Consumers Energy Provides $12 Million in Payment Assistance through Cross-functional Effort


2021 Chartwell Special Award Winner, COVID-19 Response


 

During a year of widespread customer hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Consumers Energy made a difference for the community it serves through its Shareholder Gift Funding effort. The utility’s Energy Assistance team identified three ways to help customers, including direct payments to those with a good payment history but who became past due in 2020; expansion of the CARE+ program to include customers who do not typically qualify for federal or state assistance; and Good Faith Credits available to CSRs to allocate at their discretion. The effort ultimately allowed Consumers Energy to assist more than 40,000 customers and enroll nearly 1,300 customers in CARE+.

 


Speakers:

Brian Lewis

Executive Director of Customer Operations, Consumers Energy

Brian has been with Consumers Energy for 8 years in various leadership positions, focusing most of his time on enhancing our customer’s experience.  Prior to joining Consumers Energy, Brian led contact centers, workforce manage teams and other customer-focused functions at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Auto Club Group, as well as Meijer.  Brian’s current team, Customer Operations, includes 500 coworkers who together seek to deliver a world-class customer experience.  Customer Operations includes contact centers, direct payments offices, much of the meter to cash process, as well as our digital operations team. 

 

Jon Clark

Director of Revenue Operations, Customer Operations, Consumers Energy

Jon has been with Consumers Energy for 7 years in various leadership positions and organizations, focusing on delivering results for our customers. His current team, Revenue Operations, is responsible for a large portion of the meter to cash process including managing numerous payment programs, supporting collections activities such as disconnections, bankruptcy, theft as well as managing energy assistance programs and partnerships with State and Federal organizations. Jon’s team is essential in developing and delivering strategies that drive value for both the customer and the company.