POWERGRAMS

9 "Our commercial customers want these services and have asked for them," said Jones, business specialist in the Business Call Center for 10 years. "Our customers look to us for everything, especially small businesses that don't have a staff for repairing or maintaining their electric products. Making our customers happy is 100 percent the right thing to do." Jones' plan will explore the option of commercial customers paying power bills via credit or debit cards. He said customers want to make one-time monthly payments, which is not possible through the current process. "My whole idea is to educate, support and help our customers grow," Jones said. "If they succeed, we succeed and the local economy succeeds." All under one roof Todd Perkins, communications specialist, Alan Bates, financial analyst, and Freddy Padilla, corporate relations specialist, said their idea, "Office Space," hinges on the development of partnerships with other companies that, like Alabama Power, value face-to-face interaction with customers. Their proposal is to rent unused footage in Alabama Power business offices (when available) to companies such as financial institutions, insurance agencies or cellphone providers. With several businesses under one roof, Alabama Power could offer a "one-stop shop" experience to hundreds of customers who drop in to pay their bills. The company would benefit by generating revenue from rent, said Perkins. Increased foot traffic in the business offices could help Appliance Sales promote products to a wider market, leading to additional sales. "We can offer tenants a cheaper, established location that already has heavy foot traffic, and our customers would have the ease of conducting multiple transactions at one stop," Perkins said. "Our biggest challenges will be locating the offices where this type of arrangement makes the most sense and finding tenants whose customer values are compatible with ours. But everyone – Alabama Power, our customers and our tenants – could see big benefits." Sign up now Subscription services like Amazon Prime, Birchbox, Shipt and Netflix are all the rage. With its vast experience in the home energy market and its reputation as one of the state's most trusted brands, Alabama Power is in an ideal position to offer customers "Subscription- based Home Maintenance Services." Community Initiatives Manager Hallie Bradley, Communications Specialists Allison Swagler, Don Franklin and Tan Grayson, and Education Program Manager Kim Redding believe Alabama Power could grow revenue by providing packaged home maintenance services for a regular fee. Services could include weatherization tips, appliance repair and warranties, installation of insulation, and energy efficiency support. Seasonal tasks, like Swagler, Bradley, Franklin, Redding and Grayson

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