San Diego’s notoriously bad customer service and billing for sewer and water customers is dramatically improving thanks to new software, more employees and shifting priorities. Hours-long customer-service hold times have shrunk to a record-low 69 seconds on average, while significantly fewer customers are getting hit with surprise cumulative bills as high as $2,000. The remarkable results come less than two years after city officials made sweeping changes that include a new billing system, switching customer service software to Amazon Connect, new call routing and more payment options. The city also created a new policy requiring employees to alert customers when their bill is being withheld for a leak investigation or other irregularities. 

Other local water rates and management news:

• ABC30 (Fresno, Calif.): Shaver Springs residents facing a 300% water and sewer rate increase​