2. To attract website visits, you promote the content link on various platforms.
3. Clicking on the link takes audiences to your webpage.

However, the problem is that people hardly click on the links you share. They don’t like leaving their current content ecosystem to go elsewhere for a single piece of content you shared.

So, you need to play by their rules and tailor your content according to the platform they are on. Instead of sharing blog post links, repurpose them into Twitter threads with key takeaways, or turn that blog post into a video and share it on Instagram for higher engagement.

Mistake #4: Poor SEO Strategy

If you focus too much on keyword optimization in your content without accounting for search intent, you are actually hurting your SEO results.

Let’s understand this idea with an example. Say you create a blog post titled “Benefits of e-commerce website development” and optimize it for a high-volume keyword such as “e-commerce website development” to rank on SERPs.

In this case, your content is informational while your keyword is transactional. So, even if you do manage to rank for it, you won’t get the right kind of traffic because someone searching for “e-commerce website development” is likely looking to invest in a service, whereas your content is telling them its benefits.

In the age of semantic search, context is the key to your SEO strategy. Therefore, instead of embarking on keyword research to create SEO-friendly content, think first of your ideal customers. Zero in on the problem they are trying to solve with their search that uses a specific keyword. Then create comprehensive content around that intent for better chances of ranking in the search engine’s context-focused results.

“With search getting smarter, your content’s No. 1 priority is to be contextually relevant to the end-users,” says Alok Ramsisaria, CEO of Grazitti Interactive. “The content must empathize with the audiences in every way possible, to gain trust and brand authority that’ll help rank high on SERPs and build long-term relationships as well.”

Mistake #5: Not Enough Performance Tracking

Content marketing is all about persuading your audience to take the action you want them to take. However, without looking at the data, there’s no way of knowing what’s working and what’s not.

To determine the success of your content marketing, you need to track the right metrics that align with your content goals.

Here are some common metrics you should track for each stage of the content marketing funnel:

Review your content marketing performance regularly, and on the basis of what you find…

• Double-down on the type of content that’s performing better than expected
• Cut down the type of content that isn’t working to focus on other initiatives

From time to time, also analyze your competitors’ content and the latest market trends to update your content strategy and keep things interesting.

* * *

There are a lot of ways to get your B2B content marketing wrong. Avoiding the five serious mistakes in this article will help you create a successful content marketing program that produces desired results.

However, once you’ve figured out your content marketing approach, don’t limit yourself—expand beyond it. Keep experimenting with your content to explore new opportunities and audiences. Being receptive to new ideas is the hallmark of a future-proof content marketer.

More Resources on Content Marketing Mistakes

Top 10 Content Marketing Strategy Mistakes, and How to Correct Them (Part 1 of 3)

These Mistakes Can Make Your Content Marketing an Epic Failure (but You Can Avoid Them)

Three Reasons Most Content Marketing Fails, and What to Do About Them

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After a year-long News10NBC investigation, New York State regulators will come to Rochester to hear from frustrated RG&E customers. 

If you’re one of the thousands of people who have run into billing and customer service issues with RG&E or NYSEG, investigators from the New York State Department of Public Service want to hear from you. 

The NYSDPS will hold the public hearings in Rochester on Tuesday, February 7 from 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Rochester City Hall in Council Chambers. 

They will also hold public comment sessions in Binghamton on Wednesday, February 8 from 1-3 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. at the Binghamton State Office Building, First Floor Conference Room and in Somers on February 1 from 1-3 p.m. or 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Hills Society.

For customers who are unable to appear in person, there are also two virtual public meeting opportunities to provide your comments. Both are being held on Tuesday, Jan. 31st. Information on how to sign up to speak is below:

1. VIRTUAL: Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 

• Time: 1:00 p.m. Electronic Access: www.webex.com 
• Event number: 2343 229 4895 
• Event password: Jan31-1pm 
• Phone-only Access: 518-549-0050 
• Access code: 2343 229 4895 

1. Date: Monday, January 31, 2023 

• Time: 6:00 p.m. Electronic Access: www.webex.com 
• Event number: 2333 158 8627
• Event password: Jan31-6pm 
• Phone-only Access: 518-549-0050 
• Access code: 2333 158 8627 

Any person wishing to provide public comment on the record at the virtual forums must pre-register by noon on January 30, 2023. To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide comment and will log in to a virtual forum electronically may register at www.webex.com and then click “Join A Meeting” at the top right-hand corner of the screen and enter the appropriate event number listed above and provide all requested information. To register by phone: Any participant who is unable to participate electronically may participate by phone.

Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330 and providing the requested information. On the date and time of the virtual forums, electronic participants should visit www.webex.com and enter the MATTER 23-00068 -5- appropriate event login number.

All call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the relevant access code listed above. Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the DPS’ Human Resources Management Office at (518)474-2520 as soon as possible.

TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals that may need a language accommodation are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment: For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at a public forum, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to Matter 23-00068, NYSEG/RG&E Billing Investigation. Via Internet or mail: The Department of Public Service will launch a dedicated comment form on www.dps.ny.gov by January 31, 2023.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, New York State Department of Public Service, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223- 1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission in this matter and may be accessed on the Department’s website in Matter 23-00068.

Toll-free Opinion Line: Comments may be submitted by calling the Department of Public Service’s Opinion Line at 1- 800-335-2120. This number is designed to take comments about pending matters from in-state callers 24 hours a day.

These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission. MATTER 23-00068 -6- Filing a Consumer Complaint If you wish to file a complaint about your utility service, you may contact DPS at www.dps.ny.gov/complaints, 1- 800-342-3377 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) or by writing to Office of Consumer Services, 3 Empire State Plaza, 4th Floor, Albany, New York 12223. Please include as much information as possible with your complaint.

More about billing issues with RG&E:

Originally Appeared Here:

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Despite a year-long News10NBC Investigation and assurances from the CEO of RG&E that things are turning around, the billing and customer service issues at the utility continue.

Over the course of the last few weeks, the number of complaints coming into the News10NBC newsroom has skyrocketed again. Many of them are from customers who either haven’t gotten a bill from RG&E in the last few months or from those who’ve received multiple bills in one month with different balances. 

“In mid-2022, all of the sudden it started to become erratic,” says Bill Dillion of his RG&E bills. 

He’s on a budget billing plan which means he is supposed to pay the same amount monthly but that hasn’t been the case for months and recently things went from bad to worse. 

“I’ve tried to be patient through this process but when I got three bills in January that really kind of broke the ice for me, I wasn’t going to just be quiet anymore,” Dillion tells News10NBC. 

Dillion received separate bills from RG&E on Jan. 9, 11 and 17.

“Three bills in January all with different previous invoice amounts, and all with different balances due and none of them reflecting the fact that I had already paid an amount on Jan. 5,” he says.

He’s worried things aren’t getting much better at RG&E, and so is Tom Yandow, who has been trying to get service turned on at his new apartment.

“I’m trying to give them business and I can’t even get ahold of them,” Yandow tells News10NBC. “I mean what’s wrong with that picture? I’ve called the last five business days, at various times and waited anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to either be disconnected when somebody does answer the phone or to hang up from frustration of waiting.”

After News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke reached out to RG&E on Yandow’s behalf, a customer service representative contacted him in less than an hour.

“It’s only because you did that, that I got a call back from Kelly from RG&E,” he told Lewke. Once Yandow connected with the customer service representative, his issue was resolved within 10 minutes. 

 The RG&E customer service rep apologized for the delay and explained that call volumes are high because the experienced reps are still training on the new billing system and the new employees are still going through initial training. 

“I appreciate your help,” Yandow told the representative before hanging up. “It’s too bad that I had to call the news station to have them contact somebody to have somebody get back to me, but thank God they did or I’d still be on hold.”

In a statement on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for RG&E told News10NBC, “We continue to stress how RG&E, following severe COVID impacts, is adding hundreds of new staff to the more than 800 workers in Rochester alone, combatting rising supply rates by providing millions of dollars in relief to customers impacted by increase in rates set by out of state energy suppliers, suspending late payment charges, and since 2019 invested over $11 million in economic development. RG&E continues to make significant improvements to customer service to continue to provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy to Rochester residents.”

The New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) and the DPS Consumer Advocate, will hold a virtual public forum on Tuesday, January 31, and an in-person public forum on Tuesday, February 7th to receive public comments regarding alleged delayed or erroneous billing, delayed or inaccurate meter reading, and customer service problems affecting customers RG&E. 

The NYSDPS says it has seen a significant increase in complaints against the company and a deterioration in customer service performance metrics in 2022, especially since August 2022. Among other issues, customers have reported high, inaccurate, or delayed bills, which they assert are inordinately based on estimated meter readings. These problems have been compounded by the inability of customers to reach the companies’ customer service representatives by telephone without substantial delay. 

The in-person public hearings will be held Tuesday, February 7th from 1-3 pm and 6-8 pm at Rochester City Hall, inside Council Chambers at 30 Church Street.  

The virtual public hearings will be held on Tuesday, January 31st:

VIRTUAL:

DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 2023

TIME: 1:00 p.m.

Electronic Access: www.webex.com

Event Number:     2343 229 4895

Event Password: Jan31-1pm

Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500

Access Code: 2343 229 4895

VIRTUAL:

DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 2023

TIME:  6:00 p.m.

Electronic Access: www.webex.com

Event Number:     2333 158 8627

Event Password: Jan31-6pm

Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500

Access Code: 2333 158 8627

Any person wishing to provide public comment on the record at the virtual forums must pre-register by noon on January 30, 2023.

To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide comment and will log in to a virtual forum electronically may register at www.webex.com and then click “Join A Meeting” at the top right-hand corner of the screen and enter the appropriate event number listed above and provide all requested information.

To register by phone: Any participant who is unable to participate electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330 and providing the requested information.

On the date and time of the virtual forums, electronic participants should visit www.webex.com and enter the appropriate event login number. All call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the relevant access code listed above.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the DPS’ Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711.

Individuals that may need a language accommodation are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment:

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at a public forum, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to Matter 23-00068, NYSEG/RG&E Billing Investigation.

Via Internet or mail: The Department of Public Service will launch a dedicated comment form on www.dps.ny.gov by January 31, 2023. Alternatively, comments may be mailed to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, New York State Department of Public Service, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission in this matter and may be accessed on the Department’s website in Matter 23-00068.

Toll-free Opinion Line: Comments may be submitted by calling the Department of Public Service’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is designed to take comments about pending matters from in-state callers 24 hours a day. These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.

Filing a Consumer Complaint 

If you wish to file a complaint about your utility service, you may contact DPS at www.dps.ny.gov/complaints, 1-800-342-3377 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) or by writing to Office of Consumer Services, 3 Empire State Plaza, 4th Floor, Albany, New York 12223. Please include as much information as possible with your complaint.

More about billing issues with RG&E:

Originally Appeared Here:

Auto dealers have been on a bumpy ride over the past few years. As supply chain disruptions continue to impact inventory, the industry is experiencing permanent shifts in auto retailing. Today, up to 75% of vehicles are sold before they hit dealer lots,1 so customers are traveling further for their vehicles, and, as a result, customer loyalty—especially long-term loyalty—is at a six-year low.2 Meanwhile, advertising strategies are not always keeping up.

And while dealers are seeing record profits due to scarcity, allowing for them to maximize MSRP or even go beyond it, the future is somewhat uncertain. How do these less frequent, higher sales translate into long term profitability? And, how many of these transactions are leading to loyal customers?

The challenges facing auto dealers are changing and as a result, their marketing strategies must evolve. Many dealers who have spent years racing to the bottom of the marketing funnel have discovered that those tactics alone won’t nurture their customers in the long run or bring them back for service and other future needs.

In 2023, effective auto advertising needs to be about more than just the immediate sale. The auto advertisers that win now and in the future are the ones that are focused on driving lifetime value.

Originally Appeared Here