December 8, 2006

Contact: Charles G. Sturcken (718) 595-6600

PRESS ADVISORY

DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd to Honor Call Center Employees for Reducing Response Time for Water Bill Questions By 90 Percent

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Emily Lloyd will recognize over 100 employees for achieving a 90 percent reduction in customer call waiting times at the DEP Call Center.  The DEP Call Center responds to over 20,000 customer service inquiries concerning water and sewer charges each month, and in the last 90 days has worked to reduce average waiting times from 6.4 minutes to less than 40 seconds.  The Call Center now offers evening hours on Tuesday and Thursday until 8 PM and Saturday hours from 9 AM to 5 PM, making access more convenient for all account holders.

DEP Call Center staff can respond immediately to a variety of inquiries.  These include questions about an open balance, requests for water meter inspections, payment agreements, billing history as well as requests for free DEP conservation audits and inspections.