Customer Online Tools Usage Up, Visits to Walk-In Facility Deeply Declined in Recent Years
Following analysis of customer usage trends showing a steep decline in customer visits and transactions at its Business Office, NIPSCO has made the decision to permanently close the location at 3229 Broadway in Gary, Ind., effective Dec. 15, 2023. The facility was a location for area customers to primarily make in-person payments and ask questions about their account.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility was temporarily closed for the safety of customers and NIPSCO employees. Upon re-opening the Gary Business Office in May 2022, NIPSCO data showed visits and transactions were consistently down more than 50 percent from pre-pandemic levels.
“The subset of our customers in the communities of Gary, Hammond and Merrillville who may have sought assistance from the Business Office prior to the pandemic became acquainted with NIPSCO’s easy-to-use, convenient online tools including our web site and new mobile app to make payments and manage their accounts,” said George Dice, NiSource Vice President, Customer Care Centers.
Customers have a multitude of convenient ways to pay their NIPSCO bill, including via mail, by making a free check payment at NIPSCO.com, setting up Autopay service via NIPSCO.com’s online customer portal, by using NIPSCO’s Mobile App, or on the phone with NIPSCO’s payment processing partner Paymentus (855-763-6277). Payments made by phone to Paymentus incur a $2 fee per transaction, and those payments can be made using check, credit card, Amazon Pay, PayPal or Venmo.
Those who still wish to make in-person payments can do so at area pay stations – of which there are 16 within 10 miles of the NIPSCO Gary Business Office location, including one situated within one mile. Visit NIPSCO.com/bills-and-payments for locations and other information.
Newer customer tools and enhancements including online chat have been introduced in the past year, which have seen increased adoption by customers seeking assistance from NIPSCO. Customers have been utilizing NIPSCO’s ChatBot feature which is always available, as well as online chat service with customer care representatives within the hours of 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. CT., Tuesday through Friday.
NIPSCO will continue to have a key presence in Gary, where the company hubs major gas and electric local operating offices and has 200 employees regularly based out of these facilities. In the coming years, NIPSCO has plans to invest in continued modernization and expansion of its Gary facilities. No job loss is associated with the Business Office closure, as the sixteen customer service employees based there will have the opportunity to join the customer care team at NIPSCO’s nearby Merrillville headquarters.
About NIPSCO:
Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, has proudly served the energy needs of northern Indiana for more than 100 years. As Indiana’s largest natural gas distribution company and the second-largest electric distribution company, NIPSCO serves approximately 859,000 natural gas and 483,000 electric customers across 32 counties. NIPSCO is part of NiSource’s (NYSE: NI) six regulated utility companies. NiSource is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.7 million natural gas and electric customers through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. More information about NIPSCO and NiSource is available at NIPSCO.com and NiSource.com.