COVER
CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE:
PUC DISTRIBUTION
Helping Customers Access Affordability Funding Provides Major Boost on Satisfaction
W
hile the province puts up the money for the AffordAbility Fund Trust (AFT) program, it was up to distribution utilities to bring it to life – making customers aware of the cost-cutting opportunities and encouraging sign-ups. Realizing that the multi-faceted criteria resulted in broad eligibility among its customers, PUC Distribution in Sault Ste. Marie took on this task in an especially impactful way. While the results earned it a Customer Service Excellence Award at this year’s EDA Awards Gala, the most important outcomes are reflected in the success stories it collected through customer interviews and posted to its Facebook page. For one of the PUC’s customers, Mr. Martens, AFT
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participation meant close to $15,000 worth of appliances, including a new heat pump, fridge, stove, freezer, and dryer. All this made the house he’s lived in for 15 years more affordable and freed up savings to use on general upgrades. The Santoro family, meanwhile, updated their home with a new fridge and a dual-unit heat pump. Now they can save money on heating and other energy efficiencies around the house – motivated in part by their belief in the importance of energy conservation. Another customer, Phil, told PUC he was surprised by the existence of the AFT program, through which he received a heat pump, fridge and freezer. While he had a heat pump previously, his new one works in colder conditions, making it a more efficient way to cut his electricity costs. THE DISTRIBUTOR
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SUMMER 2020
