Join us during National Customer Service Week (Oct. 7-11) as we highlight the work of PWD customer service employees who interact with City residents daily and provide tips for getting help.
Each day, our social media accounts will focus on a new unit and its role in helping residents or maintaining infrastructure.
Commissioner Hayman Thanks PWD Service Employees
Utility Fair
Residents can also get in-person help will assistance applications from customer service employees representing not only the Water Dept. but also Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) and PECO at a Utility Fair being held Thursday, Oct. 10:
Click the image to see and share the Facebook Event listing.
Customer Service Week Heroes
When people hear “customer service,” they often think of call centers like the one you reach when you call our hotline. But really, calling (215) 685-6300 is just the beginning of the customer service process. We have a number of units who work with call center dispatchers, our social media team, and others when it comes to responding to customer needs.
Here are some of the teams we will highlight this week:
Call Center
Our call center is staffed with about 70 employees, and all calls are routed through the (215) 685-6300 hotline. The staff is trained to help with calls ranging from billing questions to emergencies, like water main breaks.
For questions about bills, call between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Water emergencies can be reported 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Tip: Not sure who to call about a water issue? See the Quick Reference section starting on page 37 of our Guide for Customers.
Customer Field Services
After you report the water emergency, calls are sent to Customer Field Service Inspectors to investigate. Armed with their tools in their cars, they arrive to diagnose a problem. They will either address the situation on the scene or refer the issue to the appropriate unit for follow up. From leaks in the street to brown water at the tap, a Customer Field Inspector is the first to respond to water emergencies.
These employees are responsible for reinspecting a property after a “Notice of Defect” has been issued. If a isn’t corrected, they would be the ones to shut off the property.
Meter Shop
Meters measure how much water is used so a property can be properly billed. Whether it’s installing a meter inside the basement of a major corporation or helping to replace a residential meter damaged by freezing temps, our technicians make sure it’s done the right way each and every time.
Inlet Cleaning Unit
Inlet crews make sure that trash and leaves aren’t clogging our approximately 72,000 inlets. They have scheduled inlet cleaning stops, but they also responded to reports of blocked inlets and even retrieve valuable possessions dropped into a sewer. They’ve even recovered animals, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and frogs.
Sewer Maintenance
There are about 3,700 miles of sewers beneath the city, and we have specially trained Sewer Maintenance crews who help ensure they’re working. By doing the hard and potentially dangerous work of entering sewers, they can inspect for problems like leaking laterals that cause street cave-ins or identify the cause of a blocked sewer.
And, yes, there are roaches and rats down there, but they do it anyway!