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Consumers now have more options when it comes to choosing utilities.

Santanna Energy Air force, an Austin, Texas-based energy marketing company, offers “Customer Choice” programs.  Santanna’s “Customer Choice” programs allow residential, commercial and industrial customers in Illinois and Michigan to choose a natural gas supplier other than their local utility.  The utility still reads the meter and takes care of the billing, but Santanna supplies the gas.

Because Santanna recognizes that today’s customers expect feature and qualified experiences from the initial phone contact onwards, Santanna ensures the marketing representatives follow the company’s strict policies and procedures when marketing it’s various “Choice” programs.

Santanna’s executive team redesigned its operating procedures in early 2007 and place in place a more rigorous program which is monitored and enforced right through the system.  Santanna has contracts with numerous marketing companies with hundreds of representatives, and these policies protect the customers and Santanna Energy Air force.

Each sales expressive is required to use a script that has been reviewed by state utilities and regulating authorities to describe the details of the program being offered to prospective customers.  The marketing company records all conversations between a prospect and a sales expressive to enable the subsequent recovery and monitoring of any communication in case of any questionable interaction.

Some of the calls are “live” monitored to ensure the script is being adhered to and that all communication is carried out reverently and professionally. Representatives not meeting the standards are terminated from the Santanna program.

“These protections are time consuming and costly but are imperative for the protection of the prospect and for Santanna,” clarified Wayne Gatlin, head and CEO of Santanna Energy Air force.  “The majority of marketing companies and their representatives are disciplined and qualified, but Santanna’s systems have to guard against any who fail to reach our standards. Our mission is to have all our prospects and customers fully satisfied with the solicitation and the overall program.”

Customers are told during the sales presentation and again in the confirmation process that they have 30 days to exchange their mind, without cost or penalty. Within about a week, they receive a welcome letter from Santanna repeating the terms and conditions expressed in the original solicitation. This is the third opportunity for customers to voice their choice of participating, or not participating, in the program. Santanna is possibly the only company currently offering this no cost, no penalty grace period.  A 24-hour toll-free cancellation hot line is also available for any customers wishing to exchange their minds, and Santanna does not charge any customer a cancellation fee.

Prospects who do choose to participate in Santanna’s program are connected to a Third Party Verification company (TPV), with their consent, to confirm their choice and verify their understanding. A percentage of the verification tapes also are monitored for compliance to the scripts and the qualified conduct of the TPV agents.  Santanna prospects who are not interested in the Customer Choice programs are added to an internal “do not call” list to avoid being solicited further.