Utilities are facing transformations in all areas of the operating model with perhaps the greatest change occurring in the activities related to their customers. Customer care will be the natural evolution of Customer Service—instead of just responding to customer requests and complaints, a proactive model in which customer needs are identified, addressed and even anticipated will be required. Determining how to best address customer needs as part of future financial and operational decisions will be critical for utilities to remain competitive and profitable over the next decade.

One option for utilities to consider is to assess their current customer care capabilities today in light of needed future capabilities based on their Company’s Operational Strategy. This will enable the utility to create a “Customer Care Roadmap” that identifies the changes needed to existing processes, systems, and resources while introducing new technologies and organizational alignments. 

Key features of the roadmap may include:

• Growth of customer intelligence through improved practices around consumer marketing and customer segmentation.
• Diversification and customization of services and programs for commercial and industrial customers and for residential.
• Analytics, insight and predictive modelling to manage their customer base and anticipate customer needs.
• Development of competitive barriers to, but also partnerships with, emerging energy services players.
• Integration of customer touchpoints such as social media and other customer care channels.

Learn about the evolution of Customer Care based on transformations in other industries and the introduction of a Customer Care Lifecycle Model to assist utilities on their Customer Care transformation journey.