To date our blogs have focussed on the multiple benefits that Advizzo delivers in terms of motivating customers to reduce consumption; increasing digital engagement and self-servicing; and improving customer satisfaction. But did you know that our platform and software solution also deliver a powerful tool that your Customer Relationship Management teams (or Customer Service Field Agents) can use daily to improve customer engagement and satisfaction?
The greatest percentage of calls to customer service teams relate to bills1. It’s therefore critical that your call centre agents have access to information about a customer’s energy consumption and their bill when a customer calls – in order to appease them, support them, and be ready to have meaningful and helpful conversations with them – without making them wait whilst they search for the information.
Access to up-to-date and insightful information is also important when you consider that a surprise high bill will double the odds of a customer switching energy suppliers1. In order to compete in today’s highly competitive energy market, suppliers must mitigate this high risk of churn.
Research published in the Harvard Business Review states that globally, acquiring a new customer is anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. In the UK utilities sector, Ofgem reported that the rate at which energy companies are losing customers is in excess of 19% every month and rising.2
- 61% customers leave because of price increases
- 33% leave because of poor customer service3
Don’t leave it too late
One mistake many utility companies make is to try and win back customers who’ve left because of a bad experience – such as an unexpectedly high bill or poor customer service. When a customer switches utility supplier, it’s too late to try to improve their experience. To improve the customer experience, companies have to do a better job of engaging with customers, before they choose to leave.
Customers want a utility company that solves their pain points. Therefore it’s possible to reduce churn by finding ways to talk to them about their consumption and their bill, by engaging with them meaningfully, so they don’t leave.
That’s where Advizzo can help your Customer Relationship Management Teams and Field Service agents. When you invest in Advizzo’s software and solutions, you gain access to our Customer Focus platform. Integrated with your CRM system, this provides your call and field agents with a platform and dashboard that provides intelligible insights into each customer’s account, including consumption patterns and behaviors, as well as comparisons and access to communications received. To put it plainly, the call agent is immediately up-to-speed and on the front foot!
With so much detailed information at their fingertips, customer service agents can quickly have meaningful conversations relating to that customer’s household and account. They can immediately investigate the reason for the call and offer reassurance and viable solutions.
Not only does this improve customer engagement, satisfaction and retention, but it also makes the call agent’s job easier, which is good for employee satisfaction and retention. It also significantly reduces call times and improves customer ratings and reviews. And when you consider that:
- 85% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations,
- 92% of people trust recommendations from people they know
- 77% of people are more likely to buy if they’ve been referred by someone they trust
…then keeping customers happy and encouraging positive referrals and reviews is critical to business success.
Find out more about our platform’s operational efficiency features, or book a demo. We’d love to hear from you. Talk to us today.
Source ref
1https://blogs.oracle.com/utilities/post/8-facts-to-remember-about-consumer-attitudes-toward-utility-bills/
2https://www.ugp.co.uk/blog/5-reasons-why-great-customer-service-is-essential-for-the-prosperity-of-energy-companies/
3https://www.voicesage.com/blog/4-customer-experience-trends-in-the-utilities-industry/
4https://www.ugp.co.uk/blog/5-reasons-why-great-customer-service-is-essential-for-the-prosperity-of-energy-companies/