SANTANNA ENERGY SERVICES DEVELOPS “CUSTOMER-FIRST” POLICIES FOR MASS MARKETING INITIATIVES

Customer Choice programs allow customers to choose a natural gas supplier other than their local utility.

[USPRwire, Mon May 17 2010] Santanna Energy Services, an Austin, Texas-based energy marketing company, has a long-term commitment to strict policies and procedures for its representatives to follow when soliciting prospective residential, commercial and industrial customers on its behalf for its various “Choice” programs.

Customer Choice programs allow customers to choose a natural gas supplier other than their local utility. The utility still reads the meter and takes care of billing, but Santanna supplies the gas. Santanna serves customers in Illinois and Michigan.

Santanna recognized that today’s customers expect quality and professional experiences from the initial phone contact onwards. In early 2007, Santanna’s executive team redesigned its existing operating procedures and put in place a more rigorous program, which is monitored and enforced throughout the system.

Santanna has contracts with numerous marketing companies with hundreds of representatives. The policies are for the protection of customers and Santanna. They include a script that describes the details of the program being offered to prospective customers. The script has been reviewed by state utilities and regulating authorities. Each sales representative is required to use that script in the solicitation process. The marketing company must record all conversations between a prospect and a sales representative. This enables the subsequent recovery and monitoring of any communication, in case of any questionable interaction.

“These protections are time consuming and costly but are imperative for the protection of the prospect and for Santanna,” explained Wayne Gatlin, president and CEO. “The majority of marketing companies and their representatives are disciplined and professional, but Santanna’s systems have to guard against any who fail to reach our standards. Our mission is to have all our prospects and customers fully satisfied with the solicitation and the overall program.”

Some of the calls are “live” monitored to ensure the script is being adhered to and that all communication is carried out respectfully and professionally. Representatives not meeting the standards are terminated from the Santanna program.

Another policy addresses those prospects who are not interested. Santanna adds them to an internal “do not call” list to avoid them being solicited further.

Prospects who do choose to participate in Santanna’s program are connected to a Third Party Verification company (TPV), with their permission, to confirm their choice and verify their understanding. A percentage of the verification tapes also are monitored for compliance to the scripts and the professional conduct of the TPV agents.

Customers are told during the sales presentation and again in the confirmation process that they have 30 days to change their mind, without cost or penalty. Within about a week, they receive a welcome letter from Santanna repeating the terms and conditions expressed in the original solicitation. This is the third opportunity for customers to voice their choice of participating, or not participating, in the program. Santanna is possibly the only company currently offering this no cost, no penalty grace period.

A 24-hour toll-free cancellation hot line is available for any customers wishing to change their minds. Santanna does not charge any customer a cancellation fee.

About Santanna Energy Services
Austin, Texas-based Santanna Energy Services — with offices in Illinois, Michigan, and Texas — is an energy marketing company that serves commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential customers throughout Illinois and Michigan. For more than 20 years, Santanna has delivered premium service and competitive prices while providing an array of business and residential energy solutions designed to help control energy costs. More information can be found online at www.santannaenergyservices.com.

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