Our main account rep at Georgia Power just transferred to another department and we're getting a new person who seems really green. We've had great success working with the previous rep on disputed charges - saved clients over $180K last year. How do you approach building trust with new utility contacts? This new rep seems hesitant to even discuss Rate Schedule GSA-6 adjustments that were routine before.
Georgia Power account rep changed - how to rebuild relationship?
I've been through this with TVA folks several times. Best approach is to bring documentation of past successful resolutions - show them you're not just fishing. Also, invite them to lunch or coffee, get to know them as people first. The green ones usually just need confidence that you know what you're talking about.
Duke Energy in Charlotte rotates reps every 18 months it seems like. I always send a brief intro letter with my credentials and a summary of the account history. Include a few examples of mutual wins - times when your audit actually helped them catch their own errors. Shows you're collaborative, not adversarial.
Key is patience. New reps are usually overwhelmed and may push back initially just to avoid more work. I had one at Duquesne Light who wouldn't return calls for weeks. Turned out she was just scared of making mistakes. Once I walked her through a simple demand charge correction that saved her customer $2,400, she became my biggest ally.
Wisconsin Electric has been pretty stable with reps, but when they do change, I always ask for a transition meeting with both the old and new rep present. Helps establish continuity and shows the new person that there's an existing professional relationship to maintain.
Great suggestions everyone. Update: took Terry's advice and invited the new rep to lunch. Turns out she was actually an engineer before moving to customer service and really appreciated the technical discussion. We resolved a $15K power factor penalty that had been dragging on for months. Sometimes the green ones just need to feel heard and respected.