The digital revolution is redefining the utility industry, transforming challenges into opportunities and radically changing the dynamics of interactions between companies and their customers.

In the digital age, the quality of customer experience is a core metric for any service. Modern consumers are always on the look out for solutions which are not only innovative and integrated, but also user-friendly and focused on their requirements.

It is therefore essential that one be able to offer the best possible customer experience: a personalized one. This makes it possible to achieve the best results in terms of engagement and loyalty, while also greatly reducing customer churn.

One of the most important strategic requirements for utility companies is to reduce calls to customer care, not only with a view to cutting operating costs but also in order to improve the quality of the service and the customer’s experience as a whole.

The key to doing so lies in perfecting the digital customer journey, by making utility bills clearer and easier for customers to understand.

A holistic digital journey

Imagine a digital onboarding system that is not limited to simply welcoming customers, but rather gives a clear and transparent guide to their first utility bills. Companies which have adopted innovative solutions have experienced a significant reduction in calls to customer care. The digital transformation of utility bills, using personalized, interactive micro-sites delivered in an omni-channel approach, makes it far easier for customers to access their information.

Introducing a digital customer care system, which answers customers’ questions proactively and predictively, is another touchpoint in this process. This approach drastically reduces customers’ need for assistance, and creates a higher quality user experience which is both efficient and gratifying.

The problem of overloaded operators

Overloaded customer care operators are a significant issue, and this burden is often due to misunderstandings and a lack of clear information in utility bills. This not only drives up the cost of the service, but also decreases the satisfaction of the customer, who must invest time in phone calls to resolve issues that, in an ideal world, wouldn’t even exist.

Causes of customer care calls about the billing cycle 

Conventional communications are often ineffective and unclear. Printed utility bills, for instance, can generate confusion, driving customers to call customer care for additional information.

Strategies for reducing calls to call centers – digitalization and personalization

Adopting digital billing as the primary approach and personalizing bills to satisfy the customer’s individual needs are major steps in reducing calls to customer care, offering clear and efficient communications with the customer.

Digital billing is designed precisely to boost customer satisfaction and reduce calls to customer care, thanks to clear, transparent billing information and the increasing adoption of services like standing orders.

Furthermore, interactive videos can be used to explain the details of utility bills – another highly efficient communications strategy capable of increasing the customer’s comprehension and reducing the need for calls customer care.

Digital billing as a way to reduce customer care calls

Doxee Pweb® is the Doxee product for generating and distributing micro-sites personalized in relation to the customer’s data. It enables the utility company to personalize almost any aspect of a micro-site, from content to browsing, with unbeatable flexibility and in response to the customer’s personal details.

With Doxee Pweb®, billing becomes digital and smart, and it also acts as a launchpad for innumerable interactive services, including:

  • graphic representations of the customer’s consumption
  • digital payment options
  • online activation of standing orders
  • personal calendars of due dates
  • customer loyalty activities.

With clearer utility bills and interactive communications integrated with the digital application map, Doxee technology can cut calls to call centers by as much as 15%.

What is more, thanks to Doxee Platform®, utility companies can orchestrate all processes dedicated to the automated creation, generation and distribution of customer documents and communications (printed and digital), generated by multiple in-house systems, in a way that is now fully omni-channel.

Doxee Platform® facilitates the management of the entire corporate communications lifecycle, from creation through omni-channel distribution to the analysis of interaction KPIs.

Conclusions

Digital innovation and the adoption of advanced technologies like Doxee are the keys to effectively reducing calls to customer care in the utility sector.

These strategies not only significantly cut operating costs, but also improve efficiency and the overall customer experience, outlining a future in which satisfaction and efficiency come together in the consumer’s digital journey.

Doxee Platform® is the ideal solution for reducing the complexity of in-house processes and supporting utility companies focused on their customers’ experience.