When it comes to delivering valuable digital customer experiences, utilities are among the worst-performing industry groups, according to market analysts J.D. Power. We know customers love using smartphones and laptops for banking, shopping, managing travel plans, and more —yet for one-third of energy consumers, interacting with their provider’s digital channels feels like a trip back to the dark ages.
Consumer preferences have been changing, and now more than ever it appears that Americans are driving less, staying home more – and saving energy. This trend has had some major impacts, but one of the biggest is its effect on national energy usage.
Energy usage in the United States has been flat over the past years. But electric vehicles (EVs) could represent a revival for utility companies. Rising demand for fueling these cars could be the reason for energy usage growth of 80 terawatt-hours per year.
Your website has the potential to be your biggest asset. But, if your beautifully designed website isn’t easy for your customers to find, it can also be your biggest roadblock to success.
When customers have questions, or are looking for information about a purchase, they search online using a search engine like Google. Through an ever-changing set of top-secret algorithms, Google aims to show visitors information that best matches their search intent within the first few results. Just how accurate is Google? The top Google result has a 33 percent chance of getting clicked, and the lower your website ranks below that, the more drastically your chances of getting clicked decrease.
So how can you optimize the design of your utility website to get it popping up in prime position?
Are your customers holding back on participating in home utility reporting? One of the biggest barriers to engagement is misunderstanding, so be sure you're all on the same page. Your customers probably have a laundry list of questions, but they don't know where to begin. Be prepared for any and every question they might have, starting with the basics.
