Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the products they consume. Whether it’s eating meat, reducing single-use plastic or cutting down on their monthly utilities, people all over the world are proactively working to lower their impact on the earth.
A study from Futerra, which surveyed over 1,000 consumers in the US and UK, discovered that 96 per cent of people feel that their own actions – such as donating, recycling or buying ethically – can make a difference.
Not only that, but there’s also an overwhelming demand for organizations to step up on sustainable lifestyles. 88 per cent of consumers want the companies that they purchase products and services from to help them make a difference.
That’s why it’s incredibly important that utility providers provide their customers with data and analytics that helps them understand their usage data – empowering them to not only improve their environmental footprint, but to save money.
How utilities can provide usage data to customers
Modern customers are knowledgeable, they want to understand their exact energy usage so they can manage and alter their lifestyle. It’s down to your utility to supply them with the tools and information they need to do this.
Self-service tools are now essential for any successful customer experience (CX) program. Utility providers must provide their customers with the tools they need to manage and track their energy usage if they are to improve customer satisfaction metrics.
By taking information from both traditional or smart meters, utility providers can send usage data to their customers in real-time, allowing them to make informed decisions that help them modify their water, electricity or gas usage.
What are the benefits of providing customers with usage data?
Not only will providing this data help customers to reduce their usage and save on monthly costs, but it will also offer a whole range of benefits for your utility organization. Some of the key benefits include:
1 – Improving the customer experience
Modern-day customers value the customer experience above anything else, even the products and services they are paying for. That’s why it’s important that utilities go above and beyond for their customers with new technologies to provide world-class customer service.
By enhancing the utility customers’ experience through detailed usage data, your utility will ensure it has a customer-centric approach and strategic plan that truly makes customers happy and improves satisfaction metrics.
2 – Enhancing your conservation and demand management program
An important aspect of any utility company is implementing an effective conservation and demand management program. A successful program will help your organization save money, become more efficient and improve CX.
By providing your customers with real-time usage data that empowers them to manage and alter their monthly utility usage, your organization will be able to hit its conservation and demand targets.
3 – Reducing customer effort
If you use customer effort score (CES) to measure customer satisfaction, then you’ll know just how important it is to solve real problems with as little effort for your customers as possible. That’s exactly what usage data does.
By providing real-time usage data to your customers in easy-to-read formats, customers will be able to view their energy usage, manage that data and make changes to the way they consume energy – all in a few simple steps.
4 – Increasing customer engagement
Customer engagement is key. It gives your utility the data and information needed to continue enhancing your processes and improving customer satisfaction. Providing your customers with consumption advice will allow your utility to create a back-and-forth dialogue with its customers about how to change and adapt their usage patterns.
By showing customers that you care about their energy usage, they will be significantly more invested in your company and see you as a trusted partner.
How can SilverBlaze help?
To help your utility send automated, real-time usage data to your customer, SilverBlaze has created the innovative SilverBlaze Customer Portal for Utilities.
This unique self-service web solution allows you to provide your customers with smart metering and regular metering information in real-time, through notifications and alerts that are sent directly to their favourite device.
Whether it’s signing up for predicted billing through our Smart Metering Module or creating individual usage goals for daily, weekly or monthly energy usage, the user-friendly SilverBlaze Customer Portal will empower your customers to take control of their utility usage.
Are you looking for more information on how our award-winning customer portal can not only benefit your customers but also enhance the operations of your utility? Contact our team of experts today.
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