Sep 28, 2020 | Customer Service
This year and the Coronavirus have brought on many new challenges for our communities. Since March, and the start of this global pandemic, we’ve connected with our customers millions of times. We knew our customers would depend on – and we delivered.
Here’s how we did it:
Over 6 million web self-service transactions — Doing business through our website accounts for the largest chunk of customer contacts. And why not? You can do so many things, including managing your account, applying for a payment agreement, learning great energy efficiency tips, and more.
Roughly 933,000 self-service transactions through our automated phone system — You can make a payment, report an outage, and even transfer your electric service in a few short minutes with our automated system.
Over 375,000 phone calls — Calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL is still a popular option among customers. Our representatives are always willing to help and give you the information you need, whether it’s about your bill, shopping for a supplier or updating your account preferences.
About 1,300 social media responses— Did you know we answer customer questions on Facebook and Twitter? We have a dedicated team ready to respond … and share the occasional WFH pet photos.
More than 3,600 chat interactions – Our dedicated chat agents are available to answer your questions as you navigate our website.
These numbers demonstrate our commitment to providing a remarkable experience, regardless of your preferred channel. Our goal is to make it as convenient as possible for you to conduct business with us- when and where you choose.
Whatever the remainder of 2020 throws our way – we’ll be here for you.
Jun 29, 2020 | Customer Service
We deliver electricity to a wide range of residential and business customers throughout Pennsylvania. However, our large power customers, such as national and industrial accounts, have unique questions and issues that require personalized support. That’s why we have an outstanding team of Key Account Managers to offer the service they need.
Each of our Key Account Managers (KAMs) supports large businesses in one of eight regions across our territory. Not only do they serve as liaisons and advisors for coordinating major projects, they also provide solutions to various customer issues including emergency or planned outages, billing and metering questions, service projects and real estate. Ultimately, they’ll help you run your businesses safely, efficiently and successfully.
Here’s a list of our KAMs and the regions they support.
If you’re a mid-sized business in one of these regions, you’re also entitled to personalized support. Contact our Business Accounts team by emailing businessaccounts@pplweb.com or calling 1-888-220-9991 and selecting option 4 to discuss your account.
Lastly, we’re always here to support our entrepreneurs and small business customers. You can find resources by visiting our website or calling 1-800-342-5775.
Feb 8, 2019 | Safety and Security
Scammers never sleep. Their targets are many, including electric utility customers.
Utilities across the U.S. are in constant battle with these thieves who try to fleece their customers. Don’t let it happen to you.
A common theme of scammers is threatening to disconnect power immediately if payment is not made, usually via a prepaid debit card. If you’re a PPL Electric Utilities customer, we want you to know that’s not how we do business.
We’ll give plenty of notice when there’s a possible risk of shutoff, and we don’t pressure anyone to use specific payment methods. We try to work with all customers to help them maintain uninterrupted service.
One recent scam report involved our current meter replacement project. We’re replacing our meters to better serve you and to comply with state energy-efficiency law regulations. We don’t demand immediate payment for the new meters and threaten to shut off your power. Meter project costs are being recovered over time through a charge on customer bills.
Remember, you can always check your account status by logging on at pplelectric.com or calling us at 1-800-DIAL-PPL. If you get a suspicious or threatening call that claims to come from another company – like a utility or a bank – do the same thing: Hang up and contact the company directly using a trusted method, like the phone number on your monthly statement, or a website you know belongs to that company.
Working together, we can stop these scammers from causing financial loss and heartache.
Jul 2, 2018 | Customer Service
You asked for more convenience. We’re delivering with new two-way texting. It makes doing business with PPL faster and easier than ever!
Paying your bill or reporting an outage is now as simple as sending a text message. You can also use two-way texting to find out when your bill is due and how much you owe, or to check the status of a current outage.
It’s easy to get started. Here’s how:
1. Text any of the following commands – PAY, BALANCE, OUTAGE or STATUS – to TXTPPL (898-775).
2. Answer a few questions to verify your PPL customer account. You will need your zip code and/or account number. If you don’t have a mobile number on your account, you’ll need to add the mobile number you want to use first as the primary or alternate number. To do this, visit pplelectric.com/contactinfo. Click Add Phone and save the changes.
To pay your bill, you must have a bank account on file. If you’ve ever paid through PPL’s website or interactive phone system, you should be good to go. If not, you’ll first need to make a payment on our website or phone system. We’ll securely save your bank info for text payments.
Once you’re set up, you can text PAY, BALANCE, OUTAGE or STATUS to TXTPPL (898-775) to pay your bill, check your balance, report an outage, or check the status of an outage.
You can also text SLEEP, to delay any new texts for eight hours, or STOP, to stop all future text messages from PPL.
We’re committed to making it as easy and convenient as possible to work with us. We hope you like our newest service.
Oct 26, 2017 | Safety and Security
At Halloween, we love to see princesses, vampires and superheroes ring the bell. But if fake utility workers come to your house, we want you to shut the door.
Utility impostors are an evergreen-type scam that shows up now and again. Here’s how it works:
- Someone will come to the door claiming to represent PPL or a PPL contractor. (They may also pose as a utility worker from the cable, water, or phone company.)
- They’ll ask the customer to come outside to look at work that needs to be done.
- Another scammer will enter the house and take money or valuables while the customer is outside and distracted in conversation.
It’s fairly rare that we will ask customers to come look at work that needs to be done. And the employees and contractors who might do this – such as meter technicians – often work alone, not in pairs. But it’s possible that a legitimate PPL representative might invite a customer outside to look at work or equipment.
How can you slam the door on scammers? Here are a few suggestions.
- If you choose to come outside with any person – PPL or otherwise – it’s a good idea to close and lock all doors so no one can enter your home while you’re out. A legitimate PPL employee or contractor will wait while you do this. (Don’t forget to bring a key with you, of course.)
- Any PPL employee or contractor will provide ID on request.
- You can also call us at 1-800-DIAL-PPL (342-5775) to confirm that we have employees or contractors working in your area. (Have the person at your door tell you what company they represent and give you a clear description of the work they are there to do. This will help us verify.)
- If you contact PPL, and you are still not completely sure of the identity of the people at your door, dial 911 to have law enforcement respond for assistance.
This scam sometimes targets elderly customers or those who live alone. If you have a friend or family member who fits that description, please share this information with them.
Together, we’ll make “utility impostor” a costume that doesn’t pay off.
