Video summary
The video introduces the Columbia Water utility team, highlighting their dedication to providing safe drinking water and maintaining a healthy environment for the community. Clint Sheileley, an assistant city manager with over eleven years of service, explains that a core responsibility of public servants is to deliver services that enhance the quality of life for citizens. This mission extends beyond simple infrastructure management; it involves ensuring environmental stewardship while managing diverse departments such as engineering and public works. The team emphasizes that their work is deeply personal, aiming to create a positive impact on every resident they serve.
At the heart of this operation is the Customer Care Center, which acts as the primary bridge between the city and its residents. Tiffany Latimer, the director of customer services, notes that her division handles more than 20,000 inquiries each month, ranging from complex water bill issues to unexpected calls about stray animals. This wide variety of requests demonstrates the impressive breadth of knowledge required by the staff to answer every question with excellence, courtesy, and respect. The goal is to ensure that every interaction makes customers feel valued and important, thereby building strong rapport and trust within the community.
To empower residents, the department promotes its "Eye on Water" program, which allows users to easily monitor their usage and flow at any time through digital tools. Deina Codes, the deputy director of water customer services, stresses that behind every interaction lies someone's livelihood, making it crucial for customers to take ownership of their utility management. The team encourages residents to reach out via multiple channels, including a dedicated phone line, website chat, email, or the My COLA SC app, ensuring that help is accessible regardless of how a resident prefers to communicate.
For those who prefer face-to-face assistance, the center invites visitors to their office at 3000 Harden Street, where friendly representatives are ready to provide in-person support. Whether a new resident needs guidance on moving into the city or an existing customer has questions about their invoice, the staff is prepared to offer clear explanations and solutions. By combining digital convenience with personal interaction, the Columbia Water team ensures that all residents have the resources they need to better utilize their services and feel confident in their relationship with the city.
Read the full video transcript
[music]
So, I'm Clint Sheileley. I'm assistant
city manager for Colombia Water with
responsibilities over our utility,
public works, engineering, and customer
[music] services departments. Um, I've
been working with the city for about 11
years [music]
as public servants. U part of our job, a
big part of our job is to [music]
provide services that enhance the
quality of life for our citizens and and
one of the things we do as a utility
provider is making [music] sure we've
got safe drinking water um and and and
we're taking care of the environment.
[music] the customer services
department. I think it's really
interesting that they may get a call
about a water bill [music] um from a
customer and how to pay a bill or next
call might be about a stray [music]
animal. The breadth of knowledge that
our our um our staff has to have to be
able to answer those with [music]
excellence, courtesy, and respect is is
really impressive.
>> Hi, my name is Tiffany Latimer. I'm the
director of customer [music] services
and I've been with the city for six and
a half years. The customer care center
is the main point of contact between the
city of [music] Columbia and the
residents we serve. The customer care
division is a part of the customer
services department and [music] handles
approximately 20,000 plus questions and
inquiries from our customers and our
[music] residents every single month. If
the experience is pleasant, that helps
to build rapport within the city.
[music] So, we make sure that we do
everything possible to make sure every
customer feels valued, feels important,
and that their issues [music] are being
addressed. Hi, my name is Deina Codes. I
am the deputy director of water customer
[music] services. Behind every chat,
behind every email, behind every
interaction is someone's livelihood. I
would really love to highlight our Eye
on Water [music] program is an
opportunity for customers to sign up.
You have it right at your fingertips to
view your usage, monitor continuous
flow, and put ownership back in your
hand. Our department [music] works with
so many other areas of the city,
engineering, our street division, but
customers and residents should reach out
to us when you're moving to the city. Uh
if you have a question about your
invoice, [music]
or if you need explanation about how to
better utilize your services, customers
[music] can call our call center at
803-5453300.
They can always chat with us as well by
going to our website at
columbiacater.net. [music]
They can email us and they can even use
our My [music] COLA SC app. Customers
who want that one-on-one in-person
interaction, they can come visit us at
3000 Harden Street [music] where we have
several of our customer service reps
that are friendly and welcoming and
ready to serve.
[music]
>> [music]