We know how your utility customer and members think. These days, we’re ready to binge the latest Netflix original while ordering food straight to our front door – all without ever leaving the couch. In a virtual world where we want things instantly (and to stay up to date through social media), customers expect the same service from their utility provider as their favorite takeout place down the street.
Monitoring and compiling analytics and data is an important step the power industry has taken to enhance the customer experience. From keeping track of customer service hold times to social media engagement, transactional systems are defining consumer pain points, utility public perception, and improving overall customer interactivity and satisfaction.
For example, one technological innovation providing detailed information is smart meters. Xcel Energy is rolling out the tech over the next five years in its eight-state service area. The censors give improved efficiency while allowing dynamic customer pricing that can lower bills. During peak and non-peak times, energy can be allotted to areas that need less or more power, meaning that distribution is controlled in a more effective and cost-saving way. The meters also give customers a better understanding and transparent view of how much electric and gas they may be using.
But why should the data stop with customer interpersonal analytics?
The cutting-edge tech is available now to review workforce, resource and organizational data from your own utility. Solutions exist that can manage crews from inception and follow them all the way from assigned worksites, jobs and inventory/equipment requests, to completed work tickets. Convoys can be split into smaller working crews and be tracked based on resource and attribute data. When extra help is needed, utility services providers and contractors can be speedily requested. To increase planning capabilities, stick counts can be created and resources can be organized and allocated by type and location. And each of these management possibilities provide more data points and reporting that can be used to continue to broaden the steps taken to improve consumer interaction, understanding, confidence and awareness.
Working on managing data from the inside out can help your customers know that you care and are doing the best to keep the lights on and the power running. They desire a feeling of security knowing that when something does go wrong, restoration times will be short thanks to the tools power companies have in their arsenal. Solutions like the ARCOS Resource Management Platform can ease consumer anxiety with the added efficiency they provide, while helping raise customer satisfaction scores.
How is your organization leveraging the data from all aspects of your business to improve your customer experience, like boosting CAIDI and SAIDI in the time of Covid-19? Let ARCOS help.
