Crab Orchard Utility District, a water utility serving eastern Cumberland County, Tennessee, has partnered with Paya for
several years. The utility relies on Paya to process electronic payments and handle paper billing. Since its first water meter readings in September 1967, Crab Orchard has grown to more than 400 miles of water lines, $14.5 million of assets, and more than 9,000 customers. Through its partnership with Paya, Crab Orchard Utility District has been able to offer its customers flexible payment options and has reduced its customers’ costs.
Crab Orchard Utility District’s mission is to provide safe, reliable drinking water to residents in its service area at the lowest possible cost while meeting strict federal and state regulations. Inefficient processes that require use of additional staff resources end up costing the utility, and those extra expenses are inevitably passed along to customers. Historically, manual billing had taken up a lot of office time and resulted in greater costs. Crab Orchard sought a way to improve its customer service while keeping costs low, in accord with its mission.
