JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Jefferson Parish is amping up its customer service call center staff after residents complained about hours-long wait times to find out why their utility bills have increased, according to our partners Nola.com.
The Parish Council hired two temporary staffing agencies on Wednesday to fill the empty spots on an as-needed basis.
When fully staffed, the call center had 24 employees. Now, it has only 8 employees, Sidney Bazley, the parish’s water director, told our partners.
Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said it has been difficult for the call center to handle the influx of calls over the past few months regarding "higher-than-expected utility bills."
According to Nola.com, residents in Jefferson Parish pay one utility bill every other month, which includes water consumption and service, garbage service, a Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals safe water fee, mosquito control, sewerage usage and service, and recreation.
"My suggestion to anyone who believes their bill is overly high ... look at water consumption and see if it makes sense," Lee Sheng said to nola.com.
The center now has a call-back feature that allows residents to hold their spot in the queue and receive a callback from a customer service representative.
JP signed two-year contracts with Delta Delta Personal, Inc. and Labor Staffing, Inc., capped at $800,000 each.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.