What You Need to Know About Omnichannel Utility Customer Service

Customers are using technology now more than ever. And utility customers are no exception. Because other businesses provide omnichannel service, your customers also look for a holistic way to interact with you.  Your support must be available when and where they need it, and the technology you use must be unified and work seamlessly to provide the best customer experience. What you need is omnichannel utility customer service.

What's the Difference Between Omnichannel and Multichannel Utility Customer Service?

Although both sound the same, omnichannel and multichannel support and services differ.  

Multichannel refers to a utility's ability to interact with its customers across more than one channel. With a multichannel approach, utilities adopt the channels their community members are most likely to use and engage the majority of their customers on those channels. Because not all channels are selected, not all customers are served, making this kind of support more channel-centric and less customer-centric. Typically, a team will use various platforms and dashboards to implement support, and their efforts are siloed, and not inclusive.   

Although omnichannel uses many channels to engage customers, it differs from a multichannel approach. The omnichannel approach to utility support and service unifies the best platforms for exceptional customer service. This approach is holistic and develops stronger customer relationships. Each channel generates user data that the utility monitors. Utilities can offer cohesive engagement and seemingly effortless customer experiences by analyzing that data.  

Although both multichannel and omnichannel provide options for utility customers to interact with their providers, multichannel support is not integrated, and customer engagement is siloed. However, omnichannel support gives customer service professionals all the customer information they need in one location. And it offers unified support to deliver dependable customer experiences across the utility customer support ecosystem.  

Why Is Utility Omnichannel Customer Service Important?

The days of opening your office and waiting for customers to walk up and pay or for them to call with a question are rapidly ending. Although some customers still enjoy visiting your office staff, younger people are more likely to use a digital device to interact with your team. You probably already use your website, social media, and automated phone systems to interact with your customers. This multichannel support gives your community more ways to interact with your team.  

Although multichannel support offers utilities the opportunity to serve more customers than ever, omnichannel reaches customers where they are on various channels that work best for them. And utilities can use the data from these interactions to make informed decisions, streamline operations, maximize efficiency, and provide the best possible customer service. Collecting data like call volume, first contact resolution times, service call duration, etc., can help your team determine where to allocate your resources and what processes can be automated. Through this analysis, your team becomes more efficient, less frazzled, and better able to provide a positive customer culture.  

How Does Technology Play a Role in Omnichannel Utility Customer Service?

To get the most out of omnichannel utility customer service and support, utilities need a robust, central, cloud-based CIS to maintain their customers' personal account data. The omnichannel approach uses the CIS to engage a rich engagement ecosystem that keeps track of customer interactions at every touchpoint. This system collects data; with that data, a utility has a wealth of information it can analyze to streamline operations and maximize efficiency. When a CSR needs to know when a customer paid a bill last, all they have to do is open that customer's account and find that information. It doesn't matter if the customer paid by phone, auto-paid, walked into the office, or used the web portal; the CIS collects that information. No matter what channel the customer chooses, the CIS collects that information, which can be analyzed.  

Utilities need three main channels in their engagement ecosystem to provide an omnichannel positive customer culture. First, a customer web portal is like a two-way communication with your customers, putting them first in line whenever and where ever they want to be served. With this channel, customers take ownership of their accounts to pay bills, initiate services, and manage their consumption.  By using SilverBlaze, customers have the convenience they want and can be served how they need to be without having to call or walk into your office. Because all SilverBlaze interactions are passed back to your CIS, you'll have all the data you need to analyze and determine the best ways to serve your customers.  

According to the Salesforce State of Service Report, the adoption of video support has increased by 47% since 2020. With customers preferring video 69% more than any other communication method, you must take advantage of this second channel. SmartVx video engagement gives your customers an easy-to-understand way to interact with your utility. SmartVx can help you welcome customers, encourage them to sign up for paperless billing, and explain bill changes so that they get the most out of exchanges with your utility. SmartVx pulls data from your CIS and personalizes it for your customers. SmartVx also collects interaction data so that you know how many times customers have played and responded to calls to action.  

And still, another necessary channel is mobile workforce management software that keeps your field staff and office communicating in real time. mCare reduces truck rolls, improves operational interactions, and improves document management. With mCare, you can keep track of service orders, your field staff, and the amount of time it takes for customers to be served. When you analyze the data from the mCare channel, you'll improve communication and response times, efficiently allocate resources, and ultimately improve customer experiences.   

When a utility uses an omnichannel approach to support and service, they become a proactive partner with their community members. Utilities actively monitor and analyze the data these channels create, helping them to streamline operations and provide the best possible service and support.   

Contact our sales team if you are looking for an omnichannel utility customer service platform. We'll show you how NorthStar's CIS can help you streamline operations and improve customer experiences.