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.

Utility service outages are a leading cause of call center overload; in return, the consumer receives lower-than-average customer service. Companies that are able to notify customers in real-time of emergency outages, brief service interruptions, and scheduled maintenance outages are able to reduce the strain on customer service representatives.

Todays’ customers now expect to be able to engage with the companies on their preferred device, at any time. As a result, mobile device usage for commercial companies has seen a stratospheric increase in the last few years.

The utility landscape has been changing dramatically over the past few years. No longer do customers want their utility provider to be just a name they see on their monthly bill. Consumers expect increased communications, better customer engagement, and more advice and control on their utility usage.

As the situation around the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold and create uncertainty around the globe, we want to let you know how we're responding at SilverBlaze.

Traditionally, utility providers have been reluctant to change the way they internally operate and how they interact with consumers. Utility providers not only face direct competitors within their respective markets, but indirect as well – whether that be in the same competitive landscape or not.

Utility providers have traditionally taken a wait-and-see approach to advanced technologies, not often jumping in to be early adopters of innovative tech.

This has changed in recent years. With the customer experience (CX) advancing dramatically across all sectors, utility providers must invest in advanced technologies to remain competitive. Doing so would improve their internal efficiencies and enhance the user’s journey to ensure customer satisfaction.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are examples of such a technology that can help utility providers improve internal efficiencies, minimize operational costs, provide better experiences to customers and much more.