Our 2025 Sustainability Report is here! Dive in.
April 28, 2025 •Laina McQueen
The energy industry is changing—fast. The grid is under pressure, policies are shifting, and technology is evolving faster than most programs can keep up. But through all that transformation, one thing remains constant: the customer is still the most important part of the equation.
Customer experience is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s the engine behind program performance, participation, and long-term growth. And for energy programs to make a real impact, customer experience must be built in from the very beginning—not bolted on at the end.
The Experience Is the Program
When we talk about customer experience at Franklin Energy, we don’t just mean a friendly call center interaction or a helpful email. We’re talking about a fully optimized, end-to-end journey—from the first touchpoint to post-installation follow-up.
That includes awareness, education, enrollment, delivery, satisfaction, and even referral.
If any part of that journey feels confusing, clunky, or frustrating, the entire program suffers. Participation drops. Satisfaction wanes. Results fall short.
That’s why we take a system-wide approach to Customer Experience Optimization—one that connects marketing, technology, operations, and transformation from the start.
Want to see this in action? Watch our Summit Down South session for real-world examples, insights, and practical takeaways.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
Customers, whether residential homeowners or large commercial accounts, expect more. They’re used to personalized recommendations, and seamless, digital-first experiences in nearly every part of their lives.
So, when an energy program asks them to decipher complex eligibility rules, track down forms, or wait weeks for updates… they check out.
We’ve seen firsthand how friction leads to drop-off. But we’ve also seen what happens when you remove that friction: people engage, trust grows, and outcomes improve. That’s why our mission is clear: make the experience seamless. When the experience works, everything else follows.
What Seamless Looks Like
Here’s how that seamless experience plays out across our work:
- End-to-End Optimization: We map every step of the customer journey to find and fix confusion, gaps, and drop-offs. Then we fix them—quickly.
- Omnichannel Communication: We meet customers where they are, whether that’s digital, in-person, or over the phone, with consistent and timely messaging throughout.
- Turnkey Program Design: We simplify participation with whole-home assessments, stacked incentives, and easy enrollment for every customer.
- Seamless Internal Alignment: Our marketing, transformation, and program teams work as one—so customers don’t have to navigate silos.
The result? Higher participation, better satisfaction, lower acquisition costs, and stronger energy outcomes.
Customer Experience is the Ultimate Growth Strategy
Here’s the truth: customer experience is not just about customer satisfaction, it’s about growth.
- Make it easier to say “yes,” and participation rises
- Deliver a share-worthy experience, and referrals grow.
- Communicate clearly and consistently, and trust builds.
- And when trust builds, so does impact.
In a world where every kilowatt-hour matters—and programs compete for attention and funding—great customer experience becomes a competitive advantage.
The Path Forward
We’re not here to react to change. We’re here to lead through it. And leading starts with putting the customer first—every time, at every touchpoint.
At Franklin Energy, that’s not just a tagline. It’s how we design our programs, staff our teams, and measure our success.
Customer experience isn’t an afterthought—it’s the foundation.
Because in the energy transition, those who make it easiest to engage will be the ones who move us forward.
