50 years of building a legacy of service together
We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate our Customer Service Center’s 50th Anniversary this week, marking 50 years of devoted team members and exceptional service. Our first Call Center opened June 24, 1973, and has since grown to comprise the Residential Call Center, Business Service Center and Online Customer Care portal – all dedicated to serve and meet the varying needs of our customers.
This anniversary, we want to applaud the Customer Service team for their inspiring tenacity and ability to embrace change. Ever-evolving technology, unexpected demands, and changing needs have shaped and transformed the way the Center operates.
Let’s take a look through the years…
- Paperless (eBill) Billing was introduced to the customer in 2001.
- Email notifications were the newest evolution in 2002.
- Shortly after, social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook were launched to advance customer engagement.
- In 2014, Alabama Power launched their first mobile experience, so customers could pay their bill and track their energy on the go.
- In March 2020, COVID-19 swept the nation with uncertainty and immobility, yet the Customer Service Center forged on as over 90% of staff continued to serve customers via teleworking.
- In 2022 alone, the Center engaged in over 35 million interactions with customers through calls, emails, texts and other channels.
Scott Cotney, who has worked in the department for thirty-eight years and is a Customer Service Manager, summed up the spirit and mission of the Center, saying, “Alabama Power has greatly evolved in terms of customer service by always focusing on what customers’ future needs will be. Our legacy of service has spanned for 50 years, and we look forward to many more.”
From proactive outage communication to new digital tools, the Customer Service Center will continue to adapt and change to meet customer needs. “At Alabama Power, our customers are at the center of everything we do,” said Jonathan Porter, senior vice president of Customer Operations. “The Customer Service Center has been able to maintain that top priority – by continuously adapting and growing in order to provide all customers with the best possible experience.”
For 50 years, the Customer Service Center has built their reputation of excellence on the tenets of trust, connection, resilience and empowerment. Now, let’s celebrate.