SHARON Water company to combine Ohio and Pa. call centers

The change will be enacted without affecting customers.
SHARON, Pa. -- Consumers Pennsylvania Water Co.-Shenango Valley Division and Consumers Ohio Water Co. will combine their Sharon and Struthers Division call centers to enhance customer service.
Walter J. Pishkur, president of both CPWC and COWC, said customers won't see much of a change as a result of the centralization. No jobs will be lost.
Customers will continue to call the same telephone numbers, and the only change is that the person answering the phone will be in a different location, he said. All calls will be routed to the Struthers location, making the company better able to handle high call volumes from customers in both states, he said.
The change is part of the move to position both companies for growth in the Shenango and Mahoning valleys, Pishkur said.
CPWC will continue to use its South Dock Street facility for distribution and service crews, and people who want to pay their bills in person can still do so at that office. Additional Pennsylvania payment locations are being developed, Pishkur said.
Only two jobs at the Shenango Valley Division will be transferred to the Struthers call center, he said.
What's behind the change
The primary goal is to maintain customer service in the most cost-effective manner, and the centralization accomplishes that, Pishkur said.
CPWC will continue to provide water for nearly 70,000 people in Mercer, Lawrence and Trumbull counties from its new $35 million treatment plant in Sharon.
There will be no changes at the customer service facility on State Street in Struthers, Pishkur said.
COWC serves nearly 270,000 people in seven Ohio counties.
Both CPWC and COWC are subsidiaries of Philadelphia Suburban Corp., the largest U.S.-based, investor-owned utility in the country.