Orange & Rockland Remote Account Number Access Tool Goes Live

Customers at Orange & Rockland can now remotely look up their utility account number on occasions when they do not have their bill, facilitating the enrollment onto ESCO service when customers are marketed to outside of the home.

The program had been approved by the PSC in November (11/23). O&R said that the system went live on January 20.

Under the remote look-up tool, a customer of record may contact Orange and Rockland and enter their Social Security Number into the Interactive Voice Response system to retrieve their account number, which is needed to enroll with an ESCO.

If the IVR system application is unable to match the social security number entered by the customer with a valid Orange and Rockland account number, it will advise the customer accordingly. If the call is between 8 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, the IVR system will ask if the customer would like to be transferred to a Customer Service Representative, who will verify the identity of the customer by asking account specific challenge questions. If the customer's identity is verified, the Customer Service Representative will provide the account number to the customer.

If the call occurs outside of business hours, and the IVR system cannot match the inputted SSN to a customer account, the system will advise the customer to call during business hours.

ESCOs have agreed to a cost allocation mechanism that equally allocates the implementation and maintenance costs of the account look-up program among all ESCOs participating in retail access in O&R's service territory.

O&R had previously reported that implementation required a one-time $5,000 charge for IVR upgrades, and that annual maintenance costs would be $500.