Customer Experience Model Delivers Top-Notch Service to Telecommunications Customers

Outstanding. 

Great to work with.

Super-helpful.

Quick to respond.

That’s just some of the feedback from recent PG&E telecommunications customers on the utility’s Service Planning and Design team.

The team helps telecommunications providers locate, install and energize cell towers or antennas on utility poles or buildings.

Service Planning leaders credit the high marks to the hard work of PG&E’s new-business representatives, who work with customers to complete projects.

But they also point to a new Customer Experience model that focuses on specific customer segments, including telecommunications providers.

“Having new-business representatives who are dedicated to these segments further improves relationship-building and provides a better understanding of the nuances of each industry,” said PG&E director of Customer Experience and telecommunications segment lead Janice Channing, who was a national director with a large telecommunications services firm before she joined PG&E in December. “That contributes to high customer satisfaction.”

Just how high?

For overall satisfaction, telecommunications customers who responded to the survey ranked their Service Planning and Design experience a 9.4 out of 10. They gave the team a 9.1 out of 10 for ease of doing business, and a 9 out of 10 for being enjoyable to do business with.

In fact, 88% of respondents gave PG&E a 9 or a 10 out of 10 for overall satisfaction.

The Customer Experience team is reviewing survey responses from other segments to see how they compare.

But the telecommunications segment shows how the team is helping deliver 10-out-of-10 service with its emphasis on customers’ experience and survey feedback.

PG&E’s Business Energy Solutions team also works with businesses including telecommunications providers to find energy efficiency and savings programs. Director of Business Energy Solutions Laura Wetmore said the team’s industry expertise builds relationships that increase customer satisfaction.

“Janice’s deep insight into what telco customers need has really helped improved processes,” Wetmore said. “Having someone knowledgeable to serve as their advocate on new services has increased customers’ trust in PG&E. We are very grateful for the partnership between our teams to continue to improve our service to these customers.”

‘Above and beyond’

On top of assigning dedicated new-business reps, Service Planning and Design holds a daily operating review during which the team discusses telecommunications-specific issues and projects that need extra help.

Common challenges for providers include leasing property and obtaining permits and rights-of-way.

But there are one-off issues as well: Sofia Juarez, a senior new business rep, is working on a project that might pose safety problems for PG&E crews who would maintain its electric equipment.

Prior to industry segments, Juarez would raise the issue with a Service Planning and Design supervisor. Supervisors have always been incredibly supportive, Juarez said, but they didn’t usually have deep knowledge of the telecommunications industry.

With Channing at the helm, though, Juarez has more insight into the customer’s perspective.

“Sometimes, we feel like it might be a simple change the carrier can make, but the background might not be so simple,” Juarez said. “To have Janice, with her industry expertise, overseeing the work is really helpful.”

That expertise combines with the diligence of new-business reps to provide a complete customer experience.

“We have that connection with our customers where we are in constant contact with them,” Juarez said. “Customers really appreciate that level of communication about the status of their job. We all have the same goal in the end, and that’s to get that tower built and get service to an area that needs it.”

Concrete improvements have followed the new model. In 2024, PG&E’s design time for new telecommunications service was nearly six months. Today, it’s down to 55 days.

“For that step in the process to be shortened so greatly is a huge win for this segment,” Channing said.

Customer Experience Program Manager Abby Jeffords said Channing has brought “fresh eyes” to how PG&E serves telecommunications providers.

“The Customer Experience model has created such a better overall experience for providers,” Jeffords said. “Janice also brings a passion to serving this customer segment, and I think that’s been contagious among the team.”

Senior new-business representative Rene Picazo expressed that passion as he described how working on the telecommunications team helps him deliver for PG&E customers and communities.

“The service our telco customers provide helps connect communities in urban and rural areas throughout PG&E’s service area,” Picazo said. “Our team helps bring their vision to reality by outlining what information we need from them to move their project forward. We’ve built relationships with companies and their vendors and have helped them understand what it takes to get a job from application to meter set. As a job owner, it’s a great feeling to see how jobs you personally worked on helped bring Internet to mountain communities and increased cell phone coverage in rural and urban areas.”

Comments from survey takers reflected a mutual appreciation for PG&E’s new-business reps:

• “The contact was responsive and helpful throughout the process. We appreciate the good customer service we receive from the job owners.”

• “The scheduling was handled expeditiously by the job owner, who ensured that the client hit their target dates. This was done even though the weather and soil conditions hindered progress on each step of the project. Outstanding!”

• “The job owner was able to save the team time and cost with the design provided. The design process went quickly and efficiently.”

• “The job owner went above and beyond to get this power ready. We had many issues at this site and there were many challenges. This job owner has a great attitude and knows what they are doing.”

Future improvements

The team isn’t resting on its strong results, Channing said.

It’s focused on understanding satisfaction trends among the 3% of telecommunications customers who ranked PG&E’s service 6 out of 10 or lower. The goal is to create new initiatives to help based on their feedback.

The team is also looking at streamlining the process of applying for new service for repeat customers.

“This segment would really benefit from that because their work is repetitive,” Channing said.