Combating the Arrears Crisis: Innovative Customer Support Solutions for the Utility Sector

Date: Wednesday, January 24th Time: 2 – 3 PM ET **Insight Center members can easily register for this webinar at no additional cost after logging in. There is a non-member charge of $299 for this webinar. If you’re interested in an Insight Center membership, connect with us here to get started.** ___________________________________________________________________________________ Years after the COVID lockdowns and disconnection moratoriums ended, customer arrears remain a significant challenge for the utility sector. The rise in energy costs continues to exceed inflation, straining low-income households. Utility consumer debt has soared to $18 billion, resulting in record-high arrearages. Approximately 20.5 million households lag in electric bill payments and another 13 million struggle with natural gas bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. In this panel discussion, leading utilities will explore innovative approaches to arrears including enhanced customer self-service, on-bill payment programs, chatbot integration, meter-to-cash analytics, tailored bill relief for low-income customers, and strategic post-COVID collection initiatives.