Today’s consumers are spending an increasing amount of time on their cellphones and other mobile devices. It’s for this reason that an increasing number of utility providers are now investing in eBilling to improve customer satisfaction. 

In fact, the new Billing Industry Benchmarks report from Chartwell found that utilities can save an average of 54 cents per customer each month by distributing online bills rather than paper bills. 

In an on-demand world where customers expect a response from a customer service rep at a few clicks of their mouse or a couple of taps on the screen of their favourite device, self-service for utilities is king. 

This is because customers now seek information and want answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They don’t want to wait until the morning for your customer service team to get into the office, and they certainly don’t want to wait on hold for an hour while they wait to get through - they want to resolve their issues on the spot, in real-time.

Utility providers are taking a growing interest in customer experience strategies in a bid to boost customer satisfaction and engagement, knowing technologies play an essential role in that. In fact, research from McKinsey’s Journey Pulse survey in utilities shows that delivering stand-out moments that go above and beyond customers’ expectations can lead to dramatically higher satisfaction.

Customers in the past few years have come to value personalization and convenience in all areas of their lives. As a result, utility companies are beginning to see the positive impact of satisfied customers, better engagement and improved customer experiences.

In fact, many utility providers are now doing a great job at improving the customer experience - and reducing customer effort has been a driving force in that.

A new report released by Capgemini, titled ‘Energy & Utilities: Operating in the New Normal’, has laid out some of the key considerations that energy and utility companies need to take into account when it comes to mitigating risk and seizing opportunities in the post-pandemic world.

All consumers, especially  these days, want a fast, easy and noteworthy experience when interacting with brands online. That’s why mobile applications have become an essential tool for customers around the world, with many using them to navigate their day-to-day life. 

As a result, according to Statista, the number of mobile app downloads each year has been steadily increasing. In 2017, there were 178 billion app downloads. That number was projected to grow to 205 billion by 2019, and more than 258 billion in 2022 - a 45 percent increase over five years.

Despite this, utility companies  still lag behind and have become hesitant to adopt mobile technology.

COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way businesses currently operate and it may very well influence how businesses operate going forward. While essential industries are still open to the public, the vast majority of sectors have temporarily closed down their offices  and are focussing their efforts through remote work. 

Our world relies on self-service options now more than ever, which explains why it has become one of the most transformative web services.Companies must be prepared to service customers at all times of the day because customers seek information and want answers 24x7,  at a speed much faster than traditional phone or email support. While web support may be the preferred communication tool for many people, even the digital millennials want the experience to be authentic, easy, and people-centered. So how do you automate your customer service to handle online utility service requests, and still keep it an engaging experience?

The Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report is an annual report (produced in 1977), that analyzes factors affecting customer interaction management. You’ll frequently see it quoted in the media because it’s regarded as a useful and authoritative overview of trends in the CX industry.

Technology has been driving the way we do business across all industries for decades, but in the last few years particularly, it seems to be accelerating dramatically with innovations and changes happening almost overnight.