Kauiʻi Island Utility Cooperative to bolster customer support services after hours

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s members will soon benefit from additional customer support when reporting outages after-hours.

Whenever an outage occurs, members are encouraged to check the utility cooperative’s outage map or Facebook page to confirm that the cooperative is aware of the outage.

“If you see your outage listed on either of these sources you can be assured we are aware and are responding and there is no need to call us,” said Beth Amaro, the utility cooperative’s member services and communications manager. 

If members don’t see their outage listed on either of these sources, they are encouraged to call 808-246-4300 to make a report.

“In an emergency event such as a downed power line, or fire on or near utility property you should always call us directly or call 911,” Amaro said.

As of Oct. 1, Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative will contract with Cooperative Response Center , a nationwide 24/7 contact center providing support to rural electric utilities, to accept these calls after hours and on weekends. 

Currently, after-hours calls for outage notifications and emergencies are routed to personnel at the Port Allen Generating Station.

“We have very limited after-hours staff and when outages occur, the calls can sometimes delay their ability to resolve the outage,” said Brad Rockwell, the utility cooperative’s chief of operations. 

When the call center service goes live on Oct. 1, members reporting outages or emergencies outside of normal business hours will be connected to the call center, where representatives can address concerns.

“The (call center) agents will be able to monitor our system to confirm known outages or report new outages to our power plant personnel,” Rockwell said. “This will ensure no call is missed and our power plant operators can focus on critical operational needs during these periods.”

Keeping your contact information updated is crucial. If you are calling from a phone number the utility cooperative has on file, your call automatically will sync with your account information, considerably shortening the call center response time.

Amaro said that call center agents are located on the continental United States and over time will become more familiar with place names on Kaua‘i.

Routine matters such as setting up accounts, billing questions, account payments and other general inquiries will continue to be addressed by the utility cooperative’s member services personnel during regular business hours. 

“This is an important safety enhancement to ensure members can notify us of power-related and safety issues at all hours of the day without delay,” Amaro said.

“Keeping you informed, especially when outages occur, is vitally important for us at KIUC,” says Amaro. Feedback on the CRC service is encouraged, and can be sent to info@kiuc.coop.