E Source Blog
Welcome to the E Source Blog! Our staff will share insights and observations about life at E Source, our events, our research, and other fun stuff.
Much of the research E Source delivers to our members comes from the thoughtful analysis provided by our own Market Research team. The team develops our surveys and benchmark projects related to utility marketing, customer experience, social media trends, use of technologies, and more. Here, we introduce you to the team members, who are hoping to meet you at the E Source Forum next week, September 13–16, in Denver, Colorado!
As an E Source consultant, I travel a lot throughout Canada and the US to deliver work at our clients’ offices. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of my job to roll up my sleeves and get down to work with our clients, helping them solve problems related to customer experience (CX) and change management. So when I have a great customer experience in a hotel, it sticks with me. Recently, I had two memorable interactions that reminded me why I think utilities need to get serious about CX—and how I think ESource can help. We E Source consultants are ready and available to chat with you at next week’s E Source Forum!
Since the E Source tech team first came across rooftop unit (RTU) retrofit controls back in 2011, we’ve been telling our utility members that these devices appear to be a great emerging end-use technology. Five years ago, only a small handful of utility programs were beginning to evaluate the technology, and most had never heard of it. Today, we’re seeing myriad new field-test results and encouraging product and market developments that are reinforcing our early assessment: RTU retrofit controls technology represents a viable energy-saving measure for inclusion in HVAC demand-side management programs to deliver energy savings and demand reduction for utility business customers.
Although customer confidence in interactive voice response units (IVRs) is low, utilities have an opportunity to surprise and delight their customers when it comes to providing a positive IVR experience. Join us at the 2016 E Source Forum, September 13–16, to learn about recent E Source market research on IVRs, tips for increasing self-service levels, and new IVR technology that can help your utility manage containment within your voice response system.
Meet our team of Olympic-level demand-side management (DSM) researchers, who are working hard to provide research, analysis, and consultation to members on DSM policy and program issues. The Olympics are over, but on the bright side, we have the E Source Forum to look forward to next month! Our DSM team is planning some exciting sessions during the September 13–16 event.
Want expert advice about best practices in customer experience, utility communications, marketing for residential and commercial demand-side management programs, or other utility products and services? Here’s who to look for at the Forum next month.
Before I came to E Source, I didn’t know a thing about demand response (DR). But after spending a summer working with E Source’s demand-side management (DSM) experts, I’ve learned so much about DR, DSM, and energy efficiency in general. Luckily for you, there are plenty of opportunities to learn from E Source experts who specialize in DR and energy efficiency, and the best place to meet them is at the E Source Forum. Sign up today to join us September 13–16 in Denver!
As we learned from our 2015 Omnichannel Survey, utilities are prioritizing initiatives to enhance the customer experience (CX). They’re focusing on creating a customer culture, deploying responsive-design websites, and enhancing self-service offerings. An omnichannel experience that emphasizes consistency, preferences, seamlessness, and integration can help utilities realize these CX improvement goals. Learn more about our survey results and talk to other utilities about their omnichannel strategies at this year’s E Source Forum.
Myriad companies now collect detailed user data to facilitate targeted marketing, in-depth market research, and sophisticated “big data” approaches to business management. Much of this data is currently collected from computers and mobile devices, but the budding smart home market represents a nascent frontier for data acquisition that may lead manufacturers and distributors to push for increased sales of smart home devices. For utilities, this is a good thing: The intersection of big data and smart home technology may offer a range of opportunities to build new mid- or upstream incentive programs, collect more-in-depth data on how users actually consume energy, and open up new customer communication channels.
As I made my way to a local farmers market recently, I was thinking about a surprising statistic I had seen: Food travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to our tables. There’s a lot of transportation fuel, refrigeration energy, and spoilage implied in that stat. Farmers markets can help bring down that average, but in most parts of the country, nature puts strict limits on the portion of the year that they can operate. That’s where LEDs come in, enabling year-round growth in many areas.