Over the weekend, Avista launched a new 24-hour automated phone system that is a bit different than you’ve probably become accustomed to. The big difference is that you can now talk to the phone system - with voice recognition - instead of just punching in the numbers before you get to a Contact Center representative.
A few weeks ago I attended a presentation about the new phone system by one of the project leads who walked me through nearly all the options available to customers. This has been a huge undertaking, with months and months of planning to make sure that a customer’s experience is a good one.
One of the main things to note about this new system – you can still talk to one of our local Contact Center representatives. They didn’t go away, so don’t worry about that. But, if you’d like to use one of the self-service options, it’s now available for you.
This morning, when I got in the office I decided to try out the system myself. The first thing she (Callie) asked me was if I wanted to report a power outage or gas leak. Clearly, those calls need some immediate attention, but it only took a moment to get where I needed to go.
I wanted to check my Comfort Level Billing amount and find out when my last payment was made, but I didn’t have my account number. So, she asked me to say “I don’t have it.” She didn’t seem to have a problem with that and asked me to say my 10-digit telephone number and then verified my address after repeating exactly what I said.
She then walked me through the options and gave me the info I was looking for. Granted, this was a pretty simple request, but the system worked as it was supposed to and I suspect it will work well for you too.
You can also sign up for Comfort Level Billing and Automatic Payment Service with the new phone system. Eventually, you’ll even be able to open, close or transfer an account over the phone. Of course, you can do just about everything you need to your account on the web, and now the phone system mirrors much of that.
You’ll experience the system next time you call us. Click on “comments” below and share your experience.