Caring For Utility Customers

Have you ever considered what your utility customers go through when trying to resolve an issue?

Imagine being a customer facing a higher-than-expected bill. You navigate the website for answers but find none. Frustrated, you call customer service, enduring the automated phone system and long hold times. Once connected, you must repeat your information and wait while the agent figures out what you couldn’t. Eventually, the agent informs you that your bill is high because you used more energy last month and therefore still owe the billed amount.

What you don’t see is the agent scrambling through multiple screens and systems to understand the bill change. Knowing the customer’s past billing history, recent weather conditions, or potential meter issues would help immensely.

Lacking the necessary information frustrates customers and flusters agents. However, with artificial intelligence (AI), this experience can be greatly improved.

Enter Artificial Intelligence

As a utility company, each customer call adds up, and inefficient processes prolong call times and slow resolutions, impacting satisfaction. Utilities leveraging predictive analytics and generative AI are transforming the customer experience.

By integrating AI into customer service, you can make the customer experience more intuitive and less frustrating. Internally, AI simplifies operations, reduces costs, and improves satisfaction for both employees and customers.

What AI Can Do for Your Utility’s Customer Service

AI’s capability to analyze vast amounts of data aligns perfectly with utilities’ needs — from historical usage and weather data to detecting unusual consumption spikes that often trigger customer service calls.

AI can proactively send personalized notifications to customers explaining likely reasons for higher consumption before their bill arrives. It can also offer individualized recommendations and links to relevant services, programs, or rate plans, preventing calls and increasing engagement in cost-saving utility programs.

Virtual assistants on your website and mobile app can understand customer questions, provide clear explanations, and deliver instant, accurate responses in natural language.

AI in Utilities for Customer Service in Action

Consider this scenario: as a customer, you call customer service and are greeted by a virtual agent that validates your identity and attempts to troubleshoot your issue. If unsuccessful, it transfers you to a live agent.

Before connecting, the live agent sees all your relevant customer details, including what you’ve already tried on the web or mobile app. Generative AI supports the agent with a script and guides them in diagnosing and solving your issue. At the end of the call, AI drafts a call summary, updates relevant knowledge articles, and creates a follow-up email with links to recommended programs or services.

Proactive communication with clear, detailed information reduces frustration and confusion, potentially resolving issues without needing a live agent. This AI-driven support enhances customer satisfaction and engagement.

For the utility, AI-driven support reduces call volume, improves agent effectiveness, speeds up call resolution, lowers operational costs, and boosts agent satisfaction.

Ready to Dip Your Toe into AI? We’re Here for You

Embracing AI not only addresses immediate challenges but also sets the stage for a more efficient and customer-centric future in the utilities sector, creating a win-win scenario for both customers and utility companies.

With AI-powered tools like Salesforce Energy and Utilities Cloud, you can recommend next best actions, provide knowledge articles to support agents and customers, and deploy chatbots for better online self-service options. These capabilities improve customer service and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Implementing AI in customer service might seem daunting. Here are some initial steps to help you get started:

Strategic Discovery and Planning: Develop a workable roadmap by aligning your business outcomes, co-creating a path to business value, and preparing for execution and change.
Readiness Assessment: Assess your organization’s people, processes, and technology across multiple dimensions.
Proof of Technology: Demonstrate the capabilities and value of generative AI by developing, testing, and deploying a proof of concept in a sandbox environment.

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry — we have Professional Services and AI Coaches to guide you every step of the way. Your AI journey will be structured, supported, and geared towards tangible success.

Let’s embark on this journey together, enhancing efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainable growth in the utilities sector.

Content updated August 1014.