Director of Customer Relations Scott Mullis and CAO Andy Anderson
Scott Mullis, Director of Customer Relations, has retired after nearly 30 years of service with Greenville Utilities, with 12 of those years as GUC’s first Assistant Director of Customer Relations.
Scott began his utility career in 1988 with Florida Power and Light. He went from Meter Reader to Marketing Analyst before moving to North Carolina in 1996 to join Greenville Utilities as the Credit Supervisor.
In 2009, Scott became the first Assistant Director of Customer Relations. In April 2021, he became Director of Customer Relations after having served as Interim Director since December 2020.
“I want to thank you for everything that you’ve done,” said General Manager/CEO Tony Cannon during Scott’s final Board of Commissioners meeting in May. “You stepped in when we needed you. You kept everything afloat and steady and made significant improvements over your tenure as Director.”
While Scott was responsible for the department’s overall operations and budgeting as Director, his passion for serving our customers always came first. He said that in each of his management roles, he tried to create opportunities for staff to have successful outcomes with customers.
“I’ve had a number of customers who years ago were struggling to pay their bills and now have found their financial situation much better. Many of these customers often thank me for helping them during those difficult times.”
One of Scott’s first projects at GUC was helping developing our Neighbor to Neighbor heating assistance program. “George Reel and I took the ball and ran with that one,” Scott said. “We looked at other utilities with similar programs and started Neighbor to Neighbor in 2001.”
Just one year after Neighbor to Neighbor was launched, the Women of First Presbyterian began holding an annual fundraiser for the program. Scott developed a relationship with the church over the years and was always involved with the fundraiser. “This year was a big milestone for the church ladies,” he said. “They held a luncheon that included a raffle and raised $15,000 this year, the most they’ve ever raised.”
On a national level, Scott enjoyed serving as a presenter and member of various steering committees for the American Public Power Association (APPA). One of his most recent roles with APPA was Chair of its Customer Relations track of the annual Customer Connections Conference.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet many colleagues across the country and work with many different leaders,” said Scott. “Many of these relationships I hope to carry into retirement. I’m proud that GUC is well known in the industry for excelling in customer satisfaction.”
Scott spent a good bit of time tracking and analyzing our customer service statistics as well as GUC’s bi-annual customer satisfaction surveys. Most years, the statistics and surveys have far exceeded industry standards.
“The changes in technology during my career have been amazing,” he said. “Add that in with dedicated staff who are passionate about meeting goals and helping customers, you’re going to achieve great results and ultimately save our customers’ bottom line.”
Assistant Director of Customer Relations Colleen Sicley, who steps into the Director role June 1st, said “when Scott became Director, he expanded the monthly statistics to include service levels and average speed of answer in addition to abandoned call rate. While abandoned call rate is an important metric, it can sometimes feel discouraging and negatively impact morale. By also focusing on service levels and average speed of answering a call, staff can see the positive impact of how quickly calls are being answered and customers are being assisted, rather than focusing solely on the number of callers who disconnected before reaching a representative.”
One technology change that Scott recalls is the use of SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition). During the aftermath recovery of Hurricane Floyd in 1999, Scott was a storm team coordinator. “We had two storm teams, purple and gold,” he said. “We had to hand write on a board all updates for the operators. Fast forward to Hurricane Irene in 2011, and we could display the whole grid on a screen via SCADA. That was a big change.”
Locally, Scott volunteers in leadership roles for the Pitt/Greenville Crime Stoppers (currently its Board Chair), the GUC/City of Greenville Credit Union (now Board Treasurer), and the Ayden Golf and Country Club. During his first 10 years with GUC, he served on what was the United Way of Pitt County Federal Emergency Management Agency Board, which was a separate group that distributed federal funds locally.
Throughout the years, Scott has played various roles in GUC recognitions, notably the American Public Power Association’s Smart Energy Provider designation and the North Carolina Department of Labor Gold Safety Award that has been presented to Customer Relations for 13 years.
According to Scott, his greatest personal accomplishment has been seeing employees he hired many years ago progress into leadership roles. “The most important accomplishments are those shared with our team. It’s been satisfying to see our utility improve, especially with customer service and satisfaction.”
During his final Board of Commissioners meeting, Scott said, “It’s been an honor to work at Greenville Utilities. When I started, our rates were 15% higher than CP&L, which is now Duke Energy Progress. Now, we’re 15% lower, and it’s a credit to the Board, the management team, and the strategic planning that’s happened over the years. We were just starting the Liquefied Natural Gas Plant when I started, and now we have a Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Station being utilized by fleets. I’ve seen the Water Treatment Plant expansion. {There are} so many things that have happened, but the one thing that’s remained constant has always been our employees. A Director is only as good as his team, so I would be remiss if I didn’t thank them. They make this all happen. They have to talk to customers and put in a hard day’s work.”
Scott grew up in central Florida and graduated from Liberty University in Virginia where he played football. He and his wife, Michele, have a blended family of five children and an almost 7-year-old grandson.
“We are diehard Carolina Hurricane fans,” he said. Besides going to hockey games, Scott plans to spend more time enjoying their pool, fishing, gardening, golfing, traveling, and entertaining friends, family, and the grandson.
“I will also continue to serve my community in various charitable ways, including Crime Stoppers and the Credit Union.”
Scott, we thank you for your service and leadership and wish you the very best in retirement!
