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Rowlett Lakeshore Times - June 24, 2008 |
Online service offers one stop shop for all utilities |
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Online service offers one stop shop for all utilities Rowlett residents no longer have to trek across town to turn on their utilities when they move into the community. In about three minutes, a new resident can eliminate that moving chore. The city has partnered with the 2turniton.com to allow residents to order water service online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Listed under online services on the city’s home page, residents click on the “water activation button,” and they will be redirected to 2turniton.com. Residents simply their address and hit enter. The website then paints the screen with a list of services available in their area. The service is free to customers, and it is free to cities like Rowlett. All Rowlett did to participate was post a link to the company. Moreover, there are no ads to get in the way. Utilities pay a finders fee, said Howard Yonce, president and chief executive officer of Plano-based 2TurnItOn, Inc. Yonce said through his Internet-based system, he can process six orders in the time it takes a city employee to process just one. Along with water, residents also can shop for phone service, electricity service, internet connections and television hook ups. “There’s no guess work and no sales pitches,” Yonce said. “You can find all the information to do business on our web site.” Through 2turniton.com, customers can compare rates side-by-side, shop for packages and bundled services or even select services that are more green friendly. For example, customers can compare the rates for television satellite dish against cable packages on a single screen. On another screen, they can compare rates and features from telephone companies operating in Rowlett. “It makes it a whole lot simpler depending on services you need and how much you want to pay,” Yonce said Once, the customer has selected his or her services, the system automatically enters their order directly into the utility’s system. A confirmation email is sent seconds later. Service generally is connected in about five business days. Existing customers can use the service to shop in real time for better rates among competing providers. Rates are updated daily, Yonce said. “You can compare rates of competing providers side by side,” he said. “Rates change day to day. The system kept current.” Customers can even fill out any necessary applications, and content may change depending on the service provider. Some require driver’s license numbers. Others require social security numbers, however none require both. In addition, if the customer doesn’t select a satellite television provider, then the customer doesn’t need to provide any credit card information, he said. Donna Huerta, the city’s public information officer used the service when she moved. “When I moved here, I was thrilled with how quick it was,” she said. “I was able to take care of all my utilities at once.” Huerta said that often residents first learn of the service when they walk up to the water department to request service. Those that do use it, love it, she said. |
