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E Source Multichannel Metrics Survey: 2012—Top Findings
January 17, 2013
In 2012, we surveyed North American electric and gas utilities on a diverse set of multichannel metrics for 2011. The results from the E Source Multichannel Metrics Survey: 2012 allow utilities to compare their own metrics against those of their peers. This PDF shows the top findings.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: UCC-RB-7 | Author: Justin Rickard
Outage Communications for Business Customers
Doing It Right Can Drive Satisfaction Higher
May 2, 2012
Engaging in proactive outage communications is one of the key ways to keep business customers satisfied. This report looks at the primary methods that utilities are using to communicate successfully with large, key account customers and small-to-midsize business customers.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: BMS-RB-3 | Author: Kim Burke
Contact Centers for Your Business Customers: Key Success Factors and Lessons Learned
September 6, 2011
Utilities can effectively serve their small and midsize business accounts through a dedicated business contact center.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: BMS-RB-6 | Author: Justin Rickard
Staffing Ratios: Quality Assurance Analysts and Trainers to CSRs
May 19, 2011
How many quality assurance and training staff should we have supporting the customer service representatives in our utility contact center?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-48 | Author: Justin Rickard
Preparing for Surges in Call Volume
April 20, 2011
How do utilities prepare for call-volume surges in their contact centers?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-46 | Author: Maggie Boys, Sarah Fiebiger
Plugged In: Agent Availability, Utilization, and Schedule Adherence
November 8, 2010
Can you explain agent availability, utilization, and schedule adherence in the contact center? What level of utilization is considered best practice?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-37 | Author: Maggie Boys
Using Rewards and Recognition for Agent Retention
September 9, 2010
What part do reward and recognition programs play in retaining front-line employees? What are some best practices for these programs?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-15 | Author: Maggie Boys
Holding on to Your Contact Center Employees
August 18, 2010
What are the best practices for retaining contact center employees?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-13 | Author: Maggie Boys
Hiring to Minimize Attrition
April 14, 2010
How can utilities minimize attrition when hiring call center agents?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-11 | Author: Maggie Boys
Complying with Red Flag Rules
April 8, 2010
Identity theft is increasing, and utility call centers are a common target of this crime. In 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released its “Red Flag Rules” guidelines. This report examines the process of setting up a compliant program and offers recommendations for maintaining compliance. ...
Content type: Best Practice | Document ID: UCC-BP-10 | Author: Maggie Boys
How to Process IVR Payment and Handle PCI Compliance
January 29, 2010
How do other utilities process IVR payments and handle PCI compliance?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-35 | Author: Stephanie Spalding
Text Messages: The Other Mobile Customer Service Channel
December 31, 2009
How have utilities used text messages to provide customer service? What are the issues to be aware of when using text messages for customer communications?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-14 | Author: Florence Connally
Managing and Reducing Call Center E-mail Bounce-Backs
December 9, 2009
What are techniques for managing and reducing the rate of outgoing call center e-mails that “bounce back” from customers because of an incorrect address or technical difficulties?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-12 | Author: Sarah Weldon
Principles of Call Center Training and Coaching
November 24, 2009
Do you have any research regarding effective coaching techniques in relation to utility contact or call centers?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-2 | Author: Maggie Boys
2009 Review of North American Electric and Gas Company IVRs
September 2, 2009 | Updated: November 9, 2009
This comprehensive review assesses the 13 essential features of the interactive voice response systems of 95 North American utilities. We present findings for each feature; show where utilities can improve; and describe trends in self-service, past-due accounts, and speech recognition.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: UCC-BMK-IVR-09 | Author: Maggie Boys and Ethan Brown
Excellence in Outage Communication
April 30, 2009
We want to create an effective outage communication program. Can you tell us what that means, both to the customer and the utility? We’d also like to see examples of some utilities that are doing it right, and how they are handling it.
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-1 | Author: Maggie Boys
Best Practices in Customer Identity Verification
April 30, 2009
What are the best practices with regards to verification of customer identity in call center environments?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: ENEWS-AskES-4-09 | Author: Kim Knox
A Little Birdie Told Me
Twitter as a Customer Service Tool
February 15, 2009
Online social networking sites are as ubiquitous as sliced bread, but there’s one you might want to pay attention to: Twitter. Your customers are talking; are you listening? Savvy organizations are using Twitter as a customer service channel with amazing success.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: UCC-RB-1 | Author: Stephanie Cary
Crossing the Generational Divide
Engaging Generation Y in Your Call Center
October 1, 2008
Futurists and psychologists tell us that generational groups are destined to clash over communication style, rules, and the balance of work and personal life. We examine the conflicts and issues that have arisen and what utility call center managers are doing now to solve them.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: UCC-F-24 | Author: Ethan Brown
Answering Questions About High Winter Bills
A Guide for Utility Customer Service Representatives
September 26, 2008
Seasonal bill fluctuations have distinctive characteristics and solutions. A tailored approach to calls about seasonal high bills can enhance the quality of customer care. This guide for customer service representatives outlines the four steps to the best practice for resolving high-bill calls.
Content type: Best Practice | Document ID: UCC-BP-8 | Author: Maggie Boys and Renee Davis
Encouraging and Rewarding Performance in the Call Center
Beyond Bonuses and "Attaboys"
June 1, 2008
This report looks at how one company solved the rewards and recognition puzzle so that agents truly feel appreciated for the work they do.
Content type: Best Practice | Document ID: UCC-BP-7 | Author: Ethan Brown and Renee Davis
The Nitty-Gritty of Successful E-Mail Management: Schedules, Skills, and Software
April 1, 2008
We examine the best practices for handling e-mails, drawing from the lessons and challenges of four utility contact centers of varying size and scope, to provide a toolkit of solutions for your e-mail team.
Content type: Best Practice | Document ID: UCC-BP-6 | Author: Ethan Brown
Proactive Automated Outbound Communications
Not Just for Doctors' Appointments Anymore
March 3, 2008
Utilities are increasingly using proactive automated outbound messaging in an effort to save money and provide better customer service. This report looks at how utilities are using this technology to communicate with a large number of customers in a short time for such services as outage restoration ...
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: UCC-F-23 | Author: Kim Knox
Answering Questions About High Summer Bills
A Guide for Utility CSRs
January 1, 2008
High-bill calls are among the longest and most costly calls to answer. Here is a guide to help customer service representatives help customers through this challenging call.
Content type: Best Practice | Document ID: UCC-BP-5 | Author: Maggie Boys
2007 Review of North American Electric and Gas Company IVRs
August 1, 2007
To gauge how successful electric and gas company IVRs are in serving residential customers, E Source researchers assessed the IVRs of 103 U.S. and Canadian electric and gas companies from the customer's point of view. Between December 2006 and February 2007, four typical residential energy customers ...
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: UCC-21 | Author: Maggie Boys, Ethan Brown
Home Agents, Remote Agents
April 16, 2007
For utility call center managers, customer service directors and vice-presidents, and outsourcing relationship managers who want to create incentives for better perfomance, reduce attrition, improve employee satisfaction, or just cut call center costs, home agents are worth considering. Home, or remote, ...
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: UCC-F-22 | Author: Maggie Boys
Soft Skills Training for Difficult Business Calls
November 1, 2006
Utilities are paying greater attention to small and midsize businesses by providing expanded products and programs and more-tailored customer service. Regardless of how they take business customer calls, customer service representatives (CSRs) have to be mindful of the particularities of this group: ...
Content type: Best Practice, Focus Report, Research | Document ID: SMB-F-7 | Author: Tertia Speiser
Best Practices in First-Call Resolution
August 1, 2006
In a way, achieving high first-call resolution is a by-product of actions spanning the organization, from creating clear work processes to setting specific behaviors—such as leading and guiding calls and providing customer service representative (CSR) feedback. This report examines the management policies ...
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: UCC-F-18 | Author: Helen Kaiao Chang
First-Call Resolution
September 19, 2005
How are call centers tracking first-call resolution?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-30
What Customers Want When They Call
September 1, 2005
E source research shows that for the five major call types that utilities deal with, the drivers of customer satisfaction vary. Top utilities succeed in customer satisfaction by providing training in the right skills and by redesigning the interactive voice response unit (IVRU) with customer-pleasing ...
Content type: Best Practice, Focus Report, Research | Document ID: UCC-F-15 | Author: Cate Terwilliger
