The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview)...

14
Kaspar Roos January 2018 White paper The Future of Customer Experience in the Energy Industry Sponsored By

Transcript of The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview)...

Page 1: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

KasparRoos January2018

Whitepaper

TheFutureofCustomerExperienceintheEnergyIndustry

SponsoredBy

Page 2: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

01|Aspire|January2018

ThefutureofcustomerexperienceintheenergyindustryFOREWORD

Arecentsurvey1byDimensionData,aUSD$7.4Bglobalsystems

integrator,revealedan‘uncomfortable’truth:Whiletheoverwhelming

majority(89%)oforganizationsclaimthatcustomerexperience(CX),

underpinnedbydigitaltransformation,iscriticaltotheirsurvivalanda

topstrategicpriority,overhalf(51%)ofrespondentsarefailingtoact.

Thistensionisparticularlyvisibleintheenergyindustry.Drivenby

technologicalchange,risingcompetition,evolvinglegislative

frameworks,andtheneedtodeploymorecustomer-centric

technologies,manypowercompanieshaverecognizedtheneedfor

digitaltransformationtofundamentallyrethinktheirbusinessmodels

andredefinehowtheycanbetterserveandinteractwiththeir

customers.

Atthesametime,energyisaparticularlyslow-movingindustry.

Investmentstendtobehighlycapital-intensive,therearecomplex

regulatoryrequirements,andutilitiescannotofteneasilyinnovate

withoutinvolvingotherplayersintheoverallvaluechain.

BasedoninsightsfromQuadient’senergyexpertsandutilities

customers,aswellasourdealingswiththeenergysector,thispaper

presentsanoverviewofkeytrendsinCXthatareimpactingtheenergy

market.Whilerecognizingthatdigitaltransformationwillplayoutover

longtimeframes,thispaperaimstoprovidepracticaladvicethatcanbe

usedtodaytobuildsuperiorcustomerexperience.Withsomuch

disruptionimpactingtheindustry,thereisnotimetowait.

12017GlobalCustomerExperienceBenchmarkingReport,DimensionData.N=1,351respondentsacross80countries.

ByKasparRoos

CEOofAspire

Page 3: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

02|Aspire|January2018

ABSTRACT

Digitaltransformation,changingregulations,andnewindustrystructures

areallimpactingthetraditionalutilitymodel.Withthenewworld

unfolding,digitalopportunitiesareopeningforutilitycompaniesto

redefineproductsandservices,supportdecentralizedenergy

production,andbuilddeepercustomerrelationshipsbymovingfroman

energyasset-basedfocusedtoamorecustomer-centricfocus.

KEYRECOMMENDATIONS

§ Usescenarioplanningtoaligncustomerexperienceinitiatives

withstrategictransformationdirections.Omni-channel,product

differentiation,virtualcustomers,andhomeautomationare

areaswhereCXtechnologymakesabigdifferenceinhowutilities

communicateandinteractwiththeircustomers.

§ Refiningcustomercommunicationstrategies,modernizing

customerexperiencetechnology,usingjourneymapping

techniques,andotherbestpracticesaresomeofthemany

actionsthatcompaniesintheenergysectorcanadaptinorderto

buildcompetitiveadvantagesthroughcustomerexperience.

§ Tosupporttheshifttowarddecentralizedpowerprovisioningand

customer-centricity,itisimportantthatcompaniesdonotdelay

butfindwaysnowtousethelatesttechnologytobuildbetter

customerexperiences.Variousstudies2suggestthatleading

companiesrespondfasterthantheircompetitionwhenfaced

withdisruptivechangesintheircoremarkets.

2SuchasManagingUncertainty,PAConsultingGroup,2017

Page 4: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

03|Aspire|January2018

“Themajorityofconsumers(62%)arepreparedtopaymoreforasimpleexperience,while61%wouldrecommendabrandifithasaclearpropositionthatsavesthemtime.”-Source:Siegel+Gale,2017

1. INTRODUCTION

Theenergysectorisatapointoffundamentalchange.New

technologicaldevelopments,changesinpoliciesandregulations,and

structuralchangesleadingtotheriseofnewcompetitionareforcing

companiestoredefinetheiroperatingmodelsaswellastherelationship

thattheyhavewiththeircustomers.Ontopofthat,changingconsumer

behaviormakestheneedforusingcustomer-centrictechnologyfor

directengagementmorecritical.Environmentalconcernsandclimate

changeareexpectedtofurtherimpacttherelationshipthatcustomers

havewiththeirenergyproviders.

Asaresult,energycompaniesarefacinganuncertainfuture.Various

industryexpertsarguethatthenewelectricpowerindustrywillrevolve

arounddigitalplatformsand‘smart’gridsthatdealefficientlywith

decentralizedpowergeneration,supportlowcarbonsupplies,andfinda

businessmodelthatpromotesefficiency3.Thelatterespeciallyisakey

concern—asmoreandmoreconsumersaremovingawayfromthe

traditionalutilitiesmodel,theremainingcustomersarechargedmorefor

generationanddistribution.ThisisespeciallyproblematicfortheUSwith

itsvastexpanseoflandareaandsprawlingpopulations.

Asaresult,energycompanieswillhavetodigitallytransformusingthose

newlyfoundtechnologicalstrengthstobuildbettervaluepropositionsto

counterthechangesdescribedabove.Asfundamentaltransformation

andbusinessmodelinnovationsmaytakeyearstocomplete,afocuson

customerexperiencetoestablishnewwaysofdeliveringsuperior

customervalueshouldbethelowhangingfruit.

Theobjectiveofthispaperistoexplorehowpowercompaniescanuse

digitaltechnologytoimprovethecustomerexperienceandbuildmore

profitablecustomerrelationships.Forthis,itishelpfultounderstandthe

pertinenttechnologyaswellasbusinessandconsumertrendsthatare

impactingtheenergysectorsintheUSandEurope.Thiswhitepaperwill

thenassessitsimplicationsandproviderelevantrecommendationsand

tacticsthatCXprofessionalsshouldconsidertodrivemorevaluable

engagement.

3SmartPower,PeterFox-Penner,2010

Page 5: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

04|Aspire|January2018

2.TECHNOLOGYTRENDS

Technologicalchangeisbyfarthebiggestdriverofchangewithinthe

energymarket.Whileregionaldifferencesaffecthowcompaniesoperate

andarestructured,technologytendstobeborderless.Thefollowing

trends,relatedtocustomerexperience,impacttoavaryingdegreeevery

energyproviderintoday’smarketplace.

2.1DECENTRALIZEDPOWERGENERATION,STORAGE,ANDCONTROL

a. Decentralizedgenerationtechnologies,includingthequest

toexploitmorerenewableenergyresourcestofightclimate

change,willhavemajorimplications.Advancesinsolarwill

soonensurepriceparitywithgrid-generatedpower.

b. Solarandotherrenewablesourcessuchaswindturbines

havefluctuatingoutputcapacity.Advancementsinbattery

storage,suchastheTeslaPowerwall,orbytappingintothe

sparecapacityofelectriccarsthroughvehicle-to-grid

technology,willreduceconsumers’dependencieson

centralizedpowergeneration.

c. Smartgridsareevolvingfrom‘simply’dealingwithtwo-way

energyandcommunicationsflow,tointelligentand

interoperabledistributedenergysystems.Thesesystems

supportmodernconceptssuchascloud-based‘virtual

energyplants’whichaggregatethecapacitiesofconsumers’

energyassets.

2.2THECONNECTEDHOME

a. Homeautomationtechnologyisgaininggroundrapidlyin

themodernhome.Modernappliancesarebeingconnected

totheInternetandincreasinglycontrolledthroughvirtual

customerassistance(VCA)voicetechnologysuchasAmazon

Alexa,GoogleHome,orvirtualprivateassistant(VPA)

technologysuchasAppleSiriorMicrosoftCortana.

Page 6: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

05|Aspire|January2018

“ThelatestEnergyUKelectricityswitchingdata,publishedtoday,revealstheoverallnumberofelectricityswitchesin2016reached4.8million.Thisisarecordhighsince2013whenEnergyUKstartedpublishingdata,andupbyaquarter(26percent)on2015.”–EnergyUK,Jan2017

b. Hightechhomemonitoringsystemsareintegratedwith

sensorsforhouseholdstoknowwhichappliancesconsume

themostenergy.Smartlightbulbsequippedwithsensors

turnthemselvesonoroff.

c. TheriseofInternetofThings(IoT)andsmartappliances

enhancedwithscreenswilloffertheopportunityforutilities

toprovideanintegrated,digitalexperiencethatconnects

energyconservationinsightswithbillpaymentandcustomer

serviceengagementopportunities.

Figure3:SamsungSmartFridge,AmazonEchoShow

2.3CUSTOMER-CENTRICTECHNOLOGY

a. Consumerstodaydemandeasyexperiencesfromtheirutility

providers,especiallyfrompremiumbrands.Withonline

comparisonwebsitesmakingtheswitchbetweenenergy

suppliersextremelysimple,energyprovidersareforcedto

investincustomer-centricitysuchaspersonalizationand

omni-channelcommunicationsforbetterretentionand

loyalty.

b. Thecontinuedriseofmobilecapabilitiesisamajortrendthat

energyproviderscannotignore.CompaniessuchasHivein

theUK,partofBritishGas,providemobileexperiencesto

Page 7: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

06|Aspire|January2018

“Utilitiesalreadyhaveaccesstodataandtoolsthattheycanusetobegindeployingproductionanalyticsandgeneratinginsightsthatcreatevalue.Forexample,somehavealreadysharpenedtheiraccuracyinpredictingequipmentfailuresandpower-outagedurations—resultsthatcanreduce

“Utilitiesalreadyhaveaccesstodataandtoolsthattheycanusetobegindeployingproductionanalyticsandgeneratinginsightsthatcreatevalue.Forexample,somehavealreadysharpenedtheiraccuracyinpredictingequipmentfailuresandpower-outagedurations—resultsthatcanreducecostsandincreasecustomersatisfaction.”Source:Guille&Zech,BainandMckinsey2016

understandenergyconsumptionandusesmartthermostats

tocontrolheatingbasedonmeasured(i.e.geolocation)and

predictivebehavior(knowingwhenapersonislikelytocome

home).

2.4SERVICEIMPROVEMENTSTHROUGHBIGDATAANALYTICS

a. Bigdataanalyticswilldrivefutureengagementsandservice

offerings.Forinstance,understandingdatathatrelatesto

consumerpreferencesonpricesortypesofenergy

consumedwillbehelpfulforbusinessestounderstandwhen

engagingwithacustomer.Infact,BritishGasprovidesiPads

toitsserviceengineersthatalreadycontainpertinent

informationaboutissuesraisedbyacustomerpriorto

visitingtheirhomes.

b. Geolocationanalyticshelpcompaniesunderstandweather

patternsandpotentialservicedisruptionsandhowthese

mayaffectitscustomers.Thisanalysisprovides

opportunitiesfordeliveringabettercustomerexperienceby

usingadvanceddataanalyticsandgeolocationdatato

predictlocalimpactanddevelopnotificationmessagingto

preparecustomers.

c. Lastly,bigdataanalyticshelpenergyandutilitycompanies

toimprovesegmentationofcustomersanddevelopproduct

andservicesofferingsthatbettermatchcustomers’

preferences.InEurope,dedicatedenergyproductshave

emergedbasedoncustomer’svalueinrelationtorenewable

energies,nuclear,orcommunicationpreferences.For

instance,adigitalenergypackageisofferedatmuchlower

costthanatraditionalcontractthatincludesprint-based

communications.

Page 8: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

07|Aspire|January2018

“Customerexperienceisourdifferentiator;weprovideanomni-channelbillingexperiencecenteredonmobileanddynamiccommunications.Thisiswhatourend-userswant.”-JohnHayden,SeniorBillingTeamLead,Conservice(US-based3rdpartyutilitymanagementproviderspecializinginmulti-familyrealestate)

“Customerexperienceisourdifferentiator;weprovideanomni-channelbillingexperiencecenteredonmobileanddynamiccommunications.Thisiswhatourend-userswant.”-JohnHayden,SeniorBillingTeamLead,Conservice(US-based3rdpartyutilitymanagementproviderspecializinginmulti-familyrealestate)

3. IMPLICATIONS

Withsomuchuncertainty,itishelpfultothinkthroughvariousscenarios

ofhowtheutilitiesmarketplacewillevolveintheyearstocome.A

helpfuloverviewisprovidedinFigure4,whichplotsfourdifferent

scenariosbasedontwomegatrends:1)fromcentralizedtodecentralized

energyproductionand2)fromasset-centrictobecomingcustomer-

centric.

Figure4:Strategicdirectionsbasedonindustryevolution

Thesetwomegatrendsleadtofourscenariosthatutility

companiesneedtoplanforinthefuture.Eachstepisagradual

evolution.

1. Omni-channelscenario

Inthisscenario,theutilitycompanywillusenewtechnology,

especiallyaroundmobiletoredesignthecurrentcustomer

experienceandbuilddeeperdigitalengagement.Legacy

communicationswillstillplayamajorrole,butprinted

communicationsshouldberedesignedtomakethemeasierto

3.VirtualCustomer

2.ProductDifferentiation

1.Omni-Channel

4.AutomatedHome

CustomerExperienceDirections

Decentralized

Customer

Centralized

EnergyGeneration

Asset

StrategicFocus

CurrentState

Page 9: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

08|Aspire|January2018

“Energyischanging,peoplehavemuchmorechoiceaboutwhereitcomesfromandhowtheyuseit.This[newcampaigntopromoteE.ON’snew‘solarandstorage’offering]isusbeingapurpose-ledbrandandshowingwestrivefornewdevelopmentsinenergy,whetherthat’ssolarorelectricvehiclecharging”–EmmaInston,HeadofGlobalBrandandCustomerCommunications,E.ON(MWInterview)

understandandbetteralignedwithdigitalcommunications.CX

tacticsshouldbedeployedtoimprovecustomersatisfactionand

retention.Forexample,ifanewcustomer’sfirstbillishigher

thanthecontractvalue,apersonalizedvideocanbesentto

explainthehigherbillthusreducingcallcentervolume.Dynamic

communicationsallowtherecipienttointeractwiththecontent

forrichanddynamicmobileexperiences.E-mailsthatcontain

actualusageinformationshouldpullthelatestdatafromthe

serverwhiletheyarebeingopened,therebyprovidingalways

up-to-dateusageinformationtocustomers.

2. Productdifferentiation

Inthisscenario,theutilitycompanyrecognizesthatitshould

fundamentallyoverhaulitsinteractionswithcustomers.Through

dataanalyticsandjourneymapping,thecompanywillidentify

customersegmentsandpersonasthatsharedifferent

characteristicsandshouldbeaddresseddifferently.

Armedwiththisknowledge,thecompanywillthendevelopnew

productsorpotentiallyformnewdistributionpartnershipsto

reachthosecustomers.Forexample,somecustomersmayonly

wanttheirpower-mixtocontaincarbon-neutralpower,while

othersareagainstnuclear.Thistypeofproductdifferentiation

requiressomelevelofsupplychainintegrationandthe

developmentofmoreadvancedpricingtactics.

Anotherrecentlymorepopularofferingistodifferentiateby

communicationtype;forexampletoofferlowercostto

customerswhosignupfora‘digital’account.Thisrequiresthe

customertorecordtheirmeterreadingsonlineandtoreceive

communicationsthataresentelectronically.

Lastly,byprovidingwhite-labelproductsformajorretailers,

energycompaniescanexpandtheirreach.However,incertain

countriestheregulatorprohibitstoomuchpricedifferentiation

throughwhite-labeling,orforcesretailerstoinformtheir

customersiftherearelower-costplansavailable.

Page 10: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

09|Aspire|January2018

“InastudydonebyDeloitte,82%ofconsumersconsulttheirmobiledevicespriortopurchase.Inaddition,33%ofconsumersmadepurchasedecisionsuponreceivinginformationinamicromomentoruponavailabilityoftheinformationneeded.”

“It’sclearthatdespiteallthebuildingblocksbeingthere–betterbroadband,decreasinghardwarecostsandconsumerappetiteforconnectivity–westillhaven’tcrackedhowtomaketheconnectedhomeapplicabletoamassaudience”–TomGuy,Commercial&ProductDirector,Hive(CampaignInterview)

Personalized,omni-channelcommunicationsareessentialfor

productdifferentiation,andprovidersneedtocarefullyconsider

howtoovercomesiloesforcoherentofferings,andensurethat

theircommunicationsarebrandedsoitlookstheycomefrom

theirchannelpartner.

3. VirtualCustomers

Thisscenarioisbasedonthefactthatcustomersareincreasingly

becomingpowergeneratorsthemselves.Bypartneringwiththeir

customers,utilitycompaniescanbuildstrongerrelationships.

E.ONintheUK,forinstance,activelymarketstheirVirtualPower

Plant(VPP),whichincludescontrolsoftwaretohelpcustomers

monitorandmanagetheirenergyassetsandconnectthemto

E.ON’scloud-basedVPP.Fromacustomerexperience

perspective,conservationandeducationcanbepartofthe

strategy.

Conservationtohelpcustomersactivelysaveenergyandprovide

educationonhowthechangesintheenergymarketoffers

opportunitiesforcustomerstobenefitfromnewdevelopments.

4. Homeautomation

Theautomated,servicedhomeisthemostadvancedscenarioin

whichtheutilitycompanycombinesallthreescenariosabove

anddramaticallytransformshowitengageswithitscustomers.A

fundamentalpartofthenewengagementisbasedonanalytics,

thecloud,andIoT.Smartmeters,thermostats,andsmart

appliancesshouldallbesupported;infact,thecustomerislikely

tousetechnologythatispartofawiderecosystem.Forutility

providers,theremayevenbeopportunitiestopartnerwith

providerssuchasTeslaforhomebatterystorage,ortodevelop

innovativeenergystorageservicesintheelectricvehicle-to-grid

space.

Additionally,anotherfactorthatdrivesinterestinredefiningCX

istheriseofanewwaveofconsumers—themillennials.Often

thoughttobeveryadeptinthedigitalworld,millennialsmay

wanttouseinstantdigitaltechnologyatmuchhigherscaleand

Page 11: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

10|Aspire|January2018

arelookingforinstantengagement,i.e.throughsocialmediaor

mobilemessagingautomation,suchaschatbots,orbyusing

mobilestomakepurchasedecisions.

4. IMPERATIVES

Withcustomerexperiencereceivingmorefocus,energycompaniesneed

totakeacloselookattheiravailabletechnology,people,andprocesses

andassessiftheircapabilitiesaresufficientforadigitalfuture.In

additiontoarapidlyevolvingtechnologylandscape,regulatory

challengesoftenimpactsdecision-makingaswell.Itis,therefore,

essentialtoensurethatmodernCXtechnologyisbeingused,including

technologythatisoptimizedforworkinginhighly-regulated

environments.

4.1 DEVELOPACOMPELLINGCXSTRATEGY,INCLUDINGCUSTOMERCOMMUNICATIONS

Digitaltransformationisthedigitizationofprocessesandusingthose

newlyfounddigitalcapabilitiestoredefinebusinessmodelsandimprove

customerexperience.SinceCXisthesumofallinteractionsthatabrand

haswithitscustomers,itmakessensetostartanalyzingthose

interactionsandlookforanybrokenexperiences.

Withinregulatedindustries,changingproductsandpricesaredifficult

andgenerallyslow-movingprocesses.Quickwinscantypicallybefound

byfocusingoncustomercommunications—makinginteractionseasier

tounderstand,morerelevant,orbyensuringimprovedempathyand

tone-of-voicethatbuildsmorepositiveemotions.

Regardless,companiesareadvisedtoreviewtheircurrent

communicationprocesses,understandhowtheyimpactcustomer

experience(throughcustomerinsightsresearch),anddevelopan

optimizationstrategytoaddressthosequickwins.

4.2 MODERNIZINGYOURCXTECHNOLOGYSTACK

Animportantelementintoday’srapidlyevolvingworldistounderpin

yourCXstrategywithmoderntechnology.Movingtoflexible,future-

Page 12: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

11|Aspire|January2018

proofarchitecturesallowsbusinessestoeasilyswaporupgrade

componentswithouthavingtomigrateorredesignentiresystems.While

eachbusinessisunique,therearesomecharacteristicsthatnext-

generationCXsystemsshare:

a. Decouplingoforchestrationanddelivery.Ensuringthe

deliveryofcommunicationsisperformedbysystemsthatare

conceptuallyseparatedfromtheanalyticsandengagement

systems.Thisconceptprovidesthemostflexibility;inthe

future,wecanexpectdelivery—whetherbyamarketing

campaigntool,CustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM)

system,BusinessProcessManagement(BPM))tool,or

CustomerCommunicationsManagement(CCM)toolto

becomecentralized,basedonashared-deliverycomponent

thatintegrateswithallthevarioussystems.Havingbusiness

rulesandcommunicationdeliverybehaviorprogrammed

withinthosesiloeswill,therefore,ultimatelybeaninhibitor

tofutureroadmaps.Definingbusinessoutcomes,linking

capabilitiestoit,andthenensuringloosely-coupled

integrationbetweencomponentsbasedonmodern,cloud-

basedarchitecturesisthewayforward,especiallynowthat

boundariesseemtobeblurringbetweensoftwareareas.

b. Usingdedicatedmiddlewareforquickintegrationand

configuration.Digitaltransformationisalmostneverarip-

and-replaceactivity.Inreality,transformationhappensby

takingsmallstepsthatoftenrequirecontinuedrefinement

oroptimization.Havingarchitecturesthatcanbeeasily

reconfiguredareessential,forexamplebyusingservicebus

technologywithpredevelopedconnectorsforcloud-to-cloud

integration.

c. Enablingbusinessuserstoowntheinteractionexperience

Usinglow-code/no-codeframeworksforrapidmobile

deployment,oronlinetoolsforbusinessuserstocontrolthe

communicationsorinteractionexperiencewithoutIT

involvementisakeyrequirementforanyenergycompany

thatwantstoimprovecustomerexperience.Gonearethe

Page 13: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

12|Aspire|January2018

daysthatbusinessescanaffordtotakemonthstomake

communicationchanges.

4.3ENSURINGAGILITYTOMEETREGULATORYCHANGESANDEVOLVINGMARKETNEEDS

Anothermajoritemforbusinessesintheenergyspaceistocomplywith

regulatoryrequirements.Archiving,changemanagement,audittrails,

GeneralDataProtectionRegulation(GDPR)intheEU,andsimilardata

protectionrequirementsintheUSandrestofworld—thelistof

requirementsisalongone.Havingtechnologythatisdesignedto

operatewithintheboundariessetbylegalregulatorsisamust-havefor

anyutilityprovider.

4.4USINGJOURNEYMAPPINGANDOTHERCXBESTPRACTICESTOBUILDSUPERIOREXPERIENCES

Asenergyprovidersarebecomingmorecustomer-centric,theneed

arisestodeploycustomer-centrictechnologyinamoreeffectiveway.

Journeymapping—thepracticetounderstandhowcustomersinteract

withthebrandoveraperiodoftimeforthecompletionofspecifictasks

—rapidlyisbecominganessentialtoolforCXoptimization.Journey

mapshelpcustomerexperienceprofessionalstounderstandthe

touchpoints,seewhatexperiencesarebroken,andthenworkwiththeir

counterpartsinthebusiness,IT,anddesignteamstoprioritizewhat

occurrenceneedsrenovation.

4.5INVESTINGINCXSHAREDSERVICESORCXSTEERINGCOMMITTEESFORCONSISTENTENGAGEMENT

Customerexperienceimpactseverytouchpointthatacustomerhaswith

thebrand—rangingfrommarketing,toonboarding,tocustomer

service,andeventheleavingprocess.Ensuringthatinteractionsare

managedholisticallyacrosstheentireorganizationoftenrequires

organizationalalignments.Forexample,investinginadedicated

executivetaskedwithcustomerexperience,settingupaCXshared

servicesteam,orensuringaCXsteeringcommitteewiththeauthorityto

Page 14: The Future of Customer Experience in Energy A4...Customer Communications, E.ON (MW Interview) understand and better aligned with digital communications. CX tactics should be deployed

13|Aspire|January2018

coordinatebetweenorganizationalfunctionsandensureconsistencyin

brandlook-and-feel,messaging,andinteractionexperienceacrossthe

entireorganizationareessentialtosuccess.

5 CLOSINGTHOUGHTS

Theenergymarketfacesanuncertainfuturebasedondisruptive

technology,policy,andbusinesstrendsthatareimpactingtheindustry.

Despitethis,focusingoncustomerexperienceisasafebet—customers

arechangingtheirbehaviorsanddemandingmorerelevantinteractions.

Rememberthatbettercustomercommunicationssuchasrelevant,data-

driven,omni-channelcommunicationsareoftentheeasiestwayof

improvingcustomerexperience,especiallyinregulatedindustries.

IfyouareinterestedinlearningmoreaboutusinginnovativeCX

technology,Quadientisaleadingcustomerexperienceproviderwitha

strongheritageinthecustomercommunicationsspace.

Ifyouareinterestedinhavingadedicatedstrategyspecialistassisting

youwithastrategicreviewofyourinteractionandcommunications

operations,thenAspireisacompanyyoumaywanttotalkwith.

ABOUTQUADIENT

Quadient,aNeopostDigitalCompany,providestechnologythatenables

organizationstocreatebetterexperiencesfortheircustomersthrough

timely,optimized,contextual,highlyindividualized,andaccurate

communicationsforallchannels.Oursolutionsareusedbythousandsof

clientsandpartnersworldwidetoactivatetheirorganizationsinthe

nameofcustomerexperience.

ABOUTASPIRE

AspireCustomerCommunicationsServices(Aspire),isaLondon-based

CCM/CXstrategyfirmthatworkswithenterpriseleadersacrossthe

globetorealizehigh-impactcustomercommunicationstransformation.