National Customer Service Week: Relationships are at the heart of serving Alabama Power customers

For Alabama Power customer service representative Jamar Crawford, building relationships is what it’s all about.

Originally from Wedowee, Crawford started with Alabama Power in 2015 in the customer call center at the company’s headquarters in Birmingham. In 2018, he moved to the Anniston business office to be closer to family and friends, as well as to work in the community he calls home.

Crawford’s background in technology and passion for connecting with people help him empower customers with new tools every day. A graduate of Jacksonville State University with a degree in computer and information systems, Crawford relies on his technology expertise to equip both customers and colleagues.

“For me, having a strong background in technology allows me to help people understand how to navigate through tools and applications we use every day,” he said.

Crawford is motivated to help customers better understand their bills, power usage and the tools they can use to keep them informed.

“We offer so many resources like the Alabama Power app, text alerts, customer usage reports, even paperless billing – all great tools that our customers may not know about,” said Crawford. “These can help keep the customers informed.”

For Crawford, being able to build a relationship and help customers face to face is what attracts him to the role. “I’ll have customers bring me their phones and I can walk them through setting up these online tools in person.”

This is where his love of technology comes in: helping customers make changes that can affect their energy usage. Crawford will review a customer’s bill, help interpret a customer’s monthly usage and even offer recommendations to help customers save.

“Being able to have that one-on-one time means a lot. A lot of our customers love to have a conversation – whether it’s about their bill, even if just a bill balance, I am happy to be able to talk and brighten their day. Building a relationship and talking with a customer goes a long way,” he said.

Remembering a recent storm that devastated the area, Crawford takes pride in how the company gives back in times of need. He was also quick to share how people have worked together throughout the pandemic.

“Times have been challenging, but we are here to build a relationship with each other and encourage one another – it just goes a long way,” said Crawford.

Being both a resident and employee in the community, Crawford sees the importance of being able to serve the community.

“We at Alabama Power, we give back. Especially for people that work here and live in the community, it’s important that we assist our customers by giving back. We live and serve in the communities that we work in and that means a lot,” he said.

Crawford is one of many customer care team members who make a difference daily at Alabama Power. Join us in celebrating National Customer Service Week Oct. 4-8 to celebrate customer service across many industries in the United States and around the world.

In 2020, 2.5 million proactive text messages were sent to Alabama Power customers for billing alerts and outage alerts. To learn more about the online tools that Crawford uses to help empower customers, visit www.alabamapower.com/myaccount.