Energy customers always to reach out their utility provider first whenever they have a question or complaint about the service. But the landscape today is rapidly changing, making customer engagement more important than ever for the energy sector.
There are utility providers who still handle the products and infrastructure for the latest innovations. Such reps always have their hands full supporting an increasingly distributed infrastructure.
It has become critical for utilities to identify and facilitate such opportunities to build and maintain the utility customer experience.
Ways Utilities Can Plan Customer Engagement
Here we’ve listed three ways utility providers can conduct efficient customer engagement and maintain their trust as competition heats up:
1. Diversify Offerings with Non-Commodity Products
The demands of consumers are advancing with each day. They now require smart home products that can manage everything from air temperature to home security. This trend is coinciding with rising consumer interest in generating their own power.
Consumers are essentially managing a growing number of energy supplier relationships, which are even outside of their utility provider. It is common to wonder: why can’t this be simpler?
The good news is utilities are now working on gathering data that can be used to tailor solutions for customers, considering the way they live and work.
For example, some utility providers are already delivering energy, broadband, smart home, and even insurance in just one easy-to-manage subscription.
That’s how energy companies are able to quickly configure and quote a wide range of products and services for delivering superior customer service and deepening relationships.
2. Work on Renovation
As customer preferences keep evolving and expanding, energy providers should stay more empowered to enhance their offerings. This is the reason providers are digitizing and rethinking their core functions so they can deliver a customer-centric experience.
Although this may sound like a long and risky project to reconstruct the entire system, utilities don’t have to completely rip and replace their legacy systems to get the system renewed and advanced.
What’s better is that they can go for a step-by-step approach to achieve digital transformation. Salesforce for energy offers purpose-built tools layered across existing technology that providers can use.
This approach of renovating their system and operations can unlock new functionalities and further enhance the utility customer experience. It will help to:
- Give employees a single and unified view of the customer data
- Empower customers with guided self-service options
- Streamline sales and service interactions
3. Achieve Seamless Customer Interaction Across Every Channel
Utility providers are aware of the fact that convenient processes like automated bill pay and mobile account access are table stakes.
A report states that 62% of utilities consider improving the customer experience as their top priority. Still, delivering seamless, personalized experiences channels tend to take the center stage.
Salesforce allows the energy service provider to connect with customers through multiple channels, delivering mobile and voice experiences.
Even better, with connected internal systems, the agent can be aware of the question the customer is really asking and quickly provide a resolution to it.
Enhance Customer Engagement for Better Utility Experience
Customers already depend on utilities for efficient electricity or oil and gas facility. But that’s not enough. Utilities need to embrace digital transformation to stay competitive in a world where customers want to have fair access to benefits and have a hand in creating a more reliable and sustainable energy future.
That’s where our certified Salesforce consultants can help you out. Reach out to us to learn what more we can do for your energy business.