City officials admit errors after Project Synergy launch disrupted thousands of Richmond utility customers
Richmond city leaders on Monday acknowledged shortcomings in the rollout of a new utility billing platform that has caused payment posting failures, confusing account numbers and overloaded customer service lines for thousands of residents since the system launched in May.
The platform, known as Project Synergy, prompted a sharp increase in call volume to the Department of Public Utilities call center in the months following the transition. DPU statistics presented by city officials show the center handled 13,686 calls in May, then surged to nearly 40,000 calls in June and remained around 39,000 in July.
| Month | Call volume |
|---|---|
| May | 13,686 |
| June | ~40,000 |
| July | ~39,000 |
The spike strained customer service and led to wait times that, at their peak, exceeded one hour. City officials said wait times have improved and are now typically around 15 to 25 minutes.
Senior Director of Public Utilities Scott Morris said the core billing data remained intact through the transition but conceded the technology shift produced problems for customers trying to navigate new account numbers and payment posting.
"We're still seeing today that some customers are calling and asking about old account numbers, new account numbers. That has been a challenge in and of itself because there's some confusion on the old bill, the new bill, and then also when you submit for payments," Morris said.
Mayor Danny Avula acknowledged the city had not fully anticipated the customer impact of the change. He said the administration took steps to address service backlogs and customer support.
"We did not do a good enough job in anticipating, you know, what the customer experience would be," Avula said in remarks earlier this month, according to officials. The mayor previously told reporters the city had doubled call center staff to respond to problems and had added additional workers to clear outstanding issues.
What officials say they've done and what's still pending
City leaders outlined several measures taken since the launch and signaled ongoing work to resolve lingering issues. Among the actions reported by officials:
- Added staffing to the DPU call center, including a reported doubling of call center workers.
- Assigned extra personnel to address billing backlogs and payment-processing questions.
- Monitored call-center metrics and reduced average wait times to roughly 15–25 minutes from more than an hour at the system’s peak strain.
Officials emphasized that, despite customer-facing troubles, the underlying billing records and data integrity remained sound. That distinction, they said, limits the risk of permanent misallocation of payments or lost account history — though it does not eliminate the day-to-day confusion experienced by customers handling bills, online account access and payment submissions.
Consequences for residents and next steps
The billing disruption has practical consequences for customers across Richmond: delayed or unposted payments can complicate budgeting, trigger late notices and require residents to spend time resolving account issues with utility staff. For customers who rely on automated payments or have complex account arrangements, the shift to new account numbers has added another layer of complexity.
When pressed about a timeline for fully accurate bills, Mayor Avula had previously set a goal of delivering correct bills to customers within two months of the interview. City officials said they continue to work toward that target while balancing a high volume of customer inquiries.
City Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald framed the response as part of an accountability process: "We mess up, we fess up. We talk about it, we identify, and we make that very clear to our public," Donald said, acknowledging missteps and the city’s commitment to transparency.
What customers should do
DPU officials encourage customers who see discrepancies, missing payments or account-number confusion to contact the utility’s customer service for assistance. Given the sustained call volumes, residents may experience delays but officials say additional staff have reduced wait times. Customers also should retain payment confirmations and screenshots of online transactions until their account status is verified.
The city has not announced any specific financial remediation program in response to the rollout errors. Officials continue to monitor system performance and customer feedback as they work to stabilize the platform and resolve individual account issues.
City leaders say they will continue providing updates as they implement fixes and measure progress toward restoring routine billing operations for Richmond utility customers.
