From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

One of the things we take great pride in is serving our members well. From serving reliable electricity to providing exceptional member service, our mission couldn't be carried out without those who connect our members to solutions in a friendly, knowledgeable manner.

One of our goals has always been to have a local, friendly, live team of people answer our phones and direct members' calls where they need to go. This important role is sometimes the first to be outsourced to companies in another part of the country or even across the world. Sure, we could save a few bucks by doing this, but we believe our members are best served by those we have trained to know our system best. After all, keeping it local is what we're all about, and we're happy to celebrate National Customer Service Appreciation Week this month with our very own team of experts.

We couldn't claim to be your trusted energy advisor without our member services team's ability to take care of our members' needs with knowledge and compassion day after day. They do a phenomenal job, constantly offering members solutions and helping them any way they can.

We sometimes talk about evolving with technology, and I've never seen a team evolve more quickly than this one. From billing systems and phone systems to electronic meters, new software and everything in between, the training it takes to do their job well never really stops. While some of you have a face to put to OEC’s name, our member services team represents the voice of the co-op, and we couldn't be more proud of the job they do.

Likewise, we treat all OEC Fiber subscribers like members — most of them are — and there's an additional level of support there. While we do outsource the first tech support call to another cooperative in the United States, we have invested in a large team of tier 2 support, who, like our member services team, are local and are skilled and ready to help solve the issues our fiber subscribers may have.

We've worked with an evolving membership since 1937, but one thing always stays the same. When calling us, you appreciate having someone here in Norman who can help you find a solution, whether it's your electric account or fiber account. Be sure to say a quick "thank you" the next time you call our friendly team as we work to meet your needs.