WMCS defeats Lee Academy with dominant pitching

West Memphis Utility Dept. to discontinue by-phone payments

Officials cite security risk, success of new online system in move

news@theeveningtimes.com

The West Memphis Utilities Commission has nixed over-the-phone payments for city utility customers.

Commissioners were presented with the plan in January and sought input and evaluated the proposal before coming to a February decision. With the growing popularity of its new nocost online bill pay service the phone-in option became obsolete.

Utilities officials cited the potential exposure of sensitive credit card security information as a major factor in declaring the call-in option obsolete, noting, though, that in the seven years the service was offered, there was never any indication that the Utility Department mishandled credit card information or violated customer confidentiality.

“There never has been a problem. We currently don’t have any issues,” said Assistant Utilities Manager Todd Pedersen, “but when people call in they give us all the information on their credit card. The potential for liability is there. We will discontinue taking payments over the phone May 1.”

Security concerns were expressed by commissioners as they discussed the plan.

The online transactions offer more protection for both the company and the customers.

“Limited interaction is more secure,” said Commissioner Jerry Burns.

Personal phone transactions take up to four minutes with all transactions being read back and answering customer questions. About 800 residential customers phoned in payments last month.

Available staff was reduced. According to Pedersen no staff was added when the phone pay option started and it added phone duties and a coverage schedule to a busy staff. One employee that used to work the phones quit at the end of the year and will not be replaced. So the reduced staffing also contributed to the decision to eliminate pay-by-phone.

Pedersen noted a downward trend in the number of people paying by phone along with a jump in online users.

“The numbers are dropping and with the liability issues, I don’t think it’s the right thing to continue,” said Pedersen. “There were 1,000 more credit card users this month than February last year.”

Commissioners wondered how payment services stacked up against other municipal utilities.

“Does Jonesboro take phone payments?” asked Commissioner Loutelious Holmes.

“They do not,” replied Pedersen. “I don’t think they even handle credit cards in house. They do it by third party completely.”

A whole line-up of convenient payment options remain. More than 1,200 customers paid online in January. Payments may still be made by automatic bank draft payment (ACH), by mail, via the night drop at the utilities office, or in person during business hours by walking in or driving through.

The pay-by-phone option will end May 1, after notices go out in all the March and April billing statements.

“We would like to announce that we now offer Online Bill Pay,” said Pedersen.

“This is available

from our web site at www.westmemphisutilities. com at no additional cost. Use the bottom button on the left to make you to the correct site for this service. We will still be offering the ACH (Automatic Clearing House) bank draft service. Since we now have this new online service and still offer ACH, we will no longer be taking payments over the phone, effective

May 1, 2017.”

By John Rech