How a Regional Utility Improved Customer Experience
“We’re keeping customers informed before they call us, and their feedback is helping us make measurable improvements.”
Customer Satisfaction Director
Overview
A regional electric utility serving 1.2 million customers across urban and rural areas needed to improve its customer experience—Their communication channels were slow, inconsistent, and often missed customers at critical moments.
Results
25%
Reduction in customer complaint calls.
32%
Improvement in customer satisfaction scores.
28%
Increase in customers NPS ratings of 9 or 10.
Challenges
- Outage communication gaps—customers received few or no updates until service was restored.
- Billing confusion—rate changes and unclear invoice details led to an influx of customer service calls.
- Low survey participation—traditional email surveys saw low open and response rates, limiting insight into customer sentiment.
Targeted Actions to Drive Results
Real-time Updates
- Send immediate text alerts when outages occur, with safety tips and estimated restoration times, if available.
- Provide follow-up messages when crews are dispatched and as progress is made.
Proactive Approach
- Deliver clear, concise explanations about billing and links to detailed breakdowns before sending invoices.
- Offer an instant survey to capture customer understanding and resolve confusion early.
Boost Trust
- Replace low-response email surveys with text surveys that customers can submit in seconds.
- Use AI analysis to identify recurring concerns and prioritize fixes in communication and service processes.