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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
Chatting It Up: Web Chat Implementation and Best Practices
January 15, 2013
Web chat is an emerging channel that more and more customers want to use. Chat offers immediate customer service and can change customer behavior, depending on its placement. Utilities that add the chat feature to their websites may see improved customer experience.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: ECS-RB-3 | Author: Haley Kaiser
Large Business Gap and Priority Benchmark 2012—Findings Slide Deck
December 20, 2012
This slide deck accompanies the 2012 Large Business Gap and Priority Benchmark study.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: BAM-BMK-GPB-Lg-2012-SL | Author: Rachel Cooper
Large Business Gap and Priority Benchmark 2012
A Survey of Large Business Customers
December 20, 2012
The Large Business Gap and Priority Benchmark study surveyed 1,600 large business utility customers from 17 utilities to assess how well utilities and account reps are satisfying their large business customers.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: BAM-BMK-GPB-Lg-2012 | Author: Rachel Cooper
Midsize Business Gap and Priority Benchmark 2012
A Survey of Midsize Business Customers
December 18, 2012
The Midsize Business Gap and Priority Benchmark study surveyed 1,042 midsize business utility customers from 10 utilities to assess how well utilities and business customer reps are satisfying their midsize business customers.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: BMS-BMK-GPB-Mid-2012 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
Midsize Business Gap and Priority Benchmark 2012—Findings Slide Deck
December 14, 2012
This slide deck accompanies the 2012 Midsize Business Gap and Priority Benchmark study.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: BMS-BMK-GPB-Mid-2012-SL | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
Key Findings from the E Source E-Business Metrics Survey: 2012
December 4, 2012
Want to find out how your utility compares with others in the industry for key online and self-service metrics such as electronic payments, mobile activity, and automated service-order requests? We have the data you need!
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: ECS-F-1 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger, Stephanie Spalding
What Business Customers Want from Their Utility Website: Results from the E Source Business Website Review 2012
October 30, 2012
In our first benchmarking study of utility websites from the business customer perspective, we analyzed 10 different web features on 77 different websites and provide benchmark rankings of the results.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: ECS-BMK-WebBusiness-12 | Author: Stephanie Spalding
Walk-in Payment Trends and Customer Demographics
March 19, 2010 | Updated: September 11, 2012
Are utilities keeping their in-person payment centers open or shutting them down? What are the customer demographics for people who pay in person?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-36 | Author: Sarah Weldon and Ethan Brown
Leveling the Paying Field, Part 2
Levelized Billing Programs for Business Customers
August 29, 2012
What are the standard characteristics of utility levelized billing programs for business customers, and how do utilities calculate monthly payments?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-54 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
ComEd's Customer Experience Project
Notes from the 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference
August 16, 2012
These notes summarize a presentation given by ComEd’s director of marketing, Jennifer Montague, at the 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: ECM-RB-4 | Author: Matthew Burks
The Business Case for Customer Experience Management
August 16, 2012
A customer experience management program makes good business sense for utilities for numerous reasons. It can save hundreds of thousands of dollars, help mitigate threats such as municipalization and distributed generation, and increase customer loyalty, to name just a few.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: ECM-F-2 | Author: Justin Rickard
Customer Satisfaction Improvements
Notes from the 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference
August 2, 2012
These notes summarize a presentation given by DTE Energy’s Carolyn Mackool at the 2012 E Source Utility Customer Experience Conference.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: ECM-RB-2 | Author: Matthew Burks
Online Rate Communications: Best Practices and Messaging
July 19, 2012
What are best practices in rate communications? Can you provide examples of utilities that have effectively used the web and other electronic media to educate customers about the electric ratemaking process and pending rate cases?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: ECM-AskES-1 | Author: Stephanie Spalding
Text Messaging: Enhancing Your Mobile Channel Customer Experience
June 11, 2012
Why should utilities use text messaging to serve their customers? How are utilities using text messaging today and which utilities are using it?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: ECS-AskES-1 | 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
E Source E-Business Metrics Survey: 2012—Top Findings
April 10, 2012
In February and March 2012, we surveyed 110 electric and gas utilities in North America on a set of e-business metrics. The results from the E Source E-Business Metrics Survey: 2012 provide utilities with an "apples-to-apples" benchmark to compare their own metrics to. Here are the top findings.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: ECS-RB-1 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
Marketing Prepaid Programs
April 4, 2012
Prepaid metering can be promoted to all residential customers, but certain segments value different messages delivered through specific channels. Which messaging and communication channels should you be using?
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: RES-RB-17 | Author: Dulcey Simpkins, Sarah Fiebiger
Identifying and Improving Key Moments of Truth
March 30, 2012
Identifying and improving key moments of truth is an important component of customer experience management that can have positive impacts financially as well as on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Gain insights in this area from Duke Energy and a transportation and business services company.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: ECM-RB-1 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
Pick a Date, Any Date
Insights into Utility Custom Due-Date Programs
March 21, 2012
I’m looking for information and best practices around customer-selected or “pick a due date” programs. What utilities offer these types of programs, how interested are customers, and what are the cash-flow implications?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: UCC-AskES-53 | Author: Stephanie Spalding
The What, Why, and How of Customer Experience Management
An E Source White Paper
March 7, 2012
What is utility customer experience management? It’s a simple concept but understanding it, measuring it, and enhancing it is much more difficult.
Content type: White Paper | Document ID: ES-WP-13 | Author: Justin Rickard and Maureen Russolo
The Top Five Ways to Improve Utility Websites
March 1, 2012
What are the top recommendations for improving the utility website for residential consumers?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: EBiz-AskES-46 | Author: Florence Connally
Can Smart Meters Make Prepaid Work for You?
How AMI Breaks Down Barriers to Prepaid Programs
January 23, 2012
Prepaid metering with advanced metering infrastructure is a win-win situation: Customers get convenience and control and utilities get increased customer satisfaction and decreased collection costs. This report explores the prepaid programs of four U.S. utilities.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: IGS-RB-12 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
Don’t Let Fairness Concerns Derail Your Smart Grid Business Case
Pricing Program Practices for Low-Income Customers
December 27, 2011
Utilities lack sound intelligence on pricing-program implications for verified hardship customers—those whose households meet some poverty level measure and qualify for bill assistance. Regulators' fairness concerns about pricing programs can be addressed with the strategies outlined in this report. ...
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: IGS-RB-10 | Author: Dulcey Simpkins
Gap and Priority Benchmark 2011
A Survey of Utility Large Business Customers
December 16, 2011
The 2011 Gap and Priority Benchmark surveyed 1,428 large business customers to assess how well utilities and account representatives are satisfying the needs of their business customers, and to identify steps utilities and account reps can take to better serve these important accounts.
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: BAM-BMK-GPB-11 | Author: Kim Burke, Alan Seltzer
Account Management Assessment 2011
Account Management Best Practices
December 14, 2011
Utility business account management groups often gauge their success by customer input, but a comparison to other utilities can deliver more-meaningful information. The 2011 Account Management Assessment provides in-depth, actionable data about account management practices across the utility industry. ...
Content type: Benchmark Study | Document ID: BAM-BMK-AMA-11 | Author: Alexandra Behringer, Sarah Fiebiger
How Utilities Classify Key, Large, Midsize, and Small Business Customers
December 14, 2011
Why is it useful for utilities to designate business customers into size categories, and what criteria are used to make these distinctions?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: BMS-AskES-3 | Author: Sarah Fiebiger
E Source Energy Management Survey 2011
Reporting Actions and Priorities at the Facility Level
November 4, 2011
In March 2011, E Source held its 18th Annual Energy Management Roundtable in Boulder, Colorado. At the Roundtable, we conducted a survey of the energy managers in attendance. This report summarizes the key findings of the survey.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: CEMC-RB-1 | Author: Todd Camnitz, Kevin Vranes
The Basics of Customer Experience Management
October 19, 2011
Utilities understand that customers' expectations of service are growing, mostly due to their experiences with companies in other industries. To help identify the key methods of transforming the customer experience, we spoke with a few utilities that are focusing on this metric.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: UCC-RB-6 | Author: Justin Rickard
Update on Bill Design
August 1, 2008 | Updated: October 12, 2011
We are preparing to redesign our utility bill statement. Where can I find sample bills used by other utilities? Have you seen any new features for paper bills since the last E Source report on this subject?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: RES-AskES-3b | Author: Gwen Farnsworth
