MRP 343: How to Get Your Operator to Actually Answer You

You are currently viewing MRP 343: How to Get Your Operator to Actually Answer You

MRP 343: How to Get Your Operator to Actually Answer You

If you’ve ever sent an email to an operator’s owner relations department and waited weeks for a reply — or gotten nothing at all — you’re not alone, and it’s not personal. In this episode, we break down exactly why so many owner requests stall out, and more importantly, what to do about it. We walk through how owner relations departments are actually organized, the specific information you need to include every single time you reach out, a simple method for diagnosing your problem before you ever hit send, and what to do when a normal request needs to become something more formal. If you’ve ever felt like you were shouting into the void, this episode gives you a repeatable process to get real answers instead.

The sponsor for this episode is SS&C MineralWare:

MineralWare is the leading asset management platform trusted by thousands of mineral rights owners for managing minerals, royalties, and non-operated working interests. Know in seconds where your leases are, what’s active, what acreage is open for lease, and if you are getting paid what you’re owed. See a demo today by visiting mineralware.com.

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Owner Relations Is a Front Door, Not One Person

One of the biggest misunderstandings we see from mineral owners is treating the “owner relations” department like it is the only group in the company that can address any issues you may have. In reality (and especially with larger operators), it is almost always a front-line team whose main job is triage — sorting your request and routing it to the right group behind the scenes.

  • For example, opperators like ExxonMobil split requests across three teams: a revenue department for checks, production, pricing, and deductions; a division order and lease group for ownership transfers, decimal questions, deaths, and address changes; and joint interest billing for working interest owners.
  • ConocoPhillips organizes similarly, with clear routing for address changes, direct deposit, and W-9s versus ownership and division order changes.
  • Most owner requests fall into one of four buckets: revenue and payment, ownership and title, administration and tax, or working interest billing (if that applies to you).
  • Sending a vague request like “please fix my check” gives the front-line team nothing to route — and it sits in a queue until someone figures out where it belongs. Be sure to provide detailed information about exactly what the issue is and the help/information you need.

Your Owner Relations “Cheat Sheet”

Every single time you contact an operator — no matter the issue — there’s a core set of information that will get your request routed correctly the first time.

  • Your name or entity name exactly as it appears in their records, your owner number if you have it, your mailing address, and a callback number.
  • If the interest is held by a trust, LLC, or estate, use the exact legal name and be explicit about your relationship to it — and be ready to provide documentation like letters testamentary if you’re acting on someone else’s behalf.
  • Identify the specific property: the property or lease number from your statement, the well name and API number if you have it, and ideally the full legal description (section, township, range, county, state).
  • For payment questions specifically, include the check date, payment number, sales month, and the exact line item you’re asking about.

The Four-Pass Diagnosis Before You Hit Send

Before you fire off a request, it’s worth running your issue through four quick checks. This alone will save you multiple rounds of back-and-forth.

  • Identity — Make sure you’re looking at the right owner account and property. It’s common to end up with two owner numbers after a name change or an inheritance, and it’s worth flagging that possibility in your message.
  • Status — Is the account in pay status, below the minimum payment threshold, or in suspense? Before you even contact the operator, check your state’s oil and gas commission website to see if the well is shut in or hasn’t reported production — that alone can explain a missing check and sharpen the question you actually need to ask.
  • Calculation — If a check changed, isolate exactly what changed by comparing the same property, product, and sales month against a prior check.
  • Authority — Figure out who actually has the power to answer your question. Some issues, like a tax question, may not even involve the operator — they may belong with your county assessor.

When Silence Isn’t a No

If you haven’t heard back within a reasonable window (the operator may send an automated response listing their standard turnaround time), don’t just wait it out.

  • Set a follow-up reminder — two weeks is a reasonable default — and don’t be afraid to resend a complete, well-organized request if you haven’t heard anything.
  • Reread your original message with fresh eyes. If it was ambiguous or bundled several unrelated issues together, that’s very likely why it stalled. If your email was poorly worded, start over and send another email that more clearly describes the issue and the resolution you are looking for. Pro tip: if you are unsure where to start or what to say, use Claude or ChatGPT to help you draft the email.
  • Limit each message to one primary issue, or a couple of closely related ones, rather than mixing revenue, title, and administrative questions together (since each will likely need to be routed to a different department within the operator and mixing them together increases the likelihood of something falling through the cracks).
  • Polite persistence really does pay — a respectful, specific follow-up is far more effective than an angry one.

When a Normal Request Becomes a Formal Legal Notice

There’s an important line between asking for help and legally putting an operator on notice, and it’s easy to blur the two. In some cases, you may want to exercise your legal rights under the state statutes regarding oil and gas royalty payments (if applicable).

  • For example, in Texas, Natural Resources Code Chapter 91 gives royalty owners specific notice rights — a written notice of untimely payment generally requires a response within 30 days, and certain certified-mail requests for itemized deductions carry a 60-day response window.
  • These rights usually require a specific delivery method, like certified mail, so simply emailing isn’t the same as giving formal statutory notice.
  • Every state handles this differently, so if you’re relying on a legal deadline, start by identifying and reading your specific state’s statute — and loop in an attorney before you send anything formal.
  • Again, AI tools can genuinely help here: you can run a state statute through an AI assistant to get a plain-language explanation of your rights, or use one to draft a form letter template with your account information built in — just don’t treat that as a substitute for review by a qualified attorney. (If you want to see how we’ve used AI tools like this on old deeds and title documents, check out MRP 334: Finally Know What You Own: Use AI to Turn Your Old Deeds Into a Complete Mineral Rights Inventory.)

Should You Handle This Yourself or Get Help?

Owning minerals isn’t fully passive — it takes some level of ongoing management to ensure you are making the most of your assets, and you generally have two paths.

  • Educate yourself through resources like my Mineral Management Basics course or NARO’s educational offerings, so you can ask informed, specific questions from the start.
  • Or build a team of experts — a landman, attorney, CPA, or royalty auditor — and let them interact with the operator or coach you on what to ask.
  • NARO’s business-supported directory is a solid starting point if you don’t know where to look for help.
  • Weigh the size of your interest against the cost of hiring help — a free consultation or a conversation with a knowledgeable peer can sometimes answer a straightforward question without a big expense. Unfortunately, for some very small royalty interests, getting help from an attorney or other advisor may cost more than you stand to gain by resolving the issue.

Got a question about your own interaction with an operator? Send it to feedback@mineralrightspodcast.com and we may answer it on a future episode.

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Disclaimer: This episode and accompanying show notes are provided for general information purposes and should not be construed as financial, legal, or investment advice. For guidance specific to your situation, please consult with a qualified attorney, CPA, or financial advisor.

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