E Source Forum: A Compilation of Insights from 2016
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The document discusses the E Source Forum 2016, which focused on how utilities can innovate and improve customer experiences in a rapidly evolving energy marketplace. Key insights include the importance of customer-centric approaches, leveraging technology, and integrating employee engagement to enhance service delivery. The forum provided participants with research, best practices, and strategies to succeed in demand-side management and customer experience, laying the groundwork for future utility operations.
E Source Forum: A Compilation of Insights from 2016
- 1. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20171 The answer to disruption is innovation. So how can utilities improve their status as innovators in an energy marketplace that’s booming with solar, connected homes, and smart controls? The answer is complex and cultural, but blending demand-side management (DSM), distributed energy resources, and customer experience (CX) provides the basis for creating new value for customers—a concept we call Customer- Side Management (CSM™). The E Source Forum addresses these challenges and arms you with the research, best practices, and case studies you need to succeed. In September, utility professionals from all over the US and Canada gathered in Denver for the 2016 E Source Forum.They learned how to meet and exceed increasingly aggressive DSM goals and boost satisfaction and engagement by gathering and acting on customer and employee feedback.They designed marketing campaigns by putting the customer first and heard about technologies to consider for their programs. And they were reminded time and time again of the importance of CSM to the utility business model of the future. What follows is a collection of insights that were shared through the Forum sessions. E Source members can access the presentations and session notes by visiting www.esource.com/forum2016. 1-800-ESOURCE customer_service@esource.comContact us E SOURCE FORUM A Compilation of Insights from 2016
- 2. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20172 Four steps to building your onboarding program: STANDOUT SESSION Customer-Centric C&I Programs: Increasing Engagement and Satisfaction Take a cross-functional approach Leverage all communication channels Focus on the first 90 days Use customer insights to develop a plan Engaged utility customers have 19% higher satisfaction than those who are not aware of programs.” —J.D. Power 1 2 3 4 MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS m
- 3. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20173 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE cSTANDOUT SESSION Follow the Leaders: CX Experts from Outside the Energy Industry How do you build employee engagement and advocacy? Studies show a direct relationship between employee and customer advocacy. A disengaged workforce means disengaged customers. Include and measure the employee experience as a critical part of the CX strategy.” —Arezou Zarafshan, Cofounder and Chief Marketing Officer, Bold Betties Get employees involved and give them a voice. The employee is part of the brand and their frustrations will bleed into their customer interactions.” —Diane Magers, Vice President, Office of the Customer, AT&T Tie compensation and employee evaluations to CX. Put the same level of rigor you have for the experience of customers into that of the employees.” —Lauren Smith, Senior Vice President, Client Solutions, ClickFox
- 4. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20174 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE cSTANDOUT SESSION Optimizing the Utility Digital Experience Where do you start? Make a Payment Contact Us Report an Outage Organization is key. Use bullets, tables, and accordian menus. Cut down that text! Make sure important features are mobile-friendly. Prioritize features that are important to your customers Make important features easy to use so customers can self-serve
- 5. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20175 STANDOUT SESSION Join the Smart Home Revolution Five ideas for utilities that are interested in building a program around smart home technologies: 1 Think about the customer perspective 2 Think about energy and non-energy benefits 3 Choose a program model that best fits your needs 4 Prioritize interoperability when choosing technologies 5 Leverage smart meter data Utilities need to devise different programs for different products and be smart and creative with those programs. TECHNOLOGY t
- 6. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20176 STANDOUT SESSION Voice-of-the-Customer Data: A User’s Manual Customers are providing all the feedback utilities need to make drastic improvements to their experience. But as customer data becomes more plentiful and available, analyzing it in a way that’s actionable becomes more challenging. Oxana Humphries, marketing research manager at Southern Company, and Don Hodson, customer experience manager at Georgia Power, emphasized three main points: TECHNOLOGY t Evaluate your data sources Maximize insights with the tools you have available Drive business improvements that optimize the customer experience, minimize pain points, gain efficiencies, and reduce costs
- 7. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20177 STANDOUT SESSION Demand-Response Portfolio Makeover Lessons learned: TECHNOLOGY Customer education is imperative for a successful program.” —Tyson Brown, Program Manager, Demand Response, KCP&L Transition to a user-friendly interface with a platform geared to convenience Platforms with robust, ever-evolving features are best Ensure an emphasis on continued education Focus on a high level of involvement from every aspect and touchpoint of the program dDEMAND-SIDE MANAGEMENT
- 8. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20178 How Are Utilities Using Social Media to Connect with Customers? g to findings from the E Source Social Media Survey 2016, most utilities anning to start using any new channels over the next 12 months, but... are planning to adopt s, including: Most utilities aren’t planning to stop using any channels, but many plan to increase their use of these major platforms: irds of utilities said they plan to ir current use of these nels: Some social media channels haven’t caught on with utilities. Most utilities don’t plan to start using these platforms in the next 12 months: Nextdoor Local online communities or blogs Utility blog Instagram Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Twitter ImgurReddit Pinterest Flickr Snapchat, STANDOUT SESSION Making Friends: Social Media’s Critical Role in Brand Management TECHNOLOGY Authenticity makes a difference in the voice and messaging of your social media presence.” Growth inTwitter and Facebook audiences has recently leveled out, but Instagram usage is booming.This shouldn’t be surprising because Facebook andTwitter are mature social media channels for utilities, but what may be surprising is the level of effort utilities are putting into developing their presence on Instagram. MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS m
- 9. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum20179 STANDOUT SESSION Performance-Based Procurement for New Construction Utilities can empower building owners to achieve superior energy performance by: DEMAND-SIDE MANAGEMENT Attracting early adopters Creating an achievable path to scale net zero buildings at little to no cost premium Supporting cities, states, and owners with aggressive energy goals Transforming the procurement paradigm TECHNOLOGY t
- 10. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum201710 STANDOUT SESSION Designing Rates and Communications for Solar and Beyond: Why This Issue Is So Important Customers want more education and rate continuity. don’t know how they’re charged for electricity think it’s somewhat or very important to know how their utility bill is calculated believe rates should stay primarily volumetric, with no demand or fixed charges 31% 83% 55%
- 11. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum201711 Best of Forum Tweets, Comments, and Quotes Solar customers want to make a positive environmental impact. Use it to the utility brand advantage! Deb Dynako, Agentis Energy Mary Powell, Green Mountain Power Corp. How do you build a customer-obsessed organization?You obsess about your customers … especially those who need us the most. Jennifer Montague, ComEd “Critical for customer experience? 1) analytics, 2) thick skin, 3) culture that’s ready!” Totally agree! Kate Van Gorden, KCP&L Customers’ expectations have changed. It’s not enough to just offer different choices for physical products (color, size, etc.). Customers want to own their own experience with the product. So it’s important to think about the personalized experience! CSM starts with the customer and designs programs around them, not the technology. Mary Medeiros McEnroe, Silicon Valley Power
- 12. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum201712 Deb Dynako, Agentis Energy Customers want all sorts of distributed energy resources … the rate structure needs to accommodate all! Deb Dynako, Agentis Energy You can’t launch a new social channel and then just leave it there … you need to actively manage each channel. Mary Medeiros McEnroe, Silicon Valley Power Customers don’t buy thermostats for energy efficiency.They buy what they want. Give them choices of program-eligible products. Best of Forum Tweets, Comments, and Quotes As a resource, the rules of the road are different, such as who runs it and who pays for it! Mark Martinez, Southern California Edison Co. 50% of Fortune 500 companies have renewable energy goals Mayra Medrano, Madison Gas & Electric Co.
- 13. Register for Forum 2017 || www.esource.com/forum201713 Why You and Your Team Should Be at the 2017 Forum You won’t find another agenda that speaks to your priorities as much as ours does. We address what’s currently on the minds of utility professionals—from designing successful programs with the right technologies to delighting customers and getting the right marketing message to the right customer. You’ll gain a network of valuable contacts. At least 80 percent of our attendees are from utilities across the US and Canada. The networking you’ll do during the Forum will be an invaluable resource throughout the year. We have a lot of fun! Our extracurricular activities— from eating and drinking to treks and tours—are the perfect way to get to know your fellow attendees while experiencing all Denver has to offer. There’s a great mix of sessions. We provide an experience that’s intended to deliver topics in fresh and unique formats. You’ll hear from speakers and panels of experts and learn from your peers in interactive workshops. There’s something for everyone at your utility, no matter what their role is. We have sessions focused on customer experience, DSM, marketing and communications, and technology, so everyone on your team will find value from attending. Visit for all the details. www.esource.com/forum2017