In the early 1970s, Russellville Utilities relied on the billing company Central Service Association to provide billing service to Russellville Utilities customers. Now, after 32 years of doing billing in-house on the same decades-old mainframe system, Russellville Utilities has opted to return to using a contract billing service, working with a familiar name to make it happen – contracting again with the Central Service Association.

Of course, billing procedures have changed in the 30-plus years since Russellville Utilities worked with CSA. Russellville office manager Pat Seal remembers well the process in place at that time.

“They would read the meter and hand-write in the meter books, then put the meter books on a Greyhound bus for Huntsville, where CSA had a field office,” Seal said. “They would take our meter books, enter the information, print the bills and all the reports, and then put all that stuff on a Greyhound bus back, and we would take them and mail them.”

The Greyhound bus method, of course, is no longer required. Seal said the return to working with CSA represents a big leap into the 21^st century for Russellville Utilities. It’s an upgrade that will soon allow Russellville Utilities to offer online bill pay and will improve effectiveness and productivity in the office, with an eye toward increased customer service.

The current, in-house billing system has been in place since the mid-1980s. Russellville Utilities had coordinated billing with First National Bank for a time after the CSA years, until FNB sold and discontinued its computer center. At that time, Seal moved on from his own role with the bank and began his career as a programmer at Russellville Utilities, on the front-end of implementing the in-house system.

“I helped push the first computer Russellville Utilities had in the door and went to work immediately,” Seal said. “It’s been a wonderful ride. I love what I do.”

To his programming responsibilities, Seal added the responsibilities of office manager in 2005. With the new partnership with CSA, his programming responsibilities will slowly phase out, leaving him more time for the office manager tasks.

Contracting with a billing service was Seal’s idea, which he proposed to the boards. He said he is grateful they took his advice.

“We’ve talked about this now for some time, doing this. It’s all been strategic,” Seal said. “I’m tickled that we’re doing this. It’s something that needed to be done … I commend the boards for going this route. It’s time to go to the next level. Hopefully it will make it more convenient for the customer and for the utility department as time goes by.”

For customers, the most visible change – likely, the only visible change – will be the appearance of the bill. Rather than a postcard, Russellville Utilities customers’ monthly bills will come as regular 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheets folded into a traditional envelope. Seal said rates will not change; bill delivery dates will not change; and payment due dates will not change – although customers might notice just a slight delay, a day or two, in the delivery of their bill during just the first couple of months as the company settles into new processes.

“It has run smoothly – more smoothly than I thought it would,” Seal said. “We still have some bumps in the road … but it’s going to take us into the 21^st century.”