1. www.esource.com Results from the E Source 2011 IVR Benchmark Review Preliminary Results for Payment Tasks Sarah Fiebiger Senior Analyst, Market Research Services @ESourceSarah March 14, 2011 Monday, March 14, 2011

2. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source2 Who Is E SOURCE? Membership-based energy advisory service Serving the entire energy market, mainly utilities, plus Fortune 500 company energy managers Unbiased research and analysis Fuel-neutral Product-neutral Vendor-neutral Program-neutral About 80 people on staff 3. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source3 E SOURCE Aims to Help Utilities What work-related issues keep you up at night? How to improve containment within the IVR How to improve self-service on the web Using effective messaging Improving understanding of customers needs Benchmarking And more 4. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source4 E SOURCE Review of North American Electric & Gas Company IVRs: 2011 Focused on the residential customer experience Began in December 2010 and concluded in March 2011 Largest review to-date with 96 gas and electric utilities 83 U.S. 13 Canada Largest gas & electric companies in the U.S. & Canada 42 utilities provided us with account access for their IVR 5. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source5 E SOURCE Review of North American Electric & Gas Company IVRs: 2011 4 reviewers hired from the local community Reviewers gauged functionality and usability Tasks were randomly assigned to reviewers Focused on tasks residential customers use and expect to find on their utilitys IVR (same tasks as 2009) 2 tasks reviewed on mobile phones: Make a Payment Report an Outage 6. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source6 96 Companies Included in the Review AEP Ohio Allegheny Power Alliant Energy Ameren Arizona Public Service Atmos Energy Austin Energy Avista Utilities Baltimore Gas & Electric BC Hydro Black Hills Energy Centerpoint Energy (MN) Cleco Columbia Gas of Ohio ComEd Con Edison Connecticut Light and Power Consumers Energy CPS Energy Dayton Power & Light Direct Energy Dominion Virginia Power DTE Energy Duke Energy Duquesne Light Enbridge Gas Distribution ENMAX Entergy Louisiana EPCOR Florida Power & Light Georgia Power Hawaiian Electric Company Hydro One Networks Hydro Ottawa Hydro-Qubec Idaho Power Jersey Central Power & Light Kansas City Power & Light Laclede Gas Long Island Power Authority Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Louisville Gas & Electric Manitoba Hydro Memphis Light, Gas and Water MidAmerican Energy Missouri Gas Energy National Grid New York NB Power New York State Electric & Gas Nicor Gas Nipsco NorthWestern Energy Nova Scotia Power NSTAR NV Energy NW Natural Oklahoma Gas and Electric Oklahoma Natural Gas Omaha Public Power District Pacific Gas and Electric PECO Energy Peoples Gas Pepco Philadelphia Gas Works Piedmont Natural Gas Portland General Electric PPL Electric Utilities Progress Energy Carolinas Public Service Company of New Mexico Public Service Electric and Gas Puget Sound Energy Questar Gas Reliant Energy Rocky Mountain Power Sacramento Municipal Utility District Salt River Project San Diego Gas & Electric Santee Cooper Silicon Valley Power South Carolina Electric & Gas Southern California Edison Southern California Gas Southwest Gas Tacoma Public Utilities TECO People's Gas Terasen Gas Toronto Hydro Tucson Electric Power Company TXU Energy Union Gas Vectren Washington Gas We Energies Westar Energy Wisconsin Public Service Xcel Energy 7. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source7 How We Decided on Tasks to Review Self-Service Customer Care in the Energy Industry market research study conducted 1000 residential customers surveyed U.S. and Canadian customers included Asked about their experiences, expectations, and preferences Research on IVR best practices inside and outside the utility industry Feedback and discussions with industry experts 8. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source8 Tasks Included in the 2011 Review Credit Disconnect Status How to Reconnect Service Payment Arrangement Payment Extension General Reach a CSR Report an Outage or Emergency (Mobile) Moving In / moving Out Work Order Status Payment Account Balance Make a Payment (Mobile) Payment Address Payment History Payment Locations 54% of a utilitys score is based on payment-related tasks! 9. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source9 Usability Rating Interpretation 5 (very good) Excellent experience; easy to find and/or use; suggestions for improvement, if any, are minor 4 (good) Good experience; reasonably easy to find and/or use; has area(s) that needs improvement 3 (average) Average experience; neither easy nor difficult to find and/or use; has obvious areas that need improvement 2 (poor) Poor experience; difficult to find and/or use; requires significant improvements 1 (very poor) Very poor experience; the option is present in the IVR, but is extremely difficult to find and/or use; requires significant improvements to be usable Rating Interpretation E SOURCE 10. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source10 Review Process 1. Reviewer is randomly assigned a utility and scenario 2. Calls the utility and attempts to accomplish the task, using account access when provided* 3. Notes time to find the option for the task 4. Rates their experience 5. Provides commentary about their experience *Reviewers stop when they think the next step might process a change to the account 11. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source11 Payment Tasks: % of IVRs Where Found Note: Preliminary data E SOURCE Task % IVRs Where Found (North America) % IVRs Where Found (Canada) Account Balance 74 92 Make a Payment (Mobile) 82 38 Payment Address 46 15 Payment Arrangement 58 54 Payment Extension 33 15 Payment History 15 23 Payment Locations 53 23 12. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source12 Payment Tasks: Average Rating (1-5 Scale; 1=Very Poor; 5=Very Good) Note: Preliminary data E SOURCE Task Average Rating (North America) Average Rating (Canada) Account Balance 3.4 3.1 Make a Payment (Mobile) 3.2 2.6 Payment Address 3.6 3.0 Payment Arrangement 3.6 3.6 Payment Extension 3.4 3.0 Payment History 3.6 3.0 Payment Locations 3.3 3.7 13. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source13 Task Average Time to Find in Seconds (North America) Average Time to Find in Seconds (Canada) Account Balance 58 84 Make a Payment (Mobile) 57 108 Payment Address 98 154 Payment Arrangement 60 66 Payment Extension 70 99 Payment History 77 88 Payment Locations 74 97 Payment Tasks: Average Time to Find Note: Preliminary data E SOURCE 14. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source14 Make a Payment Arrangement: Scenario You havent been paying your utility bill and your balance is now so high you cant afford to pay it. You want to call your utility and see if you can arrange to pay down your overdue balance in monthly installments. 15. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source15 Make a Payment Arrangement: Good Example (Self-Serve) U.S. utility Usability rating: 1 Time to find: 56 seconds Path to option: Account balance, Bill & rate information, or Payment options > To continue to our regular menu of options > Payment options > Pay your bill in installments Listen: 16. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source16 Make a Payment Arrangement: Reviewer Comments For The Example This was a very functional, efficient and organized phone system which I navigated through with ease. I found the option for the information I was looking for fairly quickly, although it took a number of menus to get there. I like that the option was listed as "pay your bill in installments" because that was exactly what I was looking for. Once I successfully entered my account number, which was confirmed by my home address number, I was told I was eligible for deferred payments! Hooray! I was told there needs to be a very low down payment (less than $3) which is helpful if I'm having trouble paying my bill, and then given the option of paying off the balance in equal installments between 1-12 months. It was extremely useful to be given the option to select this arrangement right then and there, to repeat the information, or to go back to the main billing menu. This phone system is worthy of a 5-rating, because of it's ease, quickness, thoughtful menu options, and very basic process. 17. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source17 What Made The Example Good? Offered early on the main menu Logical path to option Clearly worded option: Pay your bill in installments Two authentication methods: Phone or Account # Confirmed eligibility for payment installments Info. on down payment requirement Can set up installment plan for 1-12 months Useful follow-up options (select payment installment option, repeat the information, and for main billing menu) 18. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source18 Make a Payment Arrangement: Good Example (Transfer to CSR) Canadian utility Usability rating: 5 Time to find: 74 seconds Path to option: For billing and payment matters, meter reading, and rates > To make payment arrangements, report a payment, or if your gas service is being turned off > (Account authentication) > To make arrangements to pay your bill > (Transferred to CSR) 19. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source19 Make a Payment Arrangement: Reviewer Comments For The Example This phone system was a total breeze to navigate and all the menu options were very clear and concise. I heard the option to make "arrangements to pay your bill" and was immediately transferred to a CSR. I didn't mind this so much because I felt confident in my choice that it was most likely what I was looking for. I especially liked on the main menu that the option I chose was named "billing matters." It's the word "matters" that makes it an all-encompassing phrase and leaves me confident in my choice. 20. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source20 Make a Payment Arrangement: Bad Example U.S. utility Usability rating: 2 Time to find: 98 seconds Path to option: For all other calls > (Account authentication request) > If you do not have this information available > If you have a billing question, or would like to know if you are eligible for payment arrangements Listen: 21. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source21 Make a Payment Arrangement: Reviewer Comments For The Example It was a bit of a puzzle finding my option! I actually found it by accident. First, I chose the option for payment options. My option was not located in this menu so I returned to the main menu. It repeated the Thank you for calling {{Utility}}, this call may be monitored, etc." again, and then I chose the option "for all other calls." It prompted me for account information, and I didn't have it. In this case, it asks that you press the # key. So, I pressed the # key and it said, "You are now being transferred to the main menu." I swore it was going to say "transferred to an agent" or something of the sort, but it surprised me! Back on the "main menu", the options were almost all different! It even had EXTRA options! The third option was the option for billing questions or to find out if you're eligible for payment arrangements... Then it told me to hold for the next available customer service representative, and gave me a call back option... But the task was hidden in a secret menu! 22. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source22 What Made The Example Bad? Repeated Thank you for calling when returning to main menu Confusing navigation Reviewer found it by accident Authentication required for a generic option, For All Other Calls Option was found on a secret menu Transferred to a different main menu after failing to authenticate 23. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source23 Key Takeaways Canada has room to improve customer experiences with payment-related tasks on utility IVRs Reviewers liked it when credit-related features transferred them directly to a CSR, although They still appreciate well-executed self-service Provide clear options with straight-forward navigation paths Include useful follow-up options after tasks 24. www.esource.com || 2011 E Source24 For More Information Sarah Fiebiger Senior Analyst, Market Research Services 303-345-9126 sarah_fiebiger@esource.com Twitter: @ESourceSarah Have a question? Ask our experts: www.esource.com/question