CS Week eNews                                                               November  2016
2017 Awards Now Open for Submission
CS Week has recently updated the Expanding Excellence Awards categories to reflect the following 2017 award titles:





Click on the titles above to reveal updated descriptions and to locate instructions on submitting your utility’s applications. For questions about the Expanding Excellence Awards and the nomination process, contact CS Week Education Manager, Lisa Collins or call her at 903-893-3214.
Submission Deadline for 2017 Awards: 1/6/17
Attendee Registration 
and Hotel Reservations 
Open November 15, 2016
The premiere utility customer service conference – presenting a wide range of current utility topics at levels from introductory to advanced – opens online attendee registration and hotel reservations on November 15, 2016. Utilities who register multiple attendees on the same date can enjoy a 20 – 40% discount, depending on the number of attendees. Register early to be assured of accommodations adjacent to the Fort Worth Convention Center.

$199 + tax
$25/day parking

$179 + tax
$20/day parking
Questions about registration or hotel reservations? Please contact Julie Shankles, Registration Manager or call her at 903-893-3214 or directly at 903-821-8631, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm CST.
National Day: 11/16/16
Dozens of utilities across North America are collaborating to combat scams perpetrated by criminals against utility customers. Working together, these utilities submitted a federal resolution designating November 16, 2016 as the first annual “Utilities United Against Scams Day.” Co-sponsors continue to be recruited. Look for press releases, local and national media coverage and heightened attention by community and educational agencies to this critical issue.
Utility customers around the country should be aware of telephone, mail, email, door-to-door, and other in-person scams that involve criminals posing as utility company representatives and demanding immediate payment or personal information. Scammers:
  • Impersonate utility company employees over the phone, in-person, or by other means.
  • Target vulnerable demographics, including senior citizens and non-native English speaking persons.
  • Use advanced tactics, such as playing a telephone recording that sounds like a utility company’s phone system message or displaying a utility company’s name and logo in person.
  • Threaten to disconnect or suspend utility service if immediate payment is not received. 
Utility companies are working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute scammers. They are also working with state attorneys general to raise awareness and educate consumers before they become victims. Utility companies are instructing customers who believe they have been contacted by a criminal impersonating a utility company representative to:
  1. Hang up the phone or close the door, and call your utility company’s verified, direct phone number located on your utility company’s website or on your utility bill.
  2. Do not give the caller or visitor a prepaid card, such as a Green Dot card, a wire transfer or any other form of payment that may be difficult for law enforcement officials to trace. 
  3. Ignore suspicious requests for personal information such as bank account numbers, user names and passwords, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers.
  4. Delete and block any emails from utilities that are not your service provider.
  5. Delete suspicious emails that require immediate action to verify or demand personal information.
  6. Contact your local police through the non-emergency telephone number, your state attorney general’s office through its toll-free number, and/or contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
“The goal of this collaboration,” says Jared Lawrence, Vice President, Revenue Services of Duke Energy, “is to put these scammers out of business. While it would be great if our efforts lead to criminal prosecutions, our primary objective is to magnify our collective voice so that all of our customers immediately recognize the signs of a scam and stop giving money to these criminals. And while it is no surprise, it is nonetheless heartwarming to be part of such a strong response from the utility industry to confront this problem on behalf of our customers.”

For more information about UUAS, contact Jared Lawrence.
Watch Your Marketing Dollars Go Far
with CS Week Sponsorships
As a sponsor, your marketing dollars go to work from the time you become a sponsor, throughout CS Week Conference and after. CS Week offers the largest Exhibit Hall in utility customer service, IT and field service. Meet with senior-level decision makers and management level professionals seeking solutions, consulting and expertise.
Several high-impact sponsorships are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit our website to view the Sponsor Prospectus. For questions, please contact Gail Farmer, Sponsorship/Exhibitor Manager, or call her at 903-893-3214.
311 Synergy
Group Renamed:
CS Week 31 1
Did you know that CS Week 311 Synergy Group has been rebranded and renamed? With its new moniker, CS Week 311 will continue to offer educational and networking opportunities for call/contact center professionals in the utilities industry. Watch highlights from the 2016 Annual Meeting.

Check out the recently updated website and learn about CS Week 311’s three-day conference now called ENGAGE311 and its own exhibit hall, EXPO311. Set for Monday through Wednesday, May 22 – 24, 2017, CS Week 311 will convene at the Hilton Fort Worth Hotel where a block of rooms has been reserved for attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. Make your ENGAGE311 reservations early, registration is open now!.
Thank you, 2017 ENGAGE311 Emerald Sponsor:
Sponsorships for CS Week 311 are now available. For more information about those opportunities and for questions about CS Week 311, please contact Amber Wiens or call her at 903-893-3214.
Profiles in Excellence: Utility Chief Customer Officers
Available Online Soon
With her newly published book, Profiles in Excellence: Utility Chief Customer Officers, Penni McLean-Conner, Eversource Energy’s Chief Customer Officer and Customer Group Senior Vice President, is now a thrice-published author. Profiles showcases eight dynamic executives who are responsible for creating and sustaining the customer experience at major North American utilities.

Amazon and Barnes and Noble will soon offer her new book in both hardcover and e-book formats. Purchase a copy and bring it to Conference 41 in Fort Worth where Ms. McLean-Conner will hold book-signings in the Exhibit Hall.

Watch www.csweek.org for upcoming announcements about the book launch.
So Worth It! Conference 41 in Fort Worth
Known as “Cowtown,” Fort Worth, Texas is the site for CS Week 41. Twice a day, a band of cowhands actually drives a herd of Texas Longhorns to the Fort Worth Stockyards, down brick-laid streets at 11:30 am and 4 pm. It’s quite a tradition for visitors and natives and pays homage to Old West nostalgia. 

But cattle isn’t the only attraction Fort Worth offers: 
  • Check out the performance schedule at the renowned Bass Performance Hall;
  • Meander through world-class museums like the Kimbell or the Modern Art;
  • Stroll through the ever-blooming Botanic Garden or tranquil Water Gardens; 
  • Visit Fort Worth’s top-five zoo;
  • Find your way to Texas Christian University - home of the Horned Frogs - and major league sports venues like the Texas Motor Speedway, the Texas Rangers ballpark and Dallas Cowboys stadium; 
  • Schedule time to see the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing Western Currency Facility where 60 percent of America’s paper money is printed or the Texas Civil War Museum which houses the largest private Civil War collection west of the Mississippi River.
Fort Worth beautifully combines old with modern, vintage with cutting edge, country western with jazz, history with shopping, action-packed with laid back. Just like CS Week, there’s something for everyone. Make plans today to attend Conference 41 in Fort Worth.
Introducing our
2017 CS Week
Host Utility:

One of the largest electric transmission and distribution service providers in North America, Oncor serves 10 million customers in the North and Central Texas regions. Its distribution system spans 121,000 miles and includes more than 3.3 million meters. Yes, everything is bigger in Texas.

Oncor has an important role for CS Week 41 in Fort Worth. As the Host Utility, Oncor will be wearing many hats – from speakers, panelists and presenters to exhibitor and attendees. Look for Oncor’s welcoming presence in every venue. 
For the latest news and updates, follow CS Week on social media and visit our website.
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