July 17, 2025 • 21 mins
Episode 3 – Behind the Scenes: Member Service
Hosted by Jim Anderson, General Manager and CEO of Midstate Electric Cooperative
In this episode of Power Factor, we’re spotlighting the friendly, knowledgeable Member Service Representatives who are the first point of contact at Midstate Electric.
CEO Jim Anderson talks with Shawntaye, Member Service Supervisor, and Amber, a senior MSR, about what it takes to deliver top-notch service—from starting new accounts to explaining billing details like demand and facility charges. They discuss how MSRs support members through sensitive situations, troubleshoot high bills, and guide them on tools like SmartHub to track usage.
Most importantly, they share how the cooperative difference shines through in programs like capital credits and flexible payment options that help members stay connected—even during tough times.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jim Anderson (00:02):
Welcome to Power Factor.
This is the podcast that takesyou behind the scenes at
Midstate Electric Cooperative.
I'm Jim Anderson, the CEO andGeneral Manager, and today I'll
be your host as we dive intotopics about our industry, the
challenges we face and themembers we proudly serve.
Today we're going to look atthe co-op from the Member
Service Representative, MSRs, aswe call them.
They're the first people youmeet when you walk into the
(00:24):
co-op.
They're the first people youtalk to whe n you call a co-op.
So today with us we haveShawntaye, who is the Supervisor
for Member Services, and wehave one of our senior member
services people here today,Amber.
Amber (00:38):
Hello!
Jim Anderson (00:38):
Hello, glad to have you guys here.
Thanks for taking the time outof your busy schedule helping
the members.
But I kind of want to give themembers an idea of what happens.
So, I'm going to put myself inthe position of a new member and
I'm coming into Midstate forthe very first time to set up an
account.
So, what should I expect when Iwalk into the building?
Amber (00:56):
So, when you first come into the building, you'll want
to make sure you have yourgovernment ID, driver's license
or passport and know the servicelocation, address or meter
number so that we are able topull that up and get you set up
as a new member.
Jim Anderson (01:11):
What if I don't have that information?
It's required.
It's required, so the meternumber.
Shawntaye (01:16):
No, the service location.
Jim Anderson (01:19):
No, that sounds great.
Now, when I come in here, Iknow I've got a bunch of things
to ask you guys, because it's acooperative, maybe I've been
with Pacific Power.
Are there some things, thecommon things, that sometimes a
new member forgets to ask, thatwe really should know about
before we start?
Amber (01:37):
I feel like sometimes they forget to ask about the
rates billing dates, ratesbilling dates when they come in
and we give them the informationthey need.
One of the forms we give themis a bill date card which shows
them what their billing cycle is, what day they bill out, when
it's due.
Jim Anderson (01:56):
That's information that people need to know when
they come talk to us.
So, we're opening up amembership here at Midstate and
we need to figure out what mydeposit is going to be.
So, what are we doing?
What kind of information are werunning?
Credit checks, deposits, howdoes all that work?
Shawntaye (02:11):
So, once we have them fill out the membership
application, they're giving usthe criteria and the permission
to run a soft hit credit check,and when we run that credit
check it's to determine ifthere's a deposit required on
their account.
If they don't want that ran,then we also have a prepaid
billing option for them, whichis daily billing.
Jim Anderson (02:33):
Okay, and that soft hit?
Is that going to ruin my creditscore?
Shawntaye (02:37):
No, it won't be on there.
Jim Anderson (02:39):
So, it's not going to show up, it's strictly for
the co-op to use.
Yes, and I guess you hit on acouple accounts, but what type
of other accounts does Midstatehave?
Shawntaye (02:49):
So.
we have residential, largeresidential, and then those are
based off of the demand, the KW.
Then we have single phasegeneral service, three-phase
general service, industrial,large industrial, and irrigation
.
Jim Anderson (03:08):
So quite a few accounts.
So, when you come in, you guyscan give them all the
information they need for eachone of those accounts, correct?
Shawntaye (03:13):
We have a rate card for them.
Jim Anderson (03:18):
So we hear a lot about prepaid accounts and we're
going to have some time to usestuff coming in the future.
What are those accounts?
And I guess we could put budgetbilling in there as well.
So how would you guys summarizeeach one of those accounts?
Amber (03:31):
So prepaid is daily billing.
You can have as much or aslittle on the account as you
want, as long as you always havea credit.
You will set up alerts with usso that when your account got
down to a certain amount $20, itwould alert you that more money
would need to be put on.
If it does get disconnected,you would just need to pay the
(03:58):
amount that it's negative plus$10.
Jim Anderson (04:02):
Okay, and the budget billing.
Shawntaye (04:04):
So the budget billing is a good program for people
that have the extreme bills.
In the summer they're low andin the winter they're really
high, and what it does is ittakes the full year as long as
they're with us for a full yearand it takes that full year and
averages it out.
Jim Anderson (04:20):
Okay.
Do they have to be here for afull year, or can you use a
previous member?
Shawntaye (04:24):
No, it has to be their usage.
Jim Anderson (04:25):
All right, let's move into something a little
different from accounts.
So we deal with a lot ofsituations here at the co-op and
occasionally we have familymembers that come in and there's
been a death in the family andthey have a membership with the
co-op.
They need to either updateinformation on the account or
they need to close that account.
(04:45):
How do you guys help themthrough that process?
Amber (04:49):
So first we offer our sympathy because it is a very
hard thing for our members to gothrough and when they come in
it's a little bit of a process.
So, we need to make sure thatwe're sympathetic for what
they're going through.
We will look at their account.
If it's a spouse, we will putthe spouse into their own
(05:11):
account.
There won't be any fees orcharges.
Then we will talk to them aboutthe paperwork so that they can
apply for their spouse's capitalcredits.
Jim Anderson (05:23):
So that works good for a surviving spouse.
But say, the kids show up froma parent that's been on the
system for a long time andthey're the executor of the
estate.
So when they come in, what dothey need to do?
Shawntaye (05:35):
So, if they're the executor of the estate, we would
require a will, or if there'sthe trust paperwork, if they
were just a child, we would justrequire their birth certificate
and the death certificate, andthen we can do it that way also.
Jim Anderson (05:51):
So we help them through the process as much as
we can.
Shawntaye (05:54):
Yes, we do.
Jim Anderson (05:54):
So the members always come first, that's right.
So kind of going to changegears again, you guys and we're
going to talk about terms.
So we hear the term facilitycharge all the time, it's on our
bills.
What is it?
What does it actually cover?
Shawntaye (06:13):
So, what the facility charge is, it covers all the
non-energy charges.
It's the basic charge on ourbill.
It covers everything from thepoles, the lines, the
maintenance, covers everythingbut the actual energy charge.
Jim Anderson (06:27):
Okay, so that clears up a lot with memberships
that think that that's just tohave a building on the system.
Shawntaye (06:32):
Yeah, no, it's not that.
Jim Anderson (06:33):
So thank you for that explanation.
Now I know we rolled out demandcharge and this might be
getting in a little deeper thanwe want to, but it was really
important for the utility to putthat in place because of the
demand from BPA.
How has the response been onthe demand charge for the
members?
Shawntaye (06:50):
Anytime there's a rate increase, it's difficult on
the membership because we dohave a lot of lower income in
this area.
And then, just with everythingin the world right now and the
way things have raised pricesgrocery stores it's been
difficult.
And then to teach them about anew demand charge, it's been
(07:13):
difficult.
Some of them understand it,some of them don't, but we've
been putting a lot of goodinformation out on our website.
Our MSRs have been walking allof our members through it and
explaining, sending theminformation and guiding them to
(07:33):
our website so they canunderstand this charge, and
letting them know that this wasthe best way that our board
could do this for ourmemberships.
It was the best equitable wayso that their rates didn't go up
high.
Jim Anderson (07:45):
And that's important for the membership to
know that everything that's doneis trying to be fair and
equitable for everybody.
Shawntaye (07:50):
And we've put it into terms too, like we've given
them, like if our rates wouldhave went up a penny, what the
difference would have beencompared to the demand charge,
and for me it would have beenquite a bit more in the kWh
charge.
Jim Anderson (08:06):
So, I guess this is a question that happens to
you guys a lot.
We have members that call inand it could be a change in the
weather, or something hashappened, and they want to know
why their power bill is so high.
What steps do you take to helpthem understand what's going on
with their power bill?
Amber (08:23):
So, we discuss their usage, how the demand works.
We look at the actual daterange of the bill because
sometimes the June bill ispartial May readings, and so
when you tell them what thatdate range is, sometimes there
were colder days during thattime.
Or if it's a vacation home,we've had people come in and
(08:46):
they were actually there duringthat time.
So, I think the date range isimportant.
A lot of times it falls on aholiday.
Shawntaye (08:52):
We go over what they have in their house.
Do they have electric heatversus wood heat?
What do you keep your heat at?
Do you have outbuildings?
Do you have heaters in there?
Do you have hot tubs?
Do you have a well house?
We go over those kind of things.
You have heat tape.
Do you have a truck you plug in.
(09:12):
Do you have, you know, anyanimals outside with the water
heaters that you plug in?
We go over all of that, tryingto help them find where they're
using.
Jim Anderson (09:24):
We go over all of that trying to help them find
where they're using.
So, we really try to dive intotheir house.
We dive into everything thatdraws electricity and power and
try to help them understand thateach of those has a cost on the
system and that's a good toolfor our members.
So, are there any other toolsthat we can provide to help the
members monitor or manage theirusage?
Are there things that we can doon our side to help that?
Amber (09:43):
There is.
We refer them to our websitefor energy efficiency ideas.
On the website there's so muchinformation for members to help
them understand and look fordifferent ways that they can
help conserve energy.
Jim Anderson (10:00):
Can a member see their usage?
Do you guys help them actuallylook at their usage?
Is there a way to do that?
Shawntaye (10:04):
Yeah, we can even go down to the half an hour.
Jim Anderson (10:08):
So they can actually get a true picture of
what's happening.
Is there a spot on the websiteor is there something on their
account information that allowsthem to see that?
Or you can walk them throughinto that.
Shawntaye (10:31):
Yeah,
Jim Anderson (10:31):
,
Shawntaye (10:31):
We
Jim Anderson (10:33):
So a lot of great things that we do for the
members, and I think a lot ofmembers aren't really aware
sometimes that there's a lot youguys can do on your side to
really help them through theprocess of a higher bill or to
understand how the bill affectssome of our times used on the
bill for billing.
So let's kind of shift gearsagain and let's talk a little
bit about capital credits.
So one of the things that'svery unique to a co-op.
(10:53):
You know, we're not an investorowned, we're owned by the
membership.
We give money back to ourmembers.
How do you explain to somebodythat's never heard about capital
credits?
Amber (11:06):
So I usually tell them because we are a co-op, we're a
non-profit.
Everything that is above andbeyond our operating expenses is
what gets paid back to ourmembers.
Jim Anderson (11:19):
Now does that get paid immediately back?
Shawntaye (11:21):
No, it takes about 15 to 20 years is the average it
gets paid back.
Jim Anderson (11:26):
We're not just holding on to that money.
Shawntaye (11:35):
And it's always paid back in December (just in time
for Christmas) or it does becomea part of your estate if you
were to pass.
Jim Anderson (11:46):
So what is the process and I guess we've
basically talked about this, butwhat's the process for getting
a capital credit refund?
How do they know if they'regoing to get one?
I guess that's probably themost important thing for a
member to know how do you knowif we're going to get a capital
credit check?
Shawntaye (11:59):
Well, it would be for a member that's been with us
long term.
So, we are still back in themid 2000s that we're paying (
2008).
So, you've had to be a member along time.
But if you move away from oursystem, as long as you keep an
up-to-date address with us, weget those checks to you when
they retire.
Jim Anderson (12:20):
So definitely another big plus of being a
member of a co- op are thecapital credits, and you guys
can help our members betterunderstand capital credits when
they call in with a question.
So, you guys are like you know,you got a big toolbox.
You can answer a lot ofquestions, almost like calling a
411.
Perfect.
So, another thing that we needto talk about a little bit here
(12:41):
is payment, payment arrangementsand disputes.
You know we are a business, andwe rely on a lot of information
that comes in and sometimespeople don't always agree with
what we bill out or they couldfall behind for a reason that's
maybe not necessarily in theircontrol.
So, if we do have a member thathas fallen on hard times and
(13:02):
for some reason they fall behindon their bill and we want to
make sure that we know whatoptions are available for them,
can you make paymentarrangements?
So how do you guys handle that?
Amber (13:12):
So we have two different types of payment arrangements.
One you would have to have 25%of what's owing or $50,
whichever is greater and then wedivide the rest up into four
payments with your next fourbills.
Yes, so you would pay yourarrangement payment plus your
current bill for the next fourbills.
(13:33):
We also have a no money downarrangement, so we can set the
date for you to pay at a laterdate.
You would just pay the past dueamount and the current amount
whatever's owing.
You would have to pay that allat once before you bill again.
Jim Anderson (13:50):
Before you bill again.
Say we get into a situationwith a seasonal worker.
How often can someone makethese payment arrangements if
they're falling on hard times?
Shawntaye (14:00):
As long as they stay current with their payment
arrangements and they don't fail, we will make them as much as
they need them.
Jim Anderson (14:07):
So we're going to work with each member
individually to make sure thatwe're doing all we can for the
member.
Shawntaye (14:11):
Yeah, and we also help them look for resources.
Especially when you haveseasonal workers that are on
hard times.
There are a lot of resourcesthat they can use that are out
there that will lead them to.
Jim Anderson (14:24):
And hardships as well.
So some good tools, yeah, somereally good tools.
Is there a grace period forsomeone that gets disconnected
on their power so they didn'tmake their payment, they didn't
call in and talk to anybody hereat the co-op and they get
disconnected, is there?
Shawntaye (14:47):
We give them multiple notices before we would ever
actually disconnect them.
On their first bill, whenthey're past due, we would give
them a notice of a disconnectdate and then a week later, we
would send them an actualdisconnect notice.
Giving them notice of thedisconnect date.
We would make a phone call andthen, even the day before the
(15:10):
actual disconnect date, we wouldattempt to make another phone
call.
So we make four attempts beforewe would actually disconnect
and we're trying to get them tocome in to make payment
arrangements or make a payment,so that we don't want to
disconnect them.
Jim Anderson (15:26):
Okay.
So if I'm a member and I didn'tpay my bill and I got
disconnected and my credit isn'texactly, you know, going to be
right up there at the top, areyou going to make me or require
me to pay the entire past dueamount, or is there something we
can do to get my power turnedback on sooner?
Is there some way we can go onthat?
Shawntaye (15:48):
So, we'll look at the situation.
If prepaid is an option, we'lllook at going on prepaid and
putting some of that money inwhat we call debt recovery.
So, it's like a paymentarrangement on the prepaid
system.
So, every time you make apayment, 25% of your payment
would go towards that debt.
That's usually a really goodoption for people that have been
(16:14):
disconnected.
Jim Anderson (16:14):
If a member disagrees with their bill or
they think something's off onthe bill, what is the best way
to resolve it through memberservices?
Amber (16:24):
So, as a member representative, we want to
listen to the member.
Jim Anderson (16:36):
Okay, so basically , the member service rep is the
first stop.
can.
Don't want to look at Facebookand try to solve my problem on
Facebook.
I really want to get ahold ofthe co-op and actually dig into
the account and get the correctinformation right up front.
Yes, and you guys are alwayshere to give that information.
Amber (16:49):
We are.
Jim Anderson (16:50):
It sounds like you know you guys are the ones that
are here to help us doeverything that we need to do.
Yes, what are some importantquestions that members should be
asking you if they have aquestion up front but they don't
?
Shawntaye (17:01):
So some of the questions that they should be
asking about is, if they seethat their bill is late, like if
there's a deposit added, whatthey can do about waiving that
deposit and options for that, orhow to view and understand
their bill using our Smart Hubapp.
Amber (17:22):
Also how to save money, because we have rebate programs
available to our members.
Jim Anderson (17:28):
In a perfect scenario for you guys.
We're dealing with themembership and you're dealing
with you know, we have almost22,000 accounts now in Midstate.
Is there something you wishthat every member knew before
they called or came in?
That would just make itsmoother for everybody when they
have questions or issues.
Amber (17:47):
We want every member to know that we truly are here for
them, to assist them, providehelp for them.
One thing that does make thingseasier is if they know their
account number or serviceaddress, also when they come in.
Jim Anderson (18:02):
And I'm going to play this because I'm a guy, my
wife takes care of everythingfor me.
I don't have my account number,so do I need to make sure that
I'm on the account, or how doesthat work?
Can you look it up under myname, or do I need to have my
wife present?
Amber (18:20):
So if you're both on the account, we can look it up under
either of your names.
If your spouse is the one thatthe account is under, we can
look it up under your spouse'sname, give you general
information.
You can make a payment.
We just can't give exactinformation on an account.
If somebody is not on thataccount, we have to protect our
members.
Jim Anderson (18:41):
At the end of the day, what would you say ?
Shawntaye (18:48):
It's to give them excellent member service, to
always do what we can to helpthem make sure their needs are
met.
Jim Anderson (19:00):
Because we are dealing with the member-owners,
and we work for them.
So if you could address themembers, what do you want them
to directly hear from you aboutthe member service reps and
their role and how they affectthe member?
Amber (19:13):
I feel that I would want them to know that we genuinely
care about them and their needs.
Shawntaye (19:19):
Yeah that we're here to help them.
Jim Anderson (19:21):
And this last question I do get to wander
around and I get to watch theseMSRs at work and they do a great
job with the membership.
But what is your favorite parteach of you, what's your
favorite part of the interactionwith the member?
Amber (19:35):
My favorite part is getting to know our members
because when they call you getto have a little bit of small
talk and find out a little bitabout them and they find out a
little bit about them and theyfind out a little bit about you
and just learning and growingtogether.
Shawntaye (19:54):
Mine's about the same, I've been here a long
time, so I love it when I coverthe phones and I say I have
someone go, oh, I haven't talkedto you forever how you been.
And then I have the ones wherethey're angry and I love turning
that around.
I like to make someone happy,and they now understand what
they didn't when they firstcalled, so they're satisfied.
(20:16):
I like to turn that situationaround, so those are satisfying
to me.
Jim Anderson (20:20):
So our member services here at the co-op
always put the members first andmake sure they're taken care of
, and then we try to educate atthe same time.
So it's you guys are like thefront lines next to alignment,
you guys are like right theredealing with the membership,
probably more so than the linecrew.
Amber (20:36):
Yeah, yep, this is a very rewarding job and opportunity
to be in our community and helppeople.
Jim Anderson (20:44):
I appreciate you guys coming in and taking the
time to talk with us today.
It's been great having you guyshere.
Amber (20:48):
Thank you for having us.
Thank you, Jim.
Jim Anderson (20:50):
So, I'd like to thank you all out there for
tuning in to this episode ofPower Factor.
Make sure you subscribe orfollow us on your favorite
podcast application to stayinformed on the latest from
Midstate Electric Cooperative.
We appreciate you listening andalways stay safe, stay informed
and stay empowered until nexttime.
And speaking of next time,we're going to be talking rates,
so we are going to have our CFOin place, and we're going to
(21:14):
have one of our consultants comein and try to explain to the
members what goes into therestructure of the Midstate
Electric Rates.
So, until next time, stay safeand we'll see you then.
Welcome to Power Factor.
This is the podcast that takesyou behind the scenes at
Midstate Electric Cooperative.
I'm Jim Anderson, the CEO andGeneral Manager, and today I'll
be your host as we dive intotopics about our industry, the
challenges we face and themembers we proudly serve.
Today we're going to look atthe co-op from the Member
Service Representative, MSRs, aswe call them.
They're the first people youmeet when you walk into the
(00:24):
co-op.
They're the first people youtalk to whe n you call a co-op.
So today with us we haveShawntaye, who is the Supervisor
for Member Services, and wehave one of our senior member
services people here today,Amber.
Amber (00:38):
Hello!
Jim Anderson (00:38):
Hello, glad to have you guys here.
Thanks for taking the time outof your busy schedule helping
the members.
But I kind of want to give themembers an idea of what happens.
So, I'm going to put myself inthe position of a new member and
I'm coming into Midstate forthe very first time to set up an
account.
So, what should I expect when Iwalk into the building?
Amber (00:56):
So, when you first come into the building, you'll want
to make sure you have yourgovernment ID, driver's license
or passport and know the servicelocation, address or meter
number so that we are able topull that up and get you set up
as a new member.
Jim Anderson (01:11):
What if I don't have that information?
It's required.
It's required, so the meternumber.
Shawntaye (01:16):
No, the service location.
Jim Anderson (01:19):
No, that sounds great.
Now, when I come in here, Iknow I've got a bunch of things
to ask you guys, because it's acooperative, maybe I've been
with Pacific Power.
Are there some things, thecommon things, that sometimes a
new member forgets to ask, thatwe really should know about
before we start?
Amber (01:37):
I feel like sometimes they forget to ask about the
rates billing dates, ratesbilling dates when they come in
and we give them the informationthey need.
One of the forms we give themis a bill date card which shows
them what their billing cycle is, what day they bill out, when
it's due.
Jim Anderson (01:56):
That's information that people need to know when
they come talk to us.
So, we're opening up amembership here at Midstate and
we need to figure out what mydeposit is going to be.
So, what are we doing?
What kind of information are werunning?
Credit checks, deposits, howdoes all that work?
Shawntaye (02:11):
So, once we have them fill out the membership
application, they're giving usthe criteria and the permission
to run a soft hit credit check,and when we run that credit
check it's to determine ifthere's a deposit required on
their account.
If they don't want that ran,then we also have a prepaid
billing option for them, whichis daily billing.
Jim Anderson (02:33):
Okay, and that soft hit?
Is that going to ruin my creditscore?
Shawntaye (02:37):
No, it won't be on there.
Jim Anderson (02:39):
So, it's not going to show up, it's strictly for
the co-op to use.
Yes, and I guess you hit on acouple accounts, but what type
of other accounts does Midstatehave?
Shawntaye (02:49):
So.
we have residential, largeresidential, and then those are
based off of the demand, the KW.
Then we have single phasegeneral service, three-phase
general service, industrial,large industrial, and irrigation
.
Jim Anderson (03:08):
So quite a few accounts.
So, when you come in, you guyscan give them all the
information they need for eachone of those accounts, correct?
Shawntaye (03:13):
We have a rate card for them.
Jim Anderson (03:18):
So we hear a lot about prepaid accounts and we're
going to have some time to usestuff coming in the future.
What are those accounts?
And I guess we could put budgetbilling in there as well.
So how would you guys summarizeeach one of those accounts?
Amber (03:31):
So prepaid is daily billing.
You can have as much or aslittle on the account as you
want, as long as you always havea credit.
You will set up alerts with usso that when your account got
down to a certain amount $20, itwould alert you that more money
would need to be put on.
If it does get disconnected,you would just need to pay the
(03:58):
amount that it's negative plus$10.
Jim Anderson (04:02):
Okay, and the budget billing.
Shawntaye (04:04):
So the budget billing is a good program for people
that have the extreme bills.
In the summer they're low andin the winter they're really
high, and what it does is ittakes the full year as long as
they're with us for a full yearand it takes that full year and
averages it out.
Jim Anderson (04:20):
Okay.
Do they have to be here for afull year, or can you use a
previous member?
Shawntaye (04:24):
No, it has to be their usage.
Jim Anderson (04:25):
All right, let's move into something a little
different from accounts.
So we deal with a lot ofsituations here at the co-op and
occasionally we have familymembers that come in and there's
been a death in the family andthey have a membership with the
co-op.
They need to either updateinformation on the account or
they need to close that account.
(04:45):
How do you guys help themthrough that process?
Amber (04:49):
So first we offer our sympathy because it is a very
hard thing for our members to gothrough and when they come in
it's a little bit of a process.
So, we need to make sure thatwe're sympathetic for what
they're going through.
We will look at their account.
If it's a spouse, we will putthe spouse into their own
(05:11):
account.
There won't be any fees orcharges.
Then we will talk to them aboutthe paperwork so that they can
apply for their spouse's capitalcredits.
Jim Anderson (05:23):
So that works good for a surviving spouse.
But say, the kids show up froma parent that's been on the
system for a long time andthey're the executor of the
estate.
So when they come in, what dothey need to do?
Shawntaye (05:35):
So, if they're the executor of the estate, we would
require a will, or if there'sthe trust paperwork, if they
were just a child, we would justrequire their birth certificate
and the death certificate, andthen we can do it that way also.
Jim Anderson (05:51):
So we help them through the process as much as
we can.
Shawntaye (05:54):
Yes, we do.
Jim Anderson (05:54):
So the members always come first, that's right.
So kind of going to changegears again, you guys and we're
going to talk about terms.
So we hear the term facilitycharge all the time, it's on our
bills.
What is it?
What does it actually cover?
Shawntaye (06:13):
So, what the facility charge is, it covers all the
non-energy charges.
It's the basic charge on ourbill.
It covers everything from thepoles, the lines, the
maintenance, covers everythingbut the actual energy charge.
Jim Anderson (06:27):
Okay, so that clears up a lot with memberships
that think that that's just tohave a building on the system.
Shawntaye (06:32):
Yeah, no, it's not that.
Jim Anderson (06:33):
So thank you for that explanation.
Now I know we rolled out demandcharge and this might be
getting in a little deeper thanwe want to, but it was really
important for the utility to putthat in place because of the
demand from BPA.
How has the response been onthe demand charge for the
members?
Shawntaye (06:50):
Anytime there's a rate increase, it's difficult on
the membership because we dohave a lot of lower income in
this area.
And then, just with everythingin the world right now and the
way things have raised pricesgrocery stores it's been
difficult.
And then to teach them about anew demand charge, it's been
(07:13):
difficult.
Some of them understand it,some of them don't, but we've
been putting a lot of goodinformation out on our website.
Our MSRs have been walking allof our members through it and
explaining, sending theminformation and guiding them to
(07:33):
our website so they canunderstand this charge, and
letting them know that this wasthe best way that our board
could do this for ourmemberships.
It was the best equitable wayso that their rates didn't go up
high.
Jim Anderson (07:45):
And that's important for the membership to
know that everything that's doneis trying to be fair and
equitable for everybody.
Shawntaye (07:50):
And we've put it into terms too, like we've given
them, like if our rates wouldhave went up a penny, what the
difference would have beencompared to the demand charge,
and for me it would have beenquite a bit more in the kWh
charge.
Jim Anderson (08:06):
So, I guess this is a question that happens to
you guys a lot.
We have members that call inand it could be a change in the
weather, or something hashappened, and they want to know
why their power bill is so high.
What steps do you take to helpthem understand what's going on
with their power bill?
Amber (08:23):
So, we discuss their usage, how the demand works.
We look at the actual daterange of the bill because
sometimes the June bill ispartial May readings, and so
when you tell them what thatdate range is, sometimes there
were colder days during thattime.
Or if it's a vacation home,we've had people come in and
(08:46):
they were actually there duringthat time.
So, I think the date range isimportant.
A lot of times it falls on aholiday.
Shawntaye (08:52):
We go over what they have in their house.
Do they have electric heatversus wood heat?
What do you keep your heat at?
Do you have outbuildings?
Do you have heaters in there?
Do you have hot tubs?
Do you have a well house?
We go over those kind of things.
You have heat tape.
Do you have a truck you plug in.
(09:12):
Do you have, you know, anyanimals outside with the water
heaters that you plug in?
We go over all of that, tryingto help them find where they're
using.
Jim Anderson (09:24):
We go over all of that trying to help them find
where they're using.
So, we really try to dive intotheir house.
We dive into everything thatdraws electricity and power and
try to help them understand thateach of those has a cost on the
system and that's a good toolfor our members.
So, are there any other toolsthat we can provide to help the
members monitor or manage theirusage?
Are there things that we can doon our side to help that?
Amber (09:43):
There is.
We refer them to our websitefor energy efficiency ideas.
On the website there's so muchinformation for members to help
them understand and look fordifferent ways that they can
help conserve energy.
Jim Anderson (10:00):
Can a member see their usage?
Do you guys help them actuallylook at their usage?
Is there a way to do that?
Shawntaye (10:04):
Yeah, we can even go down to the half an hour.
Jim Anderson (10:08):
So they can actually get a true picture of
what's happening.
Is there a spot on the websiteor is there something on their
account information that allowsthem to see that?
Or you can walk them throughinto that.
Shawntaye (10:31):
Yeah,
Jim Anderson (10:31):
,
Shawntaye (10:31):
We
Jim Anderson (10:33):
So a lot of great things that we do for the
members, and I think a lot ofmembers aren't really aware
sometimes that there's a lot youguys can do on your side to
really help them through theprocess of a higher bill or to
understand how the bill affectssome of our times used on the
bill for billing.
So let's kind of shift gearsagain and let's talk a little
bit about capital credits.
So one of the things that'svery unique to a co-op.
(10:53):
You know, we're not an investorowned, we're owned by the
membership.
We give money back to ourmembers.
How do you explain to somebodythat's never heard about capital
credits?
Amber (11:06):
So I usually tell them because we are a co-op, we're a
non-profit.
Everything that is above andbeyond our operating expenses is
what gets paid back to ourmembers.
Jim Anderson (11:19):
Now does that get paid immediately back?
Shawntaye (11:21):
No, it takes about 15 to 20 years is the average it
gets paid back.
Jim Anderson (11:26):
We're not just holding on to that money.
Shawntaye (11:35):
And it's always paid back in December (just in time
for Christmas) or it does becomea part of your estate if you
were to pass.
Jim Anderson (11:46):
So what is the process and I guess we've
basically talked about this, butwhat's the process for getting
a capital credit refund?
How do they know if they'regoing to get one?
I guess that's probably themost important thing for a
member to know how do you knowif we're going to get a capital
credit check?
Shawntaye (11:59):
Well, it would be for a member that's been with us
long term.
So, we are still back in themid 2000s that we're paying (
2008).
So, you've had to be a member along time.
But if you move away from oursystem, as long as you keep an
up-to-date address with us, weget those checks to you when
they retire.
Jim Anderson (12:20):
So definitely another big plus of being a
member of a co- op are thecapital credits, and you guys
can help our members betterunderstand capital credits when
they call in with a question.
So, you guys are like you know,you got a big toolbox.
You can answer a lot ofquestions, almost like calling a
411.
Perfect.
So, another thing that we needto talk about a little bit here
(12:41):
is payment, payment arrangementsand disputes.
You know we are a business, andwe rely on a lot of information
that comes in and sometimespeople don't always agree with
what we bill out or they couldfall behind for a reason that's
maybe not necessarily in theircontrol.
So, if we do have a member thathas fallen on hard times and
(13:02):
for some reason they fall behindon their bill and we want to
make sure that we know whatoptions are available for them,
can you make paymentarrangements?
So how do you guys handle that?
Amber (13:12):
So we have two different types of payment arrangements.
One you would have to have 25%of what's owing or $50,
whichever is greater and then wedivide the rest up into four
payments with your next fourbills.
Yes, so you would pay yourarrangement payment plus your
current bill for the next fourbills.
(13:33):
We also have a no money downarrangement, so we can set the
date for you to pay at a laterdate.
You would just pay the past dueamount and the current amount
whatever's owing.
You would have to pay that allat once before you bill again.
Jim Anderson (13:50):
Before you bill again.
Say we get into a situationwith a seasonal worker.
How often can someone makethese payment arrangements if
they're falling on hard times?
Shawntaye (14:00):
As long as they stay current with their payment
arrangements and they don't fail, we will make them as much as
they need them.
Jim Anderson (14:07):
So we're going to work with each member
individually to make sure thatwe're doing all we can for the
member.
Shawntaye (14:11):
Yeah, and we also help them look for resources.
Especially when you haveseasonal workers that are on
hard times.
There are a lot of resourcesthat they can use that are out
there that will lead them to.
Jim Anderson (14:24):
And hardships as well.
So some good tools, yeah, somereally good tools.
Is there a grace period forsomeone that gets disconnected
on their power so they didn'tmake their payment, they didn't
call in and talk to anybody hereat the co-op and they get
disconnected, is there?
Shawntaye (14:47):
We give them multiple notices before we would ever
actually disconnect them.
On their first bill, whenthey're past due, we would give
them a notice of a disconnectdate and then a week later, we
would send them an actualdisconnect notice.
Giving them notice of thedisconnect date.
We would make a phone call andthen, even the day before the
(15:10):
actual disconnect date, we wouldattempt to make another phone
call.
So we make four attempts beforewe would actually disconnect
and we're trying to get them tocome in to make payment
arrangements or make a payment,so that we don't want to
disconnect them.
Jim Anderson (15:26):
Okay.
So if I'm a member and I didn'tpay my bill and I got
disconnected and my credit isn'texactly, you know, going to be
right up there at the top, areyou going to make me or require
me to pay the entire past dueamount, or is there something we
can do to get my power turnedback on sooner?
Is there some way we can go onthat?
Shawntaye (15:48):
So, we'll look at the situation.
If prepaid is an option, we'lllook at going on prepaid and
putting some of that money inwhat we call debt recovery.
So, it's like a paymentarrangement on the prepaid
system.
So, every time you make apayment, 25% of your payment
would go towards that debt.
That's usually a really goodoption for people that have been
(16:14):
disconnected.
Jim Anderson (16:14):
If a member disagrees with their bill or
they think something's off onthe bill, what is the best way
to resolve it through memberservices?
Amber (16:24):
So, as a member representative, we want to
listen to the member.
Jim Anderson (16:36):
Okay, so basically , the member service rep is the
first stop.
can.
Don't want to look at Facebookand try to solve my problem on
Facebook.
I really want to get ahold ofthe co-op and actually dig into
the account and get the correctinformation right up front.
Yes, and you guys are alwayshere to give that information.
Amber (16:49):
We are.
Jim Anderson (16:50):
It sounds like you know you guys are the ones that
are here to help us doeverything that we need to do.
Yes, what are some importantquestions that members should be
asking you if they have aquestion up front but they don't
?
Shawntaye (17:01):
So some of the questions that they should be
asking about is, if they seethat their bill is late, like if
there's a deposit added, whatthey can do about waiving that
deposit and options for that, orhow to view and understand
their bill using our Smart Hubapp.
Amber (17:22):
Also how to save money, because we have rebate programs
available to our members.
Jim Anderson (17:28):
In a perfect scenario for you guys.
We're dealing with themembership and you're dealing
with you know, we have almost22,000 accounts now in Midstate.
Is there something you wishthat every member knew before
they called or came in?
That would just make itsmoother for everybody when they
have questions or issues.
Amber (17:47):
We want every member to know that we truly are here for
them, to assist them, providehelp for them.
One thing that does make thingseasier is if they know their
account number or serviceaddress, also when they come in.
Jim Anderson (18:02):
And I'm going to play this because I'm a guy, my
wife takes care of everythingfor me.
I don't have my account number,so do I need to make sure that
I'm on the account, or how doesthat work?
Can you look it up under myname, or do I need to have my
wife present?
Amber (18:20):
So if you're both on the account, we can look it up under
either of your names.
If your spouse is the one thatthe account is under, we can
look it up under your spouse'sname, give you general
information.
You can make a payment.
We just can't give exactinformation on an account.
If somebody is not on thataccount, we have to protect our
members.
Jim Anderson (18:41):
At the end of the day, what would you say ?
Shawntaye (18:48):
It's to give them excellent member service, to
always do what we can to helpthem make sure their needs are
met.
Jim Anderson (19:00):
Because we are dealing with the member-owners,
and we work for them.
So if you could address themembers, what do you want them
to directly hear from you aboutthe member service reps and
their role and how they affectthe member?
Amber (19:13):
I feel that I would want them to know that we genuinely
care about them and their needs.
Shawntaye (19:19):
Yeah that we're here to help them.
Jim Anderson (19:21):
And this last question I do get to wander
around and I get to watch theseMSRs at work and they do a great
job with the membership.
But what is your favorite parteach of you, what's your
favorite part of the interactionwith the member?
Amber (19:35):
My favorite part is getting to know our members
because when they call you getto have a little bit of small
talk and find out a little bitabout them and they find out a
little bit about them and theyfind out a little bit about you
and just learning and growingtogether.
Shawntaye (19:54):
Mine's about the same, I've been here a long
time, so I love it when I coverthe phones and I say I have
someone go, oh, I haven't talkedto you forever how you been.
And then I have the ones wherethey're angry and I love turning
that around.
I like to make someone happy,and they now understand what
they didn't when they firstcalled, so they're satisfied.
(20:16):
I like to turn that situationaround, so those are satisfying
to me.
Jim Anderson (20:20):
So our member services here at the co-op
always put the members first andmake sure they're taken care of
, and then we try to educate atthe same time.
So it's you guys are like thefront lines next to alignment,
you guys are like right theredealing with the membership,
probably more so than the linecrew.
Amber (20:36):
Yeah, yep, this is a very rewarding job and opportunity
to be in our community and helppeople.
Jim Anderson (20:44):
I appreciate you guys coming in and taking the
time to talk with us today.
It's been great having you guyshere.
Amber (20:48):
Thank you for having us.
Thank you, Jim.
Jim Anderson (20:50):
So, I'd like to thank you all out there for
tuning in to this episode ofPower Factor.
Make sure you subscribe orfollow us on your favorite
podcast application to stayinformed on the latest from
Midstate Electric Cooperative.
We appreciate you listening andalways stay safe, stay informed
and stay empowered until nexttime.
And speaking of next time,we're going to be talking rates,
so we are going to have our CFOin place, and we're going to
(21:14):
have one of our consultants comein and try to explain to the
members what goes into therestructure of the Midstate
Electric Rates.
So, until next time, stay safeand we'll see you then.
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