Utility Week

INTERVIEW Meeting the great expectations Big challenges call for big responses and the game-changing shift in consumer expectation is focusing the minds of utilities about their dealings with customers. A "re-imagining" of consumer strategy is happening across the entire industry, something Customer Relationship Management (CRM) experts Salesforce see as "an enormous opportunity" ahead. Musidora Jorgensen, the software giant's Regional Vice President for UK Energy and Utilities, said a 360-degree view of every consumer should now be the minimum that energy and water companies strive for, if they are to emulate the seamless B2C and B2B service that has become the norm in other sectors, like retail. 'A lot of utilities have so much data on their customers. But it can be disparate, sitting in different parts of the business, such as on legacy IT systems. To be able to have one view of what's going on, for one customer, can be very diffi cult," she said. "Yet, if you look at it from the customer's perspective, they want to be able to talk to you about their bills, or smart metering, or about how they have a specifi c need as a vulnerable customer. If not, they can quickly get frustrated. They think, especially if they have been your customer for a long time, that you should know and have access, to all of this easily – you should know exactly what's happening. "It all adds up to companies not driving the customer effi ciencies they need. And in a market that is so competitive and highly regulated, the ways to differentiate, to have and retain more customers, is to have really, really excellent customer service." The customer expectation piece is now huge, continued Jorgensen, with utilities being judged in the same way as the consumer retail environment. "If one of these is leading the way, with excellent customer service, then customers will, quite simply, be looking for the same standards from everyone – and particularly from their energy and water providers." Salesforce data from the State of the Connected Shopper reports show a continued trend of elevated customer expectations, with blurred distinctions between business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) standards of engagement. Business values and trust now have an expanding and integral role to customer centricity. Ensuring the integrity and best use of customer data is what success will look like, believes Jorgensen, but it can only happen if the right systems are there, and quickly. "Having a platform to support you, one predicting what the next best action should be, or that can help give you better insights into what your customers' needs are, is key. "And we're not just talking about customer service itself. We could be talking about an engineer out on the road who needs to have all the correct kit on their van and the right health and safety training. Bringing all that information together is the challenge that most utilities face. "Ensuring they know where they are going, who they are visiting and whether that person is vulnerable, empowers and equips all areas of the workforce. "So, we are talking both about the customer-facing issue and the effi ciency, workforce management piece." With such huge data opportunities now converging, Jorgensen believes this is the perfect moment for utilities to raise their game, address engagement and cost-to-serve, optimise effi ciency and improve operations – including facilitating the growth in remote working. And with industry changes, such as faster switching, ever imminent, Salesforce is speaking to many utilities right now who are keen to get their ducks in a row and be prepared for such landmark consumer offerings just around the corner. "They are asking about how they embrace Next Day Switching in a way that is seamless and meets regulatory requirements? And PR19 is also a big discussion point, in terms of how they are improving and how we can help them delight their customers." The constant drive for more innovation within the sector is requiring new propositions all the time, as well as ways of accommodating them. "The benefi t of our system is that we can encourage businesses to innovate on their own platform, so we can really help those trying to do something game-changing in their market," she said. Indeed, Salesforce characterises itself as extremely well-placed to assist companies with the "explosion of technology that the fourth industrial revolution is creating and the massive demand for new skills that it brings". By the year 2020, says Jorgensen, a third of in-demand skills will be new. Which is where the company's free online learning platform "Trailhead" comes into its own, helping so- called "trailblazer" employees and businesses to plug the gaps, supercharge existing careers or create whole new ones within the Salesforce ecosystem. "It will be Trailblazers who bridge that divide and drive customer success. They are innovators, technology disruptors and global shapers." Utilities know they need to get everything right, to drive down costs, increase customer scores and ensure retention. And Jorgensen's advice is simple: "Keep your customer at the heart of what you do, and the benefi ts will fl ow."

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