By Cassie McClure and Suzanne Michaels
If you filled out a Las Cruces Utilities Customer Service Survey, either by mail or in-person at either City Hall or the East Mesa Customer Service Location, Thank you! Taking a few minutes to answer the questions helps Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) know what they might need to clarify, fix, or understand what is working well. But the surveys also help customers know more about available utilities services.
Just a few days ago, a stack of survey responses sat on the desk of LCU Customer Service Supervisor Estela Sauceda. She was placing calls to individual respondents to answer questions about bill payment grace periods, how to sign up for automatic bill pay, and tips to save money on utility services. LCU Customer Service, in general, has plenty of tips to help customers save, but many options depend on the specific situation of the resident - and that’s where Ms. Sauceda and her staff are most helpful.
“Let’s say a customer is on a fixed income and their check arrives at a certain time every month; we can configure billing schedules to align with their check arrival. We can visit properties to check for leaks if there is an unusually high bill that month,” Ms. Sauceda said. In addition to answering surveys, “customers can call and get billing assistance over the phone [at 575/541-2111], or they can visit our two service locations for face-to-face conversations as well.”
Customer Service can answer questions in person at City Hall, and at the East Mesa Customer Service Center, on U.S. 70 heading toward the Mesa Grande exit. Located on the north side frontage road, at 5195 Bataan Memorial West. The East Mesa Center is a one-stop shop for utility services; not just paying a bill, but also for activations, deactivations and inquiries about payment plans.
“With the survey we wanted to have a way for customers to connect with us in an anonymous and broader way, but also to give us an opportunity to reach back out to them with more detailed answers if they shared contact information,” said Jose Provencio, LCU Deputy Director Business Services. “We want to know what we can do better and how we can better serve our customers.”
Customers can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 575/528-3500 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.
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Whether it’s in person or on the phone (575/541-2111), Customer Service is available every City business day to answer questions about utility services. Right now, LCU is returning calls to those who completed Customer Service surveys and asked for answers to specific questions about their situation.
Note: This story was published in the Las Cruces Sun-News on Oct. 6, 2019.