According to the 2018 E Source Social Media Survey, Twitter is still the social media channel utilities use most often to connect with their customers. Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube aren’t far behind in popularity. We also asked utilities about successful techniques they’ve developed for boosting engagement on social media. Many utilities use videos and images of two topics—puppies and linemen—to increase organic, nonpaid engagement.

Utilities attempting to focus more on their customers and their customers’ needs frequently ask what it takes to transform their company culture. In this excerpt from the E Source Forum 2018 session Customer-Centric Culture: From Buy-In to Booyah, you’ll learn the critical value of leadership support. Key takeaways include:

E Source is pleased to announce the addition of Roger Woodworth, principal of Mindset Matters and former vice president and chief strategy officer at Avista Corp., to its advisory board. The E Source advisory board provides strategic guidance on the company’s corporate vision, partnering strategy, and technology innovations.

Q:How can we show our support for solar while communicating with customers about its real costs to the utility?

A:To communicate your support for solar without ignoring its implications for overall system costs, it’s critical to first understand how your customers perceive your utility and its support for solar. It’s also important to understand what messages customers find favorable. To answer your question, we provide:

Q:Should we start accepting cryptocurrency for customer bill payment?

A:We don’t recommend utilities add an option for customers to pay with cryptocurrency because it wouldn’t solve a problem for your customers or improve their experience.

Cryptocurrency isn’t enabled for small, quick payments. Transaction costs are high, and few businesses accept this type of payment. And cryptocurrency’s value can fluctuate, making users wary of spending the currency.

Thank you for your nominations! E Source is pleased to announce that Anne Pramaggiore, senior executive vice president and CEO of Exelon Utilities, is the recipient of the 2019 Jim Rogers Innovation Award.

Using data from DSM Insights—our tool containing data on demand-side management (DSM) program goals, budgets, spending, and savings from DSM regulatory filings—we analyzed average portfolio savings as a percentage of sales. Check out this infographic to see which utilities have achieved average annual energy savings of at least 2% and which utilities are on track to meet this goal over 10 consecutive years.

Q:How popular are personas, and what are some best practices for developing them?

A:Customer personas have gained traction among utilities. According to the E Source 2016 Customer Experience Survey, more than half of surveyed utility respondents have developed personas (figure 1), but most use them in narrow applications.