The concept of on-demand consumer services has grown exponentially in the last few years. On-demand TV and movies are entrenched in the home entertainment industry, e-commerce is soon expected to overtake physical retail (if it hasn’t already) and the public transportation industry has been hugely disrupted by on-demand apps.
As consumers, we now expect to access all our services through the internet and immediately. This includes everything from food deliveries, online shopping, booking transportation and even interacting with the companies that deliver essential services to our homes – our utility providers.
The combination of growing online customer interactions and activities, and the need to deliver a good customer experience (CX) have now become digital imperatives. Additionally, this means utility providers simply must satisfy the growing trend of customer engagement and increase the touch points between a consumer and the business.
Amidst growing online customer activity, utility providers should be aiming to satisfy increasing customer expectations and engagement. One way to do that is by providing on-demand data that allows and empowers customers to manage their utility usage.
What is customer usage and analytics data?
Whether it is delivered through a mobile application or customer portal, customer usage analytics provides customers with self-service access to their utility information through regular metering and smart meter consumption data.
By giving customers the opportunity to view usage data through easy-to-access and real-time data and patterns, your customers will be empowered to make cost-saving decisions and energy-efficient choices that dictate how and when they use their utilities.
The importance of providing customers with usage and analytics data
Today’s utility customers expect visibility into their transactions, self-service opportunities, and other tools that help them to control the service they are purchasing. On-demand usage and analytics allows your utility to provide exactly that.
Through utility usage data, customers can better understand, manage and alter their usage in an easy to access format. In addition, utility providers that use this method, as opposed to the traditional phone and mail engagement, are optimizing processes and ultimately saving money.
Providing your customers with the data they need to make lifestyle changes that saves their household money and helps them to cut their carbon footprint, will not only benefit your customer but also your organization. Here are some of the key benefits:
- A significantly improved customer experience
- Reduced customer effort
- A better conservation and demand management program
- Happier and more satisfied customers
- Increased customer engagement
How can utility providers deliver on-demand utility usage data?
Providing on-demand utility usage through a customer portal or mobile application is all about making your customers feel empowered, in control, and aware of their situation. This in turn builds trust, and your utility will be seen as a more approachable, transparent and customer-focused organization.
But, how exactly do you find the technology to provide this service? To help utilities deliver utility usage data to their customers, we have developed the SilverBlaze Customer Portal for Utilities and its brand-new mobile application.
The SilverBlaze Customer Portal for Utilities provides customers with easy-to-access, detailed data that shows them patterns and insight into how much water, electricity, gas or other utility they are using.
This data can then be displayed via interactive consumption charts, downloaded by the customer for their own personal records and used by them to reduce their carbon footprint by modifying their utility usage.
Usage management is supported with push notifications to the customer based on their own unique usage goals (daily, weekly, or monthly). Putting data into the hands of the consumer allows them to make smarter decisions.
To learn more about how our award-winning customer portal improves the utility customer experience, delivers positive ROI, and increases efficiency, get in touch with SilverBlaze today. Our team of utility software experts would love to answer any questions that you may have.
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