The New Energy ConsumerDriving engagement and satisfaction with an enhanced digital customer experience

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Consumers are increasingly connected, mobile and social.

Digital connectivity is part of consumers daily lives—more than three quarters in developed countries use the internet.1

More than 1 billion consumers have smartphones and 75 percent in developed countries have mobile web access.2

Nearly half of consumers use social media to learn about providers and brands.3

1 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47729#.VbhUFvlViko2 http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Smartphone-Users-Worldwide-Will-Total-175-Billion-2014/10105363 http://www.iga.com/uploadedFiles/Alliance/B5-Resources/Nielsen/Studies/Nielsen%20Social%20Media%20Report%202012_FINAL.PDF

For the next generation of energy consumers, digital is not a channel but a way of life

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50%prefer mobile/web across seven of nine primary interactions with their energy providers

70%prefer self-service for energy services interactions

50%18-34 year olds would like to use social media credentials to log on their energy provider account

Source: Accenture New Energy Consumer Research 2014

70%experience challenges while interacting through their energy providers digital channels

41%believe their digital experience with their energy providers is more difficult than with other types of providers

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Yet, consumers still face challenges with the digital experience with their energy providers

Source: Accenture New Energy Consumer Research 2014

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Source: Accenture New Energy Consumer Research 2014

12%

13%

13%

14%

14%

15%

17%

24%

24%

24%

Provided inconsistent information

Did not provide a fun or interesting experience

Was not visually appealing

Was not personalized to your preferences

Did not function properly

Was too complicated to use

Was not user friendly or intuitive

Loading took too long

Made it hard to find what you were looking for

Did not display properly on your device

Consumers who experienced challenges while interacting through their energy providers’ digital channels

65%

Energy consumers have a wide range of digital dissatisfiers that need to be addressed

42% You delete or stop using applications after a few tries (1-4 times)

53% Did not do what you wanted

42% Limited functionality

40% Sent you too many notifications

35% Too slow

For mobile applications, first impressions are critical. Energy consumers will delete or stop using applications if they’re not user friendly.

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Given this consumer behavior, energy providers should incorporate the tenants of service design into their offerings.

Source: Accenture New Energy Consumer Research 2015.

So, what does a great digital customer experience look like?

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Consumers need to see, touch and feel exceptional experiences every day when they control their energy and manage their everyday lives. An enhanced digital customer experience will drive engagement and satisfaction.

Broad functionality

and consistency

across digital channels

Personalized experience

with relevant messaging and offers

Easy and fast to access

information and

transactions

User-friendly design and messaging

FlexibleEnjoyable and fun to

use

Social Service on the spot

Transparent and proactive

issue resolution

• Users can find information and perform most transactions across all channels with consistency

• Information is only a few clicks away and transactions occur seamlessly

• Site includes infographics, videos, and diagrams and avoids jargon

• Customers are able to design their own experience with content and communications

• Customer forums and social media issue resolution are included

• Gamification and rewards programs make it fun to visit the site again and again

• Site addresses issues and questions before they arise with outage information and usage insights

• Customers are recognized and communications and offers are relevant

• Virtual assistants and live chat make it easier to search for a topic or answer a question immediately

9

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