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…)
Hurry to Release New Mobile Apps in Concert with the iPhone 4S Offers Inspiration for Utilities October 20, 2011
Posted by Vanessa Edmonds in Utility Industry News.Tags: AEP Ohio, Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 4S, EMACS - The Customer Experience Conference, iPhone, iPhone 4S, mobile applications, mobile apps, Patrick Duffy, Steve Wozniak, TECO Energy, utility events, utility industrry, Web and Mobile Customer Interaction Summit, yumalicious.com
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In case you happened to miss the onslaught of press releases regarding the much anticipated “coming” of the Apple iPhone 4S, it was offered through preorder starting Oct. 7. On Oct. 15 it became available in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France,
Australia and Japan to those who were willing to weather long lines at the Apple Store. According to his Tweet, even the company’s co-founder, Steve Wozniak, had to wait in line to get his new iPhone (by the way, genius marketing move, Steve). On Oct. 28 it will become available worldwide.
Weathering the storm: Social media, mobile sites help utilities improve customer contact January 19, 2011
Posted by Scott Johnson in Utility Industry News.Tags: cell phones, Chartwell, customer self service, customer service, mobile apps, mobile communications, utilities, utility communications, utility customer service, utility market research, Web-based customer service
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Last week’s “snowmageddon” across much of the eastern United States provides fresh evidence that more electric utilities are turning to mobile channels and social media to keep customers informed during power outages and similar emergencies, a trend highlighted in recent Chartwell research. (more…)
BPP on mobile devices makes sense June 15, 2010
Posted by Doris Yon in Utility Industry News.Tags: billing and payment, mobile apps, mobile communications, utilities, utility communications, utility customer service
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There are a few things I make sure to have with me whenever I leave the house. Besides lip balm, I usually check to make sure I have my keys, wallet and cell phone. There have been times where I’ve left my subdivision, realized that I forgot my phone and turned around to get it even if I expect to be out of the house for just a few minutes.
I suspect my dependency on my cell phone is not uncommon. Another habit that many Americans share is to respond to a text message just a matter of minutes, as wireless carrier Sprint noted in a 2008 survey. Shouldn’t energy utilities take advantage of this nationwide cell-phone dependence and incorporate this channel into their customer communication? (more…)
Energy efficiency programs and tips from the utility? There’s an app for that May 13, 2010
Posted by Dennis Smith in Utility Industry News.Tags: energy usage, mobile apps, mobile communications, online energy information, smart grid, utility communications, utility customer service
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Customer communications channels are changing so much lately it’s hard to keep up. Seems like just yesterday we were analyzing the interactive voice response unit and whether or not utilities should have the technology, how they should use it, etc. and so forth. The Web? That was a far-off aspiration.
Fast-forward just a few years to the present and just about everybody has an IVR, often with speech technology; customer-focused utility websites are the norm. Some utilities are seeing hundreds of thousands of customers with registered Internet accounts. We now discuss things like Twitter, Facebook and text messaging as the new frontier. Many stats reveal there are more texts sent than phone calls made.
But perhaps no other channel holds more promise than mobile apps. (more…)
