Utility Customer Experience Is Changing--Here's How.
Gone are the days of waiting to contact utility customers for an outage or a leak. Today, utility customers expect proactive instead of reactive communication. And it's all because online retailers and big box stores now use omnichannel communication technology. Utility customer experiences need to change, too, and the software they use can help improve customer experiences and satisfaction.
How Utility Customer Experience Is Changing
Proactive Experiences
The way utilities see their customers is different today than it was just a few short years ago. Industry-wide, consumers were called ratepayers, loads, meters, or accounts. And the relationship between the consumer and the utility was depersonalized and reactive. If there was an outage, the customer reported it, and the utility rarely sent a notification that services were restored. If the lights came on or the water started flowing, then that was notification enough.
As software became more prevalent in day-to-day business operations, customer experiences changed. And the data the software collected gave companies unique insights into their customers' behaviors. What resulted was more personalized, proactive experiences. But as automated phone calls, text messages, mass emails, websites, online portals, curbside pickup, and personal deliveries became the norm for most businesses, utilities still lagged behind other industries.
COVID necessitated all companies, including utilities, find ways to interact with their customers online because no one could walk into an office to pay a bill or ask a question. Now, utilities are using software to report planned outages, respond to customer service requests in near real-time, and allow consumers to take charge of their accounts and consumption through online portals and initiatives like Green Button.
Grid Modernization and Distributed Energy
Not only are utility customer experiences changing, but how utilities provide services is also transforming. As the grid becomes more digitized and less centralized, utilities must work with their customers to reach their goals.
With Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), consumers become producers of their energy, known as "prosumers." These customers generate their power and resources and create microgrids that decentralize power distribution, making utilities and prosumers partners. Their teamwork reduces the stress on an already taxed grid, decarbonizing and improving grid resiliency. As more prosumers come online, a cascade effect creates additional awareness, making customers more concerned about their consumption. With the help of the utility and the software it uses, these informed consumers make better choices about how and when they use a utility's resources.
The Role of Technology in Changing Utility Customer Experiences
Utility billing software has been around for a long time, and some utilities have used their legacy software for 10, 20, or even 25 years. They are comfortable with how this software works, and their customers are used to what their bills look like. However, some legacy software does not help utilities provide a proactive, personalized customer experience.
Newer utility billing software gives customers control of their accounts through online portals, emails, text, chat, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and video engagement. With these tools, utilities can notify customers of bill payments, late payments, outages, leaks, and so much more. By making it easier for customers to contact utilities through these omnichannel opportunities, customers no longer have to wait for office hours to call or walk in to discuss account changes.
Utility decision-makers see technology as improving customer experiences but are concerned about modern software's price. Small- to mid-sized utilities want the same functionality as big-city software, but they often don't have a big-city budget, which makes the cloud and a SaaS solution a viable option. There is a considerable cost saving when utilities don't have to purchase and maintain servers. Hosted solutions are scalable and can be accessed with a secured internet connection, making remote work during a disaster much easier than on-premise servers. And when their customer information billing software is on a secured, hosted solution like AWS, they can rest assured that their personal and private information will remain secure.
How Do Utilities Select the Right Customer Experience Software?
Ask for a modular, cloud solution.
Change the way you see your customers.
Source software that is affordable but provides the features you want and need.
Find software that provides the right tools for your employees.
Ask for a Modular, Cloud Solution
Utilities need customer engagement software that's affordable, secure, and will grow and flex with their community. Modular cloud solutions provide cost-effective innovation with the features you need. And a modular cloud CIS is agile and can be updated as new features and functions become available without buying a new server, licenses, or software. As industry technology advances, you can use the cloud's cost savings and still offer exceptional customer experiences more than you could with your old legacy software.
Change the way you see your customers
Moving from a reactive to a proactive customer experience requires changing how you see your customers. The software you use should provide valuable data about your customers' consumption. Knowing how they consume helps determine what resources you need and when you need them. And as your software collects data, you gain valuable insights that can help your customers be responsible consumers, too. Sharing this information with your customers allows them to reach their consumption goals and save money, making you a proactive, trusted partner and providing an exceptional customer experience.
Source software that is affordable but provides the features you want and need
Today we have to do more with less, and utilities are no exception. They must modernize the grid and find software to provide the best possible service to consumers who expect proactive service. With modern customer information systems, online portals, mobile workforce management software, outage and leak notification, and video engagement tools, utilities are uniquely positioned to find the best possible software to engage their customers. But the software you select must integrate seamlessly with what you currently have. And that software must have the features you want so that it works for you. You need automation, guided workflows, and an easy-to-use interface to ensure your software works for you, not against you.
Find software that provides the right tools for your employees
Many utilities look at utility billing software from a customer perspective. But knowing what software features and functions your team needs is as important as what it can provide for customers. The software you choose must work for your employees, reducing call volume and time on task and increasing first response resolution times. When your CSRs have the tools they need, they can perform efficiently. And automated tasks, workflows, and an intuitive interface help your CSRs perform better and ultimately provide a better customer experience. And with the right software, utilities can do that efficiently and effectively, all at a cost saving.
The way utilities interact with customers is changing, and how we consume resources is changing too. With the right software, the utility and consumers will have the information when and where they need it, making for a more personalized, proactive experience for both.
Looking for software that meets these four criteria? Contact a NorthStar sales representative to learn more. Click on the button below.