In the past and still till this day, the utility sector has not been renowned for providing superior customer experiences (CX) to delight their customers. 

In fact, it was often the case that utility providers had little interaction with their customers. With virtually no competition in the industry and no choice for customers, utilities delivered adequate customer service but did not prioritise the customer experience. The only time utility customers interacted with their provider was for billing matters and service calls. Not exactly two conversations that leave the customer feeling delighted with a utility’s service offering.

Two main objectives come to mind when utilities want to improve business -  firstly, they want to improve operational efficiencies so that they can better allocate their internal resources and save costs. Secondly, they want to build better customer experiences and improve customer satisfaction.

Today’s customers want fast, seamless experiences when interacting with brands. The customer experience (CX) is now a vital component of any customer service strategy and is a crucial aspect of driving up customer service ratings.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

All utility providers want to spend money more effectively, implement measures to improve efficiency, and introduce technologies to minimize downtime, all while creating a better customer experience that drives customer satisfaction.

One of the hottest topics in today’s business world is that of cybersecurity. Protecting your utility’s customer data is not only a legal requirement, but it’s also absolutely essential for the satisfaction of your customers.

This is particularly important in an environment where cybercrimes on business are commonplace. Carbon Black’s second Canada Threat Report found 88 percent of Canadian businesses reporting suffering a data breach during the past 12 month.