Jesikah Osborne, community assistance outreach specialist at SoCalGas, has worked for the company for 15 years. She started her career in meter reading, moved through the customer contact center, and then into various managerial roles. For the past two years, Jesikah has focused on customer assistance programs and capital projects outreach.
- What does your role in customer programs entail?
I support the public outreach and awareness of various customer assistance programs and billing options to help eligible customers. Once our customers know that SoCalGas offers options to receive assistance, they can find the best solution to meet their needs.
We have four programs available throughout the year, including California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE), Energy Savings Assistance Program, Past Due Bill Forgiveness, and Medical Baseline, which support qualified customers to conserve energy and save money. We also partner with United Way of Greater Los Angeles to offer customers a one-time grant to help with their natural gas bills through the Gas Assistance Fund (GAF). This year, there is $1 million available in GAF funding for income-qualified customers.
- Why are you passionate about this work?
Growing up in a low-income household, it was sometimes a struggle to maintain our home and pay for necessary services, so this work is incredibly personal to me. I am committed to helping those with financial challenges access resources to conserve energy and save money. I understand hardship, and giving back is an empowering and humbling experience. I want to remind our customers that this is not a hopeless effort. SoCalGas’ customer programs are here to equip them with the knowledge, steps, and resources to keep their gas service running.
- Do you have a mantra or philosophy of life that has guided you in your career?
A mantra that I keep close is “each one, reach one.” This quote embodies the work that I am passionate about and reminds me that helping one person has the power to change the world. I believe that the essence of leadership lies in serving others, and by leading with empathy and transparency, I can discern people’s needs and the most effective ways to support them.
As I’ve moved through leadership positions, this mantra has also guided the support I provide to co-workers for their career development. I have been lucky enough to work in my purpose, paying it forward, and continuing to make our services more accessible to customers.
- How do you see your role and future customer programs expanding?
Most recently, we’ve been working with tribal and indigenous communities to raise awareness for our supportive services, especially our customer assistance programs. This is an incredible experience for me, as I am part Cherokee and Blackfoot, and working in these communities means that I’m able to learn more about my own culture while helping them meet their needs. The work that we are doing is essential for providing services and learning about the diverse cultures throughout our service area. By providing outreach that is culturally mindful, we can provide even greater support to our customers.
- How does customer engagement inform your role and planning?
Meeting community members where they’re at means that we’re able to gather insights on the issues and assess how our programs are reaching them. We’re able to collect feedback from community partners and customers through supporting events and conducting pilot programs. This informs our process of reaching areas throughout our service area and assesses our success with allies in the community. Customer engagement equips us with an understanding of how to better our presence at each event in different communities.
- What goals do you have in mind for supporting SoCalGas customers?
We are evaluating ways to expand our reach. For instance, we coordinate with SoCalGas’ Americans with Disabilities (ADA) advisor, who provides us with organizations and community events to help us better connect with the disabled community, as well as providing modification of our materials so that we are more inclusive in our outreach approach. By sharing these materials in a more accessible manner, and reaching more people, we can inform our next steps. Guided by my “each one, reach one” philosophy, we are always looking to the next steps for how to support more customers.
At SoCalGas, we believe every Californian deserves a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future. We are working to achieve that future through innovation, collaboration, and decarbonization.
