Utilities Sector CX:
How to Go from doldrums to delightful

When it comes to CX, the utilities sector has the dubious distinction of being near the bottom of the barrel, according to a raft of research studies conducted over many years. Here are some examples:

1. Forrester CX Reports, 2019 to 2023

2. J.D. Power Utilities Customer Satisfaction Study 2022

3. Forrester survey on top customer service pain points 2015

4. State of Knowledge Management Report 2023 (Source: KM World)

So, what should utility companies do to improve customer service? Interestingly, many of the findings in items #3 and #4, outlined above, lead to the poor performance outlined in items #1 and #2, offering a roadmap for utilities to get on a path to moving the needle on CX and EX (employee experience) transformation. Here are some steps they should take:

Accelerated by millennial and Gen Z lifestyles and preferences and the pandemic lockdowns, consumers have doubled down on digital with 80% saying that they had increased the use of digital channels during the pandemic and 90% of digital novices saying they will remain digital, according to research surveys conducted by the likes of McKinsey and others. Moreover, today’s digital citizens want to go beyond simply checking their bills or outages to accomplishing more complex tasks such as digital form-filling and online troubleshooting. Where they are not able to self-serve, they are looking for answers through human-assisted digital channels such as live chat and messaging apps, where they often “live.” This would require utility companies to go beyond the basics to provide service through touchpoints like next-gen chatbots, messaging, live chat, cobrowsing, in-app service, and proactive notifications. Moreover, with knowledge and AI-guided conversations in the contact center, utilities can reduce the need for unwarranted “truck rolls” or field service visits, which put a big dent in operating performance.

While self-service is getting increasingly smarter and more effective, there are still queries from digital-first citizens that require human assistance over digital channels like messaging and chat and if all else fails, over the phone or in person. If customer conversations are not all “hubbed” or unified into a single desktop, customer service agents will not have complete context. They then wind up asking the consumer to repeat information, a big no-no for good CX.

The biggest deterrent to good CX across industries is getting inconsistent answers through different interaction channels and lack of knowledge among customer service reps, according to a Forrester survey of 5,000+ consumers, sponsored by eGain. The cause? Inconsistent knowledge silos across the enterprise. The solution? An omnichannel knowledge hub with content management, conversational AI, generative AI, and analytics, all unified and orchestrated in one place. This approach will ensure that the knowledge—content, knowhow, and insights—is correct, consumable, compliant, and consistent.

Technology matters as the world goes digital and AI. So do best practices and domain expertise. Make sure you pick a partner whose technology is proven and who has had success at scale in the utilities sector. Does the vendor provide end-to-end services, including training/education, implementation, and managed services? Do they have a formalized customer success program? Do they offer risk-free production pilots—not just a toy sandbox—to try out their solution with expert guidance, all free of charge in the pilot phase. Vendors’ willingness to put real skin in the game shows their commitment to your success and confidence in their own solution.

Prioritizing digitalization, unifying conversations and knowledge with omnichannel hubs, and working with a proven solution provider will enable utilities CX to go from doldrums to delightful!

Originally published on CX Scoop