Richmond, VA — The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is providing the following updates related to its new billing system and customer service operations.
DPU continues to verify customer accounts that have not yet received bills. Customers who have not seen their most recent bills should see them during their normal bill cycle going forward. Additionally, some customer payments remain unprocessed due to missing or incorrect account numbers on checks or other payment methods, or for various other reasons. These items require DPU to review the payment and to identify the correct corresponding account.
Customers who believe they may have a billing issue or receiving an error or “validation” message when accessing MyHQ should contact DPU at 804-646-4646 during normal business hours or email dpucustserv@rva.gov.
Customer Reminders
As part of the new billing system:
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All customers have been assigned new 10-digit account numbers.
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Any customer using bill pay through a financial institution should update their account number with that institution to ensure correct processing.
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Customers who pay through MyHQ do not need to update their account number.
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A new online account lookup tool is available.
The Department of Public Utilities remains committed to providing updates as additional progress is made and appreciates customers' continued patience as these improvements are completed. Progress thus far includes:
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Call center wait times have decreased due to the addition of 15 customer service agents trained to complete requests for starting, stopping and transferring service.
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Customers calling to start, stop or transfer service can now select Option 4 to be routed for direct assistance.
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An additional 17 customer service agents will be onboarded in August.
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Additional staff are working customer service tickets to address online inquiries to provide quicker turnaround times for customers. As a result, DPU has addressed 93 percent of the online account inquiries entered in June and July, the remaining 7 percent are actively being addressed. To avoid wait time, customers can send an email to dpucustserv@rva.gov for non-urgent requests.
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MyHQ and EZ-PAY portals have been updated. Account and summary information has been corrected.
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Bill formatting issues including adjustments and budget billing have been resolved with the exception of duplicate meter reads. This will be corrected in the next update.
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Payment reminders have been updated and include a link to a payment portal.
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Additional bill improvements related to how meter reads are displayed on bills will be implemented over the next two weeks.
Customers can find the latest information, including how to locate their new account number, by visiting rva.gov/public-utilities/account update or by following DPU's official social media channels.
DPU continues to work with partners Oracle and KUBRA to implement the new billing and customer service platform (Project Synergy) as well as address issues that have arisen since implementation earlier this year.
Statement from the City of Richmond, Oracle, and KUBRA
Project Synergy is a collaborative partnership between the City of Richmond, Oracle, and KUBRA to modernize the City's utility billing and customer service platform. As Project Synergy has been implemented over the past several months, some customers have experienced challenges with their utility billing. We understand how frustrating these issues have been, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through them.
The City of Richmond, Oracle, and KUBRA remain committed to working together to enhance system performance, improve reliability, and provide the modern, dependable utility experience Richmond customers expect and deserve.
City of Richmond’s Commitment to Customers
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Continue to expand customer service staffing to respond to customer inquiries more quickly, reduce wait times and provide the assistance our customers need.
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Work jointly to identify, resolve and prevent issues as quickly as possible.
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Strengthen billing validation and quality assurance to improve billing accuracy before bills are issued.
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Provide resources to customers to help them understand their bills and resolution processes.
As Project Synergy continues to mature, customers can expect:
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A modern utility platform designed to provide more efficient, responsive and reliable service
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Improved online account management and self-service tools.
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More accurate and reliable utility billing
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Faster processing of many customer service requests
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Better coordination between customer service representatives and field service personnel
We recognize the frustration these issues have caused our customers and we appreciate their continued patience. Our highest priority is restoring the level of service our customers expect. We appreciate the continued collaboration and expertise of Oracle and KUBRA as we work together to resolve these issues and strengthen our service for the long-term.
Statements from Our Partners
Oracle:
Oracle is proud to partner with the City of Richmond and KUBRA on Project Synergy. We are working closely with City of Richmond post project go-live, supporting improvements, and helping deliver a reliable, modern customer service experience.
KUBRA:
KUBRA values its partnership with the City of Richmond and Oracle on Project Synergy. As the project’s payment technology provider, KUBRA remains committed to supporting the City and Oracle in strengthening the payment experience for Richmond utility customers.
About The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities
The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater, stormwater and streetlight services to more than 500,000 customers in the Richmond metropolitan area. DPU is committed to safety, reliability and innovation in delivering essential utility services that support the city’s residents, businesses and environment.
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