Customer Experience Management is at the top of a C-Suite executive’s list. Today, strategic objectives frequently include initiatives to exceed customer expectations, loyalty, satisfaction and advocacy.
“By 2018, more than 50% of organizations will implement significant business model changes in their efforts to improve customer experience.” Ameyo.
But, what makes a great customer experience?
Experts identify that experienced people, brand accessibility, personalization, quick query resolution, incentives and rewards, are aspects of a positive customer experience. And, almost 75% of customers say that a company who values their time is a key factor to having a solid customer service strategy (Forrester, 2016).
To cater to evolving customer needs, utility companies need to implement leading technology that will enhance their overall brand experience. A perfect example of this would be a self-service customer portal, which is able to integrate with current systems, express the organization’s visual brand, provide quick access to customer information, and be cost effective for the utility company.
The way some companies approach their business and customer service is outdated. Sending a paper bill once a month isn’t adequate today. Whether you’re an electric, gas or water utility, the customer service landscape is changing, and is now viewed as part of a complete customer experience journey.
Motivation to change can come from various areas, from long customer wait times, lack of power outage notifications, or even from customers wanting immediate access to their account and bills. Customers expect a high level of service as a standard offering, and want to be able to access everything quickly and easily on mobile devices. They are looking for convenience, immediacy, and high value features in their customer experience.
Having a Strong Digital Presence Enhances Customer Experience
Having a digital strategy and offering online interactivity for your utility services is essential to enhanced customer experience.
Four out of five adults in the United States now own a smartphone (PEW, 2018). With the sheer number of people owning Smart devices, customers expect complete mobile access to their service providers. An online customer service solution must have a user focused and responsive design that works across a range of devices, making it as easy as possible for customers to get the information they need.
The goal is giving customers true convenience, allowing them to pay bills quickly and avoid late penalty fees. Helpful features include ‘push’ notifications for due payments, service outages, energy usage, threshold alerts, and more. Adoption rates, and satisfaction with an online service, is largely based on the ease-of-use of the interface, so design is important in your digital presence.
The SilverBlaze Customer Portal
The SilverBlaze Customer Portal was specifically designed for utility companies who want to create an engaging feature-rich customer experience.
When you schedule a software demo, one of our SilverBlaze Customer Portal experts will provide you with a live walkthrough, and answer your questions.
During your demo, you’ll see first-hand how our customer portal enhances customer experience with features such as:
• customized dashboard interface to suit your brand
• fully responsive screens for desktop and mobile devices
• intuitive and attractive design
• integrate functionality that provides high valued information
• and more
If you would like to discuss how to improve customer experience with an award winning, beautifully designed portal for utilities, we’d be pleased to speak from you.
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