utility industry has an identity problem with its
omer base. Ask the general public to describe the local y company and you are likely to get few responses nd generic rate complaints, anecdotes surrounding the power outage, and occasionally, a heated discussion of the lack of regional competition has led to poor tomer service.
Given these poor—and often erroneous—perceptions, y administrators are tasked with finding a way to ove the customer experience. It’s not just a nice-to-have , it’s a business necessity. Consider this: When most ies make their rate cases before their state commissions ave rate increases approved, they have to demonstrate sonable level of customer satisfaction. In other words, omer satisfaction has become even more fundamental to tility’s business.
Of course, the other fundamentals can be just as difficult to achieve: reduced operating costs, increased program effectiveness and enhanced shareholder value weigh just as
heavily on utility administrators’ minds. In addition to their primary responsibility of operating a functional and fiscally responsible energy provider, they must work to establish and maintain positive public perception.
Unlike many businesses for whom the CEO can become a public “face” of the company, utilities must rely more on a public “voice.” Customer call centers have traditionally served as the utility’s voice, with customer contact occurring most frequently around three specific activities: billing and delinquency processing, disconnects and service calls, including furnace and equipment inspections.
On the surface, none of these activities can be considered excellent opportunities to improve public perception. They are transactional in nature, and likely to create discomfort for the customer.
Billing and delinquency processing, which potentially lead to a disconnection, can be trying for all those involved. On one hand, it’s an embarrassing and awkward conversation for the delinquent customer. On the other, the call center agent must walk a fine line between generating revenue for the utility and handling the situation with diplomacy and tact.
Similarly, high seasonal demand for service calls such as furnace inspections, usually after the first cold snap of the year, make it a challenge for the utility to meet the needs of thousands of customers in a short period of time, creating yet another potential dissatisfaction point for customers.
In both of these scenarios, the traditional call
Author
Pat Whelan is senior vice president, business development, at Varolii Corporation. He was more than 20 years of information technology management experience in sales, business development and marketing and provides guidance and direction to the company’s business development and consulting functions. In his career, Whelan has been responsible for building successful businesses, including start-up operations, reconstructions and mergers.
by Pat Whelan
center is ill-equipped to deliver the superior customer experience necessary to create a positive perception of the utility. Customers are looking for personalized, relevant conversations with someone who understands their preferences and can respond to individual needs. Contrast that desired outcome with what usually happens in a typical customer call center:
The customer experience is inconsistent. Depending on which agent a customer speaks with, the variations in tone, message, delivery and call flow can completely outweigh the consistent scripts the agents follow.
The agents don’t have enough time or attention to devote to each individual customer. Half of all customer service representatives in a traditional call center are talking, e-mailing or chatting online with another customer, with 25 percent of them handling up to four people at once.
Agents aren’t incented to provide a superior customer experience. One third of all call centers do not measure customer satisfaction, which means they aren’t able to reward agents for providing great service
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