Over the past five years, the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department has implemented changes to address longstanding systemic problems to improve billing processes and the quality of service for the 286,000 household and business accounts it serves. 

These include changes in leadership, adding staff, enhancing training and providing customers faster and more convenient access to its services with online and phone system improvements and technology upgrades.

Improvements to Customer Service
Over the past year, Public Utilities has made significant progress in improving online access to water and wastewater services, modernizing its phone system and recruitment and providing enhanced training for customer support staff. Customers' feedback is that they want to access services online when it’s convenient for them. Public Utilities launched new webforms allowing San Diegans to submit self-service requests. More than 4,000 customers per month now have their requests completed via these webforms, meaning more than 4,000 customers per month do not have to call in for service.

Working closely with the City’s Department of Information Technology, Public Utilities launched a modernized phone system last year. This new system allows for more efficient call resolutions and wait times have decreased for people calling the Customer Engagement Center. In March 2023, some callers were on hold for up to two hours. As of September 2024, call wait times had dropped to an average of less than nine minutes. Staff continues to work on further reducing wait times as well as improving the customer experience online.

In addition to making essential strides in the Customer Engagement Center, Public Utilities has also made significant progress in pursuing timely and accurate billing to customers. There has been a 58% reduction in unbilled accounts since January 2024. Currently, approximately 98% of customer bills are sent on time. Enhancements to the billing system were implemented in 2023, helping increase the number of customer accounts that were billed on time and decrease the number of customer accounts that might end up on the unbilled list. As a result, there has been a 22% decrease in the number of bills being held. Staff expects this trend to continue over the next several months.

Recruitment and Training

Investing in new and existing employees is crucial to improving the overall customer service experience. Over the past year, Public Utilities has dramatically improved its ability to fill vacant positions, and the department continues to hire for new positions, including water meter readers and customer service representatives.

Thanks to pay increases for all City employees, the return of pension benefits and the Mayor's commitment to filling vacancies, Public Utilities has been able to grow its team and improve its operations. 

The City continues to seek qualified people to apply for several positions and join a diverse team of professionals who will bring quality services to its customers. Anyone interested can find more information on the Join Our Team webpage.

More Improvements Coming

While many significant improvements have been made, Public Utilities has not yet reached the finish line. Continuous improvements are in the works to provide customers with the experience that San Diegans deserve.

Substantial upgrades to the Public Utilities website are anticipated to launch in October 2024. The updated pages will make it simpler for customers to navigate and find the information they need more easily.

Additionally, Public Utilities is developing an improved online customer self-service portal that integrates with the billing system. The portal will allow customers to complete the most common service requests quickly and conveniently from a computer or mobile device. The first phase of the new self-service portal is expected to go live this fall.

Until then, you can find more detailed information about customer accounts on the City’s website, including: 

• Helpful step-by-step instructions on how to start, stop or transfer water service.

• Assistance in reading your water meter and reporting concerns about accuracy.  

• Information on scheduling a survey of your property to determine how you can save water. 
   

If you have concerns about your water bill, call the Customer Support Division at 619-515-3500, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Public Utilities Department strives to serve and support San Diegans. As the department continues to improve its processes, Public Utilities invites customers to learn more about its commitment to maintaining water quality, reducing sewer spills, investing in infrastructure and providing a reliable, sustainable water supply for the future.