Xcel Energy Under Performance Improvement Plan

Recent Developments Affecting Xcel Energy

In a significant move, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has mandated Xcel Energy to implement a performance improvement plan. This decision comes as a response to various customer service issues that have recently come to light. The PUC is pushing for concrete accountability measures aimed at enhancing service quality and customer satisfaction.

What Prompted the Performance Improvement Plan?

The decision to place Xcel Energy under a performance improvement plan followed alarming reports of:

Frequent disconnections of customer service calls
Customers not receiving their bills
Ongoing outages in certain areas

These issues have prompted the PUC to request detailed internal data from Xcel regarding customer service interactions. The goal is to create emergency rules to hold Xcel accountable more effectively.

The Call Disconnection Issue

The PUC discovered that Xcel had inadvertently auto-disconnected around 100,000 customer calls, particularly when customers selected the option indicating a non-emergency. An Xcel spokesman stated that the company fielded a staggering five million calls the previous year, which highlights the scale of the issue.

While Xcel claimed that these disconnections represented approximately 2% of total calls and not 10% as initially reported, the PUC remains focused on gathering more specific metrics. The PUC’s Commissioner Tom Plant expressed frustration with the reactive nature of their oversight, suggesting that they often find themselves “playing a game of whack-a-mole” in addressing complaints.

Emerging Accountability Measures

To combat the growing concerns, the PUC is keen on establishing clear expectations and operational rules specifically relating to:

Customer service call handling
Billing accuracy
Management of service outages

While the drafting of these new rules could take several months, the PUC has already set a performance benchmark: Xcel must answer at least 70% of its customer calls within 45 seconds. However, shocking statistics from the previous year show that the company only met this requirement for 45% of calls. As a result, Xcel has agreed to refund customers approximately $1.67 million, translating to around $1.04 per customer.

Gauge of Customer Service Quality

A significant theme emerging in discussions at the PUC has been whether Xcel’s customer service representatives are adequately trained and empowered to resolve customer issues effectively. PUC Commissioner Megan Gilman raised concerns about the knowledge and authority of the personnel who handle customer calls, questioning if they can genuinely help individuals without requiring extensive back-and-forth interactions.

The PUC believes that by collecting detailed internal reports from Xcel on a quarterly basis, including data on:

Automatic call disconnections
The volume of customers not receiving monthly bills
Staffing levels in customer care
Logs of service interruptions

they will be able to design and enforce meaningful regulations to enhance customer satisfaction.

Looking Ahead

In summary, the performance improvement plan initiated by the Colorado PUC represents a critical step towards enhancing Xcel Energy’s service quality. As more data becomes available and emergency rules are drafted, both the commission and Xcel will be under scrutiny to ensure that customers receive the reliable and effective service they deserve.

Tags: Xcel Energy, Colorado PUC, performance improvement, customer service, energy companies, utility regulations, service outages, customer satisfaction, billing issues, accountability measures