Customer Centric Utilities: What Does it Mean and Why’s it Important?

February 22, 2022

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Customer centric strategies and culture are all about creating world-class customer experiences and focusing your company’s efforts on truly delivering what your customers expect and need from your business.

With more customers demanding a personalized experience than ever before, customer centricity is a top business strategy. In fact, it’s the customer experience that’s now the differentiator for many brands – not their products or services.

So, what does this mean for the utility sector, an industry that has traditionally been free from competition and behind the curve of digital transformation?

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Utilities are no longer seen by customers as just a service provider. They are seen as partners that help customers to reduce consumption, save money and meet their environmental goals. The more utilities focus on the customer experience, the more they can drive up satisfaction levels and reduce strain on their customer service team. 

Building a customer centric culture helps utilities to enhance their brand reputation, better expend their resources and save money. 

So, how do utility providers become more customer centric in 2022? 

Firstly, you need to remember that cultural change starts at the top. If your management team isn’t focused on prioritizing your customers’ needs, then it will be hard to make customer centricity a part of your business culture. 

Next, you want to look at convenience, removing points of friction, and how your utility can make consumers’ lives easier. 

For example, utility customers want to be able to easily access usage information when required. One of the best ways to meet this need is with self-service options, such as a utility customer portal. A self-service solution provides the convenience of 24×7 access to information and reduces the friction that can sometimes occur when routine phone calls need to be handled by busy customer service representatives.

A customer service portal also provides access on the go. Consumers today can find almost everything they need on their phones. By ensuring your utility provides customers with their account profile, billing transactions, and usage analytics on a mobile friendly portal (or better yet, a mobile app), you will meet your customers needs no matter where they are. 

How can SilverBlaze help make your utility company more customer centric? 

At SilverBlaze, we have created an award-winning customer portal for energy providers, water utilities and telecommunication utilities. Our eBilling solutions let your customers view and pay their bills at their convenience, usage data allows them to adjust consumption and compare data with others, and notifications/alerts keep them up to date on news and any service interruptions.

SilverBlaze customer portals can also be easily accessed on a purpose built mobile app. This not only provides convenience, it helps: 

  • Increase customer engagement.
  • Improve customer service.
  • Gives your utility staff more time to focus on the customers with more complicated concerns or inquiries.
  • Reduces strain on your customer service team.
  • Reduces costs and paper usage.

To find out more about our SilverBlaze Customer Portal speak to one of our experts today and schedule a free demo.

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It’s time to stop worrying about all the issues that come with low customer engagement, and instead, transform your operations to become the leading utility company in your area.

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