The industry keeps getting smarter and smarter: Hot topics at DistribuTECH January 31, 2012
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: Chartwell, Chartwell Blog, customer engagement, Customer service automation, demand response, DistribuTECH, electric vehicle, electric vehicles, energy conservation, energy usage, meter data, mobile apps, online energy information, plug-in electric vehicle, smart grid, smart meter, smart meters, utilities, utility, utility communications
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Analytics, metrics, meters, home automation gadgets, bucket trucks, plug-in electric cars, dog bite repellent and some remote control vehicle that looked like the Mars lander. Even Hooter’s girls. Yes, the 2012 DistribuTECH had something for just about everyone last week in San Antonio.
Once again, the exhibit hall was extensive, or, as one attendee quipped, “big enough to land a [Boeing] 747 on.” We at Chartwell couldn’t cover it all. So we stayed focused. What was there to improve the utility customer experience? And the answer: still plenty. Here’s a recap (more…)
Panelists share recipes for successful customer engagement with demand response October 3, 2011
Posted by Scott Johnson in Utility Industry News.Tags: Chartwell, Chartwell Blog, Chartwell research, customer engagement, demand response, energy efficiency, energy usage, market research, smart grid, smart meter, utilities, utility, utility customer engagement, utility customer service
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Consumers’ fears about smart meters have generated more than their share of headlines over the last few years. The resulting misinformation and noise has made it harder to hear the success stories that continue to define the majority of smart meter deployments. (more…)
DR action plan packs plenty of marketing punch August 25, 2011
Posted by Stacey Bailey in Uncategorized.Tags: Chartwell, communication umbrella, customer engagement, demand response, DR, EE, energy, energy effiiciency, engagement, FERC, national action plan, National Action Plan Coalition, smart grid, utility
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If the National Action Plan Coalition’s Communications Umbrella Action Guide – Part 1 hasn’t made it to the top of your summer reading list yet, I highly recommend it. While I’ll admit Kathryn Stockett’s The Help may be more of a page-turner, the Action Plan packs some great energy efficiency and demand response customer engagement insights, segmentation strategies and targeted messaging into a mere 29 slides.
The energy industry is quite complex, as some of the customer-oriented tech companies are learning June 15, 2011
Posted by Darren Epps in Utility Industry News.Tags: Apple, Chartwell research, customer communications, demand response, EMACS, energy conservation, energy usage, Google PowerMeter, in-home displays, Microsoft Hohm, online energy information, Oracle, Siemens, smart meter, Tendril, utilities, utility communications
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San Diego Gas & Electric is running a pilot this summer that will include in-home displays like this one and programmable communicating thermostats.
Many people are conditioned to believe that, due to all their resources and innovations, giants like Google and Microsoft can immerse themselves into any industry, exploit the current products, improve them and cash the large check. It’s like the kids in high school who could effortlessly dominate every sport. That would be the script, some thought, for customer engagement in energy management. Here come the jocks. Everyone move aside. (more…)
One utility is getting the picture on customer engagement May 6, 2011
Posted by Darren Epps in Utility Industry News.Tags: CEIVO, Chartwell, customer communications, demand response, energy efficiency, energy usage, Glendale Water and Power, in-home display, marketing, online energy information, smart grid, smart meter, utility communications, utility customer engagement, utility customer service
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The effort to engage customers in their energy usage is prompting utilities to test web portals, direct mail inserts, in-home displays and other dashboards to determine the most effective strategies.
Glendale Water and Power, a California municipal serving 84,500 electric and 32,500 water customers, presented a different idea at Chartwell’s Smart Grid Customer Education Summit in Phoenix last week – coupling utility messaging with pictures of Mom. (more…)
Just how much data do customers want when it comes to their energy usage? Chartwell council aims to find out April 7, 2011
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: Chartwell, Chartwell Blog, Chartwell research, customer communications, demand response, energy usage, online energy information, smart appliances, smart grid, smart meter, utilities, utility communications, utility customer engagement, utility customer service
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Paper or plastic? It was a common question heard every time one checked out at the grocery store of the ‘80s and ‘90s. There was a time when the brown paper bag was king. Then it became plastic, but lots of people – my mother, for example – didn’t like moving away from paper, hence the question was always posed by the grocery bagger.
This question, of course, was asked to ensure that customers had a good experience – even those resistant to change.
Then about 15 or so years ago, shoppers started hearing that question less and less. It was assumed by the grocery baggers that plastic was what most people wanted, and most people didn’t complain. Sure, you could still request a paper bag, but not many did. Now, there’s often not even a bagger present. In fact, you can check yourself out in many stores, and the only option is plastic – unless you’ve bought one of those environmentally friendly reusable bags.
Much the way customer service and programs in other industries evolve over time, utilities will see customer attitudes and perceptions evolve. (more…)
Unlocking the mysteries of customer engagement March 10, 2011
Posted by Mark Hall in Utility Industry News.Tags: customer behavior, customer engagement, demand response, energy conservation, energy efficiency, smart grid, smart meters
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Today’s industry buzz is that utilities need to better engage their customers to ensure the success of smart meter and smart grid deployments.
Pretty simple message, right?
While it’s certainly easy for anyone to point out the obvious – that more engagement is needed – strategies for accomplishing this would certainly be more useful. It should be noted that I don’t write this to knock those who hammer this point home; in fact, I am just as guilty as anyone. However, I think it’s time to offer solutions to the problem instead of just hyping it. (more…)
Five takeaways from DistribuTECH February 8, 2011
Posted by Darren Epps in Utility Industry News.Tags: customer service, demand response, DistribuTECH, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, energy usage, market research, online energy information, privacy, security, smart grid, smart meter, utilities, utility communications, utility customer engagement, utility customer service, utility marketing
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The Oracle cars and Elster bike cabs crossing paths in front of the San Diego Convention Center confirmed the hype surrounding DistribuTECH 2011 last week… and that people were tired of walking. I took a break from traversing the USS Midway of San Diego exhibit halls to identify five trends from the show:
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Not just another year-end countdown – the top Chartwell member requests for 2010 December 23, 2010
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: billing and payment, call center, contact center, customer self service, customer service, Customer service automation, demand response, energy efficiency, energy usage, Nashville Electric Service, online energy information, smart grid, smart meter, utility communications, utility market research, Web-based customer service
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Being a music aficionado, I have always enjoyed the year-end countdowns hosted by the likes of Dick Clark, Casey Kasem, Rick Dees and more recently Ryan Seacrest. Okay, I don’t actually listen to countdowns anymore and I only assume Seacrest does one, as my age has me disliking most of the modern music out there, instead preferring my “adult alternative” programming and the popular music of my youth.
Still, countdowns, Top 40s and Pick 5s are fun, and I confess I still enjoy them. They also provide a window into the trends and styles of the day. Things in the utility industry aren’t as fashionable as the music business, but we do indeed see trends come and go. In the 1990s it was automated meter reading (AMR); music business parallel: grunge. Today, it is smart meters; music biz parallel: hip hop, unless it’s been replaced by something I’m too old to know about. There are also styles and genres that are evergreen – blues, R&B, rock. In the utility industry, things like billing, customer contact and outage management come to mind.
So, if we draw up an issues-oriented, Top-10-or-so list for the utility industry, what would it look like? (more…)
Dynamic pricing pilots: Customer acquisition a bigger, more costly challenge than expected June 17, 2010
Posted by Jennifer Quay Allen in Utility Industry News.Tags: demand response, dynamic pricing, energy usage, rates, smart grid, utilities, utility communications, utility customer engagement
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Customer engagement – meeting customers on their terms, with DSM programs that fulfill their needs – was a big topic of conversation at the EEI Annual Convention in Ft. Lauderdale this week. But, “utility-customer engagement” is not the only new concept. So is “customer-utility engagement.”
“We spent 100 years trying to make customers give us as little attention as possible; we can’t expect to turn that around in a year,” Commonwealth Edison Vice President Val Jensen told a standing-room-only crowd in a Critical Issues session. The fact is, customers have become as good at ignoring their utilities as utilities at ignoring their customers. Just because utilities are ready and willing to try harder doesn’t mean customers are there quite yet. (more…)
