The day before the 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference, we held a preconference session titled “Getting Prepared for Customer Experience Management” to answer some basic questions, much like a Customer Experience 101 course. I was surprised but thrilled to see two-thirds of the conference attendees packed into the room, many fresh off a plane, eager to be a student in CE 101. For everyone who wasn’t at the conference or couldn’t make the session, I want to share the answers to our top three questions.

How is “customer experience” different from customer satisfaction, which many utilities have been focused on for a while now?

Customer satisfaction is a goal, not a strategy (although it’s still important for utilities to measure and manage). Customer experience is a strategy that can help utilities meet their customer satisfaction goals. Customer experience can also help utilities achieve more than just satisfied customers; it can help them achieve engaged and loyal customers. An engaged customer is more likely to know about and participate in a utility’s programs, and a loyal customer ...

Who could have guessed that, given our antagonistic political climate, smart meters would create the impetus for political cooperation?

I suppose that the politicization of smart meters was inevitable because it seems that those people who are opposed to the meters are exceptionally loud and tenacious. However, online comments about smart meter installations tell another side of the story. Anything that’s not negative is generally indifferent (with the exception of positive comments that sometimes appear in energy industry–related articles). For the majority of utility customers, fighting for smart meters just isn’t a priority. One of my favorite comments, and one that epitomizes the apathetic sentiment of your run-of-the-mill utility customer, comes from an online article reporting on one state’s pending opt-out mandate:

To me, opposing smart meters provides a safe meeting ground for any politician hoping to avoid offending the vocal and organized minority. Political figures who ...

It’s been about nine months now since I got my Leaf. (You’re probably familiar with the product, but to be sure, it’s an all-electric Nissan automobile.) I love the car, but just like the rest of life, it has plusses and minuses.

Let’s start with the plusses.

When gas prices go up, what do we care? We have a 1997 Toyota Camry that our son drives. It gets 23 miles per gallon in the city. With other costs such as oil changes, we calculate that at $3.50 a gallon (good luck finding that), it costs about $0.16 a mile to drive. At $0.10 per kilowatt-hour here in Portland, Oregon, we drive the Leaf for less than $0.02 per mile. I calculate that’s probably saving us at least $1,200 per year in gasoline.

Folks ask how it has impacted my electric bill. I don’t have the Level 2 Charger (equal to an appliance such as an electric dryer) on a separate meter. But for the first two months I had the car (July and August 2011), the weather in the Northwest was extremely mild (so no air conditioning or heat). Our overall electric bill was about $20 higher than usual. Not bad for driving about 1,000 miles per month.

One last ...

I started following Tammy McLeod, chief customer officer (CCO) at APS and 2010 winner of CCO of the year, on Twitter (@T_McLeod) about three years ago. Her tweets are sharp, personable, and informative; however, I was certain that I would never get the chance to actually meet her in person. Well, I did, and she’s even more sharp, personable, and informative in person. Tammy (I’m boldly assuming we’re on a first-name basis now) was a speaker at our 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference last week in Las Vegas. She shared many provocative ideas and innovative customer programs, including the concept that utilities need to find ways to get customers to complain more. Wait—before you stop reading, she’s onto something here!

The basic premise is that if customer concerns go underground and aren’t voiced, they fester and lead to unhappy customers over the long term. Where a customer would make a physical statement by shifting providers in other industries, they simply hold an emotional grudge against utilities that consistently works against you for, oh, roughly eternity. Seriously, try calling your customers and you’ll ...

During our 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference last week, we had the fantastic opportunity to tour the Henderson, Nevada, facility of online retailer Zappos and meet with Zappos Insights staff. One might wonder what a utility can learn from Zappos and what tactics we might apply to our own customer service delivery and customer experience design. My thoughts are that we can learn a whole lot that will benefit our customers, our employees, and our bottom line.

We had the opportunity to see Zappos call center culture in action, and it was certainly a refreshing change from the typical call center environment. At Zappos, they hire for customer focus and train for technology and processes. When hiring a utility call center rep, have you ever asked questions like:

• If every time you walked into room your theme song played, what would it be and why?
• If you had a chance to have dinner with one person, past or present, who would it be and why?
• Which superhero best represents you and why?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how lucky are you?

The answers to questions like these get deeper into a person’s ...

When you see the FedEx logo or when someone mentions the company to you, what comes to mind? For me, I immediately think of a very successful, customer-focused company that exudes excellent experiences. The company is ranked sixth among Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies for the 10th consecutive year. It has been included in the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in 10 of the past 11 years and among the Top Five of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces. And the accolades go on and on.

Well, all of that great recognition doesn’t come by accident or good luck. FedEx recently presented at our 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference, which was held in Henderson, Nevada. Unfortunately, Chris Bevel of FedEx wasn’t able to attend the conference, but with a little help from technology, he was able to speak during a session. I was most impressed with how deliberate FedEx is when it comes to delivering great customer experiences. Its business strategy reflects a commitment to excellence, and the company recognizes that just having a satisfied customer isn’t enough to meet its long-range goals ...

Just to be clear, I don’t think I’m personally smarter than a computer (and I definitely don’t want Skynet to think I said that), but the person who did was trying to make a point. I’m talking about the “Turn Data into Dollars” session from our recent E Source Energy Managers’ Roundtable, where the topic of building energy performance analytics was discussed by a panel of experts. And I must say, by the end of the session I was convinced that humans are smarter than computers.

The Dawn of Data is clearly upon us, and this session was designed to help energy managers make sense of the building energy analytics world. I’ve seen lists that included more than 200 vendors offering software products that claim to improve buildings’ energy use. One emerging trend is products attempting to replace traditional “boots on the ground” energy audits with analytical engines that crunch utility data and geographic information system (GIS) data while spitting out recommendations for energy conservation measures (ECMs). The topic is so hot that our own Jay Stein began his presentation by comparing energy auditors to ...

When I first met Lee Hamilton, it wasn’t my first thought that he could win a Paul Bunyan look-alike contest, but it was pretty close second. Lee’s quick, sarcastic sense of humor keeps the technology research team laughing, and his talents are many: He can make an amazing Star Wars tie fighter replica out of pipe cleaners, draw an impromptu faux brick wall, play a mean game of foursquare, and drive a totally awesome motorcycle. (I’ll provide pictures of any of these things to anyone who leaves a comment on this post.)

Nickname: Bluto

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

What you do at E Source: I research the latest and greatest energy-efficient technologies and help our members better understand how these technologies fit into their portfolio and what’s happening within those markets.

Why you like working at E Source: The people are great and I can totally geek out on energy technologies every day. Also, we play foursquare on Fridays.

Something most people don’t know about you: I’m related to a pilgrim that came over on the Mayflower. (True ...

In my nearly 10-year career at E Source, I’ve focused primarily on residential energy-efficiency programs and related marketing approaches for residential customers. So I hesitated when I was asked to be the lead researcher on the 2011 E Source Account Management Assessment (AMA). However, I’m glad I took on the challenge because it was a great experience. I learned so many interesting details during the almost year-long AMA research project about the ways utilities structure their account management teams, as well as strategic approaches utilities use to provide effective account management to their business customers. I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned with everyone.

Some of the most interesting facts the research revealed include:

• At 92 percent of utilities, type of business or industry is the key criterion for assigning specific customers to specific account representatives
• The average number of customers assigned per account rep is 23
• Most account reps have 10 to 15 years of experience
• When making hiring decisions about business account reps, utilities put more importance on a candidate’s ...

Each year, I’m one of those people who can’t wait to see the TV commercials during the Super Bowl. I love to size up their creativity, memorability, and originality. One of my favorites from 2012 was this Volkswagen ad with the dog on a fitness plan:

Who can resist such doggie charm?

I also can’t wait to see the ads that are entered in the 2012 E Source Utility Ad Awards Contest. This is the fourth year we’ve held the contest and each year the ads get better and better, showing more creativity and humor. And, speaking of doggie charm, check out Georgia Power’s first place winner (PDF) in the 2011 best overall ad campaign category. The campaign also included this video ad:

Are you interested in seeing the ads for this year’s contest? We’re looking for judges!

Awards will be given out in these categories: Print Ads (Business and Residential), Radio Ads, Video/TV Ads, Digital Ads, Outdoor Ads, and Overall Campaign. Each category will be judged on criteria for ad effectiveness, objectives, message, memorability, and creativity. The judging process will be conducted online and ...