Ever wondered why your utility provider is lagging behind when it comes to customer satisfaction and engagement? It’s probably because your utility still hasn’t implemented a successful customer portal.

With technology advancing at an incredible rate of knots, the onus is now on utility providers to update their internal processes and consumer-facing technologies if they want to reduce customer effort, improve the customer experience and leave their customers feeling satisfied.

With CS Week just around the corner, the SilverBlaze team is excited to celebrate its 20th anniversary of being in business at the world-renowned utility industry event.

Set to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona from April 8-12, SilverBlaze will be attending the event exactly 20 years after the company was first founded. We are looking forward to catching up with existing partners, as well as showcasing our innovative customer portal solution to other industry experts attending the event. 

Utility providers have faced huge changes in recent years. From ageing infrastructure, the evolution of technology and a rise in challenges from outside the marketplace, utility providers have learnt that they must adapt if they are to survive.

It is, perhaps, the rise in increased customer expectations and keeping the consumer satisfied that has proved to be the biggest challenge of them all. 

If your utility is struggling to meet customer expectations and is becoming overwhelmed with back-end inefficiencies, it’s probably time to make digital transformation a top priority in 2019.

No matter what technology you intend to implement, whether it be an innovative customer portal, smartphone notifications or ebilling, a digital transformation can completely revolutionize how your company operates. 

Utility providers have traditionally been slow when it comes to implementing new technology, mainly due to a lack of competition in the marketplace. This lag behind other sectors has meant a large number of utility providers are now struggling to meet increasing consumer expectations.

However, in recent years this has changed and utility providers are now investing into both customer-facing and back-end technologies. These new tools will only change the way utility providers operate even further in 2019. So, what do utility providers need to look out for this year? 

The New Year is here and many utility providers will be looking into ways that they can improve efficiencies and provide a better customer experience - that’s where smart forms and automated workflows come in.

For your customers to have a positive experience with your utility, it’s essential that you offer a world-class customer experience. This means it’s essential that your company meets ever-increasing customer expectations through the implementation of innovative technology. 

We are happy to share that Alectra Utilities, a SilverBlaze customer, is expanding again!

News Release from Alectra Utilities:

Guelph, Ont., January 2, 2019 – Guelph Hydro Electric Systems Inc. (Guelph Hydro) and Alectra Utilities Corporation (Alectra Utilities) completed the closing of an agreement Tuesday to merge their two electricity distribution utilities.

The constant evolution in digital channels and customer service technology is improving the customer experience across most industries, and this has led to increased customer demands when it comes to service providers.

To keep up with the digital age, many utility providers are now realizing the importance of implementing a self-service customer portal.

The digital economy and new technologies are changing the way utility providers must serve and engage with their customers, and those who keep up with new trends will not only realize significant benefits but will be in a position to offer a superior customer experience.

However, simply implementing a few modern technologies into your business does not drive innovation within the utility industry.

An important goal for any utility provider is to ensure that they have an ongoing strategy to reduce energy consumption and that it has a successful plan in place for managing conservation and demand.

Not only is this important for utility providers when it comes to saving money and becoming more efficient, but it’s also now an essential part of the customer experience.