Decoding 5-Star CX Excellence with Global Utilities

As new-age technologies reshape our lives, utility companies embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT (IoT), analytics, mobile, cloud, etc. to stay competitive in a disruptive backdrop, with a central focus on CX. We are excited to decode the topic of building a seamless 5-star customer experience and speak to partners and utility executives at the much anticipated 2021 SAP for Utilities event.

In this year’s conference, we are excited to connect with industry experts and thought leaders to discuss the latest innovations in customer experience. Join us as we share our success stories and trailblazing strategies that are shaping modern-day utility-customer relationships.

There are more than a few utility pacesetters who are pushing the industry benchmarks in CX excellence. Take a leaf out of these forward-thinking utilities’ CX strategies to tap into smart innovations driven by next-gen technologies, and build long-lasting relationships with customers.

Here is a preview of some success stories and CX strategies:

The Journey from Legacy to Modern CIS

Utility providers are realizing the benefits of the new generation of Customer Information System (CIS) for more agility instead of legacy CIS. With a vision to enlighten, inform and inspire their customers, Duke Energy, one of the largest electric and natural gas providers in the United States, embarked on their digital transformation journey with SAP and SEW to meet the demands of the modern customers, optimize customer relationships, and provide flexible services to users.

 Over the past three to five years, Duke Energy has focused on minimizing costs to serve customers, improving customer satisfaction, driving growth with product and service expansions, reducing time and spending to market services, and enabling digital utility (e.g., mobility, customer to field worker). By implementing latest technology, Duke Energy’s customer service platform has been transformed to enhance customer experience for its business and residential customers, standardize processes and policies to create the “Duke Energy Way,” and enable the flexibility to scale quickly. 

Customer Service through Changing Expectations

Customers expect to be engaged in novel ways. They demand convenience, savings, greater control and simplicity – the kind of experiences they have come to expect from retail brands. A new definition of connectivity is emerging due to the proliferation of applications and social media. Utility companies, such as Southwest Gas (SWG) are delivering smart platforms that use real-time data for enhanced customer experience that offer customers digital self-service capabilities. For 23 months, Southwest Gas (SWG) set out to implement a hybrid cloud and on-premise CIS solution to replace its legacy system of more than 20 years.

This is a familiar tale for many utilities, however SWG achieved the impossible in a virtual environment: going live on time, under budget.  

This time at SAP for Utilities, we hear their story of thinking outside the box when communicating to customers, and executing the secret sauce of business readiness.

Redefining the “Care” in Customer Care

Amidst and beyond the pandemic, utilities have upped the ante on customer service strategies showing customers that they care. Some energy and water utilities have taken the lead in redefining the status quo – getting a sense of what their customers feel and embracing empathy as a practice when they speak with customers. Liberty Utilities has presented success stories in extending helping hand to their customers in their time of need.

We will learn more about Liberty Utilities’ Customer First Project—the initiative to maximize the value of strategic investments through meaningful, real-time insights that track business operating performance over time.

Agile, Scalable & Flexible Experiences

Utilities leading with innovation are paving the way for other utility providers to embrace customer-centricity as part of the company-DNA, implemented as a long-term initiative and not a one-time project. Driven by their mission of providing clean, safe, reliable energy to improve the lives of their customers, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) undertook a multi-year partnership program with SAP and SEW to transition to an Intelligent Enterprise. In 2017, SDGE launched a four-year transformation initiative to revamp its customer experience (CX). To be successful, SDGE needed a platform to help implement the right solutions to innovate where needed.

In an interesting session, we will see how with co-innovation effort using the extensive CX portfolio, SDGE drove better results for customers and users alike. SDGE removed 80 custom development objects by co-innovating and chose the latest customer experience products for their business transformation.

Towards Smarter Everything

The future for utility customers is a complete smart home platform that can be accessed through smart devices. Visionaries in the industry have already identified opportunities in this space. While a few such applications are available independently, integrating them on a single platform and making them accessible on multiple channels is what pioneering utilities are looking to deliver for a personalized and data-driven customer experience. As disruptive forces continue to transform the energy and water sector, utilities must empower consumers (billions of them) to manage their energy-water needs better, alter consumption behavior to drive energy and water efficiency, accelerate e-mobility and smart home services, and embrace technological advancements to drive the growth of smart cities, smart governments, and smart utilities.

Driving Innovation with Intelligent Technologies

Utility innovators can be identified by their long-standing reputation for aggressively applying new energy technologies and leading the way to develop and deploy cleaner, more efficient alternatives. Given the changing ecosystem – climate concerns, evolving customers and workforce expectations, building business for resilience – technology has taken center stage in progressive utilities.

So, there you go. Some examples business approaches, digital partnerships, and technologies enabling business success for top utilities. But is this enough for utility leaders to kickstart their digital CX initiatives?

Well, of course not. Join us at SAP for Utilities 2021 as we delve into the latest innovations in customer experience, explore utility success stories, and share invaluable strategies and best practices on orchestrating intelligent technologies to give your CX initiatives a much-needed facelift. 

An industry leader adopted by global utilities, SAP Self-Service Accelerator (SSA) for Utilities by SEW is a single integrated digital platform that offers customers comprehensive self-service capabilities. With SSA, utilities can elevate the customer experience through 360-degree visibility of customer interactions, leverage AI/ML technologies for intelligent customer insights, offer personalized communications, and more.

Connect with our experts at SAP for Utilities 2021 to fast-track your journey to building superior customer experiences.