Section 501.50  Customer Call Centers

a)         A utility or alternative gas supplier shall maintain a customer call center where customers can reach a representative of the utility or alternative gas supplier and receive current information regarding their accounts. At least once every six months, a utility or alternative gas supplier shall provide written information to customers explaining how to contact the call center, which can be accomplished through a bill message either by the alternative gas supplier or a utility in utility‑consolidated billing situations. The annual average answer time for calls placed to the call center shall not exceed 60 seconds when a representative or automated system is ready to render assistance and/or accept information to process calls. The annual abandon rate for calls placed to the call center shall not exceed 10%. A utility or alternative gas supplier shall maintain records of the call center's telephone answer time performance and abandoned call rate. A utility or alternative gas supplier shall keep these records for a minimum of two years and make these records available to Commission personnel upon request. If annual answer times and/or abandon rates exceed the limits established in this subsection (a), a utility or alternative gas supplier may provide the Commission or its personnel with explanatory details. At a minimum, these records shall contain the following information in monthly increments:

1)         Total number of calls received;

2)         Number of calls answered;

3)         Average answer time;

4)         Number of abandoned calls; and

5)         Abandoned call rate. [220 ILCS 5/19-115(b)(5)]

b)         A utility or alternative gas supplier that uses the same call center for both gas and electric service is not required to provide separate data for gas service and electric service.

c)         A utility or alternative gas supplier that uses the same call center for gas or electric service in multiple jurisdictions is not required to provide separate data about Illinois customers unless calls of Illinois customers are routed to a separate area for handling or are identified or tracked separately.

d)         A utility or alternative gas supplier that does not have electronic answering capability that meets the requirements of subsection (a) shall notify the Manager of the Commission's Consumer Services Division or its successor by January 1, 2017 and collaborate with Staff to develop individualized reporting requirements for the call volume and responsiveness of the call center. [220 ILCS 5/19‑115(b)(5)]

e)         On or before March 1 of every year, a utility or alternative gas supplier shall file a report with the Chief Clerk of the Commission for the preceding calendar year on its answer time and abandon call rate for its call center as described in subsection (a). The report shall include an explanation of what service territories are included and a description of how calls are received and routed. For combined utilities, the report shall indicate which types of utility service are included in the report. When a utility or alternative gas supplier files its report with the Commission, it shall also provide a copy of its report to the Manager of the Consumer Services Division or its successor. [220 ILCS 5/19-115(b)(5)]

f)         The provisions of this Section shall apply only to:

1)         Natural gas public utilities; and

2)         Alternative gas suppliers serving residential or small commercial customers and only to the extent those alternative gas suppliers provide services to residential or small commercial customers.