It’s tough to please everyone … but you have to try January 12, 2012
Posted by Chris Brennaman in Utility Industry News.Tags: Chartwell, customer satisfaction, customer service, J.D. Power and Associates, pricing, reliability, utility
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Now that the BCS National Championship is in the books, the “powers that be” are gathering to discuss the future of the Bowl Championship Series. For years, advocates of the BCS have claimed the system puts the two best teams on the field against each other at the end of the year, while opponents argue the system is not fair for all teams in the NCAA.
Regardless of the decisions made over the next few months, when the new contract goes into place prior to the 2014 season one thing will be certain: there will be some people that are happy … and some that are not. The truth of the matter – in sports or in any other facet of life – is that you can’t please all the people all the time. (more…)
The Top 10 Chartwell member requests of 2011; and other stuff to look back upon December 28, 2011
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: 2011, billing and payment, call center, Chartwell, Chartwell Blog, Chartwell member requests, Chartwell research, customer engagement, customer satisfaction, customer self service, customer service, electric vehicle, mobile communications, smart grid, utilities, utilities in 2011, utility, utility customer engagement, utility customer service, utility marketing, Web-based customer service
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It has been an interesting year to say the least. 2011 was a year of more positives for Apple and Google and negatives for BlackBerry and Netflix (remember its Qwikster fiasco). It’s been a year marked by the deaths of Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong Il, a devastating tsunami and accompanying earthquake, political protests at home and abroad, and Republican presidential hopefuls rising and falling faster than a roller coaster at Six Flags. And in keeping with year’s past, Congress failed once again … and again (You can’t even cut spending when you’re this deep in debt?!), and another NFL team made a run at undefeated glory only to stumble toward the finish line. Maybe the Green Bay Packers will still repeat with another Super Bowl win – 2012 will tell that tale.
Oh, and the financial struggles of recent years continued.
The year is also one that’s been big for the utility industry. It’s been marked by several high-profile merger proposals, continued smart meter protests and the mass market introduction of the plug-in electric vehicle (EV). It will be interesting in the coming year to see (more…)
Customers rise up against banks; Should utilities care? November 16, 2011
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: Chartwell, Chartwell Blog, Chartwell research, customer satisfaction, customer service, EMACS, EMACS - The Customer Experience Conference, utilities, utility, utility customer engagement
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It was interesting to watch last month as Bank of America (BOA), SunTrust and the other major banking institutions that sought to impose debit card fees had to retreat from their high ground and reverse course after customers finally rose up in revolt.
Despite this consumer victory, these are still tough times for customers. (more…)
EMACS Cross-Industry Presentations Shed Light on New Era of Customer Service November 2, 2011
Posted by Vanessa Edmonds in Utility Industry News.Tags: acsi, american customer satisfaction index, Anne Bowen-Long, Chartwell research, Claes Fornell, Customer Care, customer satisfaction, customer service, EMACS, EMACS Agenda, Georgia Power, KCP&L, MLGW, Piedmont Energy, UPS, utility customer care
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In a world before the Internet and mobile devices, companies called the shots when it came to customer care. 
Some customers preferred to resolve issues through the call center, but navigating the voice response unit (VRU), to get through to the right person, left them dizzier than a ride on the Sit-and-Spin. Others opted for electronic communications, but were forced into frustrating chat room “conversations” with unknowledgeable, outsourced call center agents.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … the new world of utility customer contact? September 22, 2011
Posted by Allison Herdic in Utility Industry News.Tags: Chartwell, CSRs as Energy Advisors, customer contact, customer service, EMACS 2011, energy efficient behaviors, mobile applications, satisfaction, smart meter, utility, web-based portal, websites
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If you have a leadership role in utility customer contact, there’s probably more than enough in your world to keep you up at night. Today’s contact center is rapidly morphing from what was already a busy channel for utilities into a new era of customer service air traffic control.
Given the level of responsibility and on-the-job challenges, managing air traffic is frequently cited as one of today’s most stressful job functions. While utility customer contact professionals aren’t literally overseeing the comings-and-goings of busy airports, their environment is evolving into a changing landscape that can look different from one moment to the next. And, like the airline industry, utility customers’ needs and expectations are changing and increasing. (more…)
“Big Brown” – a model for leveraging cross-departmental assets September 6, 2011
Posted by Vanessa Edmonds in Utility Industry News.Tags: Anne Bowen-Long, Chartwell, cross-deparmental, customer satisfaction, customer service, EMACS, EMACS - The Customer Experience Conference, UPS, utility industry, utility industry conferences, utility industry research
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“I love my UPS driver.” If someone gave me a dime each time I heard that during my employment at United Parcel Service, I would purchase my dream home in Hawaii’s Mauna Kea Resort, one of the United States’ most pricey communities.
Will evolving banking industry standards be a game-changer for utilities? August 31, 2011
Posted by Chris Brennaman in Utility Industry News.Tags: banking, billing and payment, Chartwell, convenience, customer service, debit card, fees, utility
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There is some debate over which bank issued the first debit card in the United States depending on what website you see – some sources say the Bank of Delaware, while others say First National Bank of Seattle. Regardless of who did it first, almost every bank now offers the service. And for years, utility customers have been using the cards to pay their bills … but could this form of convenience be coming to an end?
Earlier in August, Wells Fargo announced it was joining a group of other financial institutions that would begin testing the waters of charging monthly debit card fees. It is still too early to tell exactly how customers will ultimately react to being charged a convenience fee for swiping their plastic, but an Associated Press story reported a poll taken earlier this summer “found that about two-thirds of consumers use debit cards more frequently than credit cards. When asked how they would react if they were charged a $3 monthly fee for their debit card, 61 percent said they’d find another way to pay.” The reaction is to be expected in this economic recession as families look for ways to cut unnecessary expenses. (more…)
What do utilities have in common with Nordstrom? August 5, 2011
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: billing and payment, call center, Chartwell, Chartwell Blog, Chartwell research, contact center, customer experience, customer service, Customer service automation, EMACS, EMACS - The Customer Experience Conference, utilities, utility, utility communications, utility customer engagement, utility customer service, utility marketing
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I moderate a panel of executives from leading utilities each year at EMACS – The Customer Experience Conference http://bit.ly/hU7eX. One year, a member of the audience – a customer experience consultant as I recall – asked the panelists: “What is it you really want to be – the best utility, or the best overall?” It seemed she had become exasperated with some of the discussion among the executives about the challenges they face around regulation, cost containment, customer engagement, etc. and so forth.
It was an intriguing question that brought into perspective the challenges faced by utilities that are not known in other industries. (more…)
The challenge with electric vehicles, like the smart grid, is customer communication July 28, 2011
Posted by Darren Epps in Utility Industry News.Tags: charging stations, customer communications, customer service, electric vehicles, Plug-In 2011, plug-in electric vehicle, utility communications, utility customer engagement, vehicle-to-grid
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The first Plug-In conference, according to those who attended the 2008 show in San Jose, more closely resembled a science fair than an electric vehicle showcase. Several companies unveiled projects and prototypes. People shared really cool ideas. One of the sessions was called, “Progression Toward EVs.”
