If you’re involved in a customer service business, chances are that you’re monitoring your brand’s Net Promoter Score (NPS). This score is an indication of how likely a customer is to recommend a company or product. At Utility Partners of America (UPA), we’ve built our service organization around core tenants such as safety, quality, customer experience, responsiveness, professionalism, working relationship and integrity. Our customers and our NPS are paramount to us.

There are many reasons why utilities and energy cooperatives select a utility contractor when there is a need to outsource a service or a task. We believe that the aforementioned tenets are some of the reasons utilities and energy cooperatives across the nation turn to us for help in building, inspecting, maintaining, and upgrading their infrastructure. We also believe that these are the same tenets that drive our strong NPS.

In this post, we’re peeling the curtain back just a bit, to provide a glimpse into what we believe drives a strong NPS.

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Utility companies have a lot going on all at once. They generate and deliver much-needed resources like electricity, gas, and clean water. Their office-based operations like customer service and billing also play critical roles. With so many different plates spinning at one time, successful organization and preparation are the keys to ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

While there may not be functional similarities between all projects, there is a common thread. Completing projects can be made easier through the use of a project plan. If you’ve been considering implementing a project plan for your utility, you’ll want to keep reading as we dive into what belongs in a project plan.

Related: Win in Procurement Management
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There are a few guarantees in the utility industry. One of them is that every company’s infrastructure will fall victim to rust and corrosion over time. This is especially true for underground steel pipelines and exposed enclosures. While it’s OK to accept that corrosion is normal, all utilities should still have plans to prevent and remediate any rust. Read on as we provide more information about rust and rust prevention.

Related: Corrosion Surveys: Why are they Important?

Most of us are familiar with rust and have encountered it on old cars, tools, or building materials. Explaining exactly what rust is and what causes it can be challenging. Rust is a specific type of corrosion. It’s what happens when iron or steel corrodes due to constant contact with oxygen and water, through the process of oxidation.

Related: Improving Customer Awareness of Corrosion (more…)

If you work in utilities, you’re probably familiar with OSHA standards and regulations. These are federally adopted guidelines designed to keep employees safe and healthy. If your company breaks these rules, tickets and fines or worse are sure to follow.

As part of its efforts to raise awareness about workplace safety, OSHA reveals the top 10 violations that occurred each year. The announcement took place in February via webinar with the National Safety Council’s Safety+Health magazine. Read on as we recap the fiscal year 2020’s top 10 list and provide a simplified summary of each standard. (more…)

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines tetanus as “an acute infectious disease caused by spores of the bacterium Clostridium tetani.” When most of us think of tetanus, the first mental image we get is of stepping on a rusty nail. There are so many different ways that one can come in contact with this bacterium. According to The World Health Organization, spores are also found in soil, ash, and in the intestinal tracts of animals and humans.

Related: Dogs on Customer Property: Keeping Technicians Safe

Because of its prominence, it’s vital for anyone who may come in contact with this bacterium to understand more about the disease. Especially your utility technicians. Below, you’ll find everything you need to know. We’ve included some tips to stress that can help with tetanus prevention for your utility technicians. (more…)

When most people think of utilities, they picture industrial-sized pipes, tanks, and machinery. Infrastructure that helps deliver clean water, gas, and electricity. These elements are the foundation of utility function.

The installation/implementation of each piece of equipment or operational method is essentially a project. Something made more manageable by drafting a project plan and incorporating key performance indicators for project management. When a project balloons past original goals, it’s a serious concern. Prevent scope creep and keep your budget under control with the following five tips. (more…)

A boat with everyone rowing in the same direction is bound to reach a destination faster than one with rowers who aren’t in sync. For a company to develop a culture built on safety, it requires alignment from top to bottom. This can be a challenge in companies with employees working in a variety of roles. Still, it’s possible and probably easier than you think.

If you’ve been dreaming of an organization where employees are actively engaged in creating a safety culture, you’re in luck. We’ve put together a resource that may be able to help. Here are five things that occur when everyone in a company is on board with safety. (more…)

Whether we’re talking about sailors in the 1800s or road trippers in 2021, maps are crucial for helping to find your destination. While we typically think of maps in terms of covering physical distance, a “map” can come in any form. So long as it helps to guide a journey. For utility companies, maps are often project plans. So are key performance indicators (KPIs) that help to track that initiative’s progress.

Not all KPIs are equally useful; there are some rules to follow to ensure that your utility measures the right things and asks the right questions. Here’s a quick look at what to remember as you create KPIs with your project management. (more…)

Visual cues are not enough when it comes to the damage that corrosion can have.  We’ve talked recently about the causes of corrosion on utility assets, the prevention methods, and the health risks posed to customers. The one missing ingredient from that discussion is the importance of regular monitoring.

Known as corrosion surveys, these periodic evaluations search for early signs of corrosion on metal assets. Surveys should be an essential part of any utility’s preventive maintenance plan. Here’s a quick look at what a corrosion survey entails and why it’s important to conduct one. (more…)

In terms of unpleasant experiences, a trip to the dentist tops the list for most people. But being bounced around from one call center representative to the next is probably a close second. Modern communication methods have undoubtedly altered the way we live, work and play. All while fueling customers’ appetite for instant gratification. If it means an expedited answer, customers aren’t afraid to leave Facebook messages or Yelp reviews or even tweets to the brands they engage with.

Despite the connotation call centers carry today, there is still hope. By deploying a handful of minor strategic shifts, your business can make the call center more customer-friendly and efficient. Here are just a few of our favorite ways to improve call center operations.  (more…)