Utility companies are essential service providers that deliver warmth and security to our homes and businesses. However, they can be complex and difficult to navigate. This is where quality contact center technology comes in. The tech, plus your agents or a full outsourced contact center, can provide all points of contact for customers to get help with all their utility needs. This leads to overall improved customer satisfaction.
A contact center can benefit a utility company in a number of ways, including:
Improved customer service
A contact center can provide customers with a single point of contact for all their utility needs, regardless of the channel they choose to use. This can help to improve customer satisfaction and reduce the time it takes to resolve issues.
Say a customer calls to report a power outage. The contact center agent can quickly and easily access the customer’s account information and notify the appropriate personnel of the outage, all from a next-generation call center platform like Genesys Cloud. Technology like this can also give the agent updates on the status of the outage and estimated restoration time to let the customer know in real time.
After Hours Automation
An Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) which is a built-in component of the contact center software, can help to automate many of the tasks that are currently handled by customer service representatives, such as account inquiries and billing questions. This can free up representatives to focus on more complex issues, which can lead to increased efficiency.
DiRAD’s long-time customer Memphis Light, Gas, & Water reported back almost immediately:
“We noticed the volume of agent assisted calls had decreased. By re-designing the call flows with DiRAD’s assistance, we were able to expeditiously route customers to the most frequently used functions. In addition, the standard reports delivered with the solution allow us to maintain accountability to ensure our key performance indices are met.”
Greater Redundancy
There’s something to be said for having a contact center out of state, as well. This is an added level of security to your customer service. With a second contact center location, when the unexpected happens, like a power outage, the out of state contact center can easily take over. Allowing them to be ready and able to serve your customers. Therefore, giving you peace of mind.
Reduced costs
Contact center tech can help reduce costs by automating certain tasks to IVR applications, Chatbots, and outbound notification solutions. This can save on the costs of hiring and training staff, as well as the cost of maintaining a physical call center.
For example, a customer could call to inquire about their bill. A simple task that doesn’t necessarily require the attention of a contact center agent to solve. There are chatbots that can easily triage a customer with a few short questions and help them with their inquiry. Should they require more, the Chabot can direct them straight to an agent who can help with more complicated tasks, like setting up a payment plan or making a payment over the phone.
Increased scalability
A contact center can be scaled up or down quickly and easily to meet changing demand. This can be helpful for utility companies that experience seasonal fluctuations in customer volume.
Overall, contact center tech can be a valuable asset for a utility company. By providing improved customer service, increased efficiency, enhanced security, reduced costs, and increased scalability, contact center tech can help utility companies to better serve their customers and improve their bottom line, ultimately keeping those lights on!