Applying for Assistance Just Got a Little Easier

December 15, 2023

When you need help, sometimes it seems like there are too many obstacles to finding it. FirstEnergy’s Human Services team has recently taken steps to help make the process for enrolling in some assistance programs easier for Pennsylvania customers.

Available Assistance Programs

To help raise awareness of assistance programs, an online campaign began in October to point customers in our five states to the FirstEnergy website where they can learn about and search for available assistance programs. The campaign includes social media, Google ads and display advertising. One of the ads features customer care agent Rebecca Allen-Roberts.

FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania Customer Assistance program (PCAP) helps residential customers maintain their electric service and eliminate their past due balance. The WARM Program helps low-income customers lower their electric bills by making energy efficiency improvements. Customers can now apply for both programs through the new PABillAssist.com website that went live in September. Customers can complete their application entirely online without having to call our Customer Care Center or the Dollar Energy Fund.

“We are so glad to offer this new, integrated application process to our customers,” said Nicole Frankenberry, an assistant business analyst in Human Services, Customer Care. “Anything we can do to help them find the right program and streamline the application process is beneficial.”

The ability to apply for PCAP or WARM online makes it easier for the customer in these ways:

  • Comfort. Talking to an agent about needing help can be hard. Applying online can be more comfortable for people.
  • Convenience. The ability to apply when it is convenient in the privacy of their home.
  • Speed. The system will pre-populate fields in the application and identify if anything is missed.
  • Security. Customers do not have to leave the FirstEnergy PA Assistance site to apply.

Since September, nearly 6,100 online applications have been received through the new bill assistance tool. To understand how customers feel about the new tool, surveys will be sent out and responses evaluated in early 2024.

 

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