4 Steps Utilities Can Take to Build Trust with EV Drivers
Utilities and their customers can form a closer, more valuable relationship around electric vehicles. Here’s how.
Utilities and their customers can form a closer, more valuable relationship around electric vehicles. Here’s how.
By 2030, there will be over 26 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads. For the utility providers poised to become the primary supplier of fuel, this is a fantastic opportunity to drive efficient growth, build customer loyalty, and support a resilient grid. But for now, customers don’t think to consult their utility when they’re considering an electric vehicle (EV) purchase. To make the most of this industry-changing transformation, utilities need to be in lock-step with their customers from the start.
Customer data from smart meters, e-commerce profiles, and service interactions creates important opportunities for utilities to engage future (and current) EV drivers. The challenge? It isn’t always easy to surface the valuable insights hidden inside that data or to create an intelligent outreach strategy. And in a deregulated, newly-competitive market, staying at the top of customers’ minds as they consider an EV purchase is mission critical.
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In this four-step guide, we share how your utility can use customer data to improve the EV ownership experience and build closer customer relationships that drive efficient growth.
Your customers expect easy interactions, whether they’re starting service, paying a statement balance, or reporting an outage. Customer data is at the heart of efficient and frictionless encounters, but simply collecting granular information isn’t enough. Delivering efficient and seamless experiences requires connecting the dots between customers’ usage, service, e-commerce, and marketing data. And chances are, your utility isn’t set up to do that for EVs — yet.
Start by unifying your legacy technology data on one purpose-built platform that is central and accessible. Then, using artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, you can predict your customers’ future needs in real time and personalize next-best actions in the right moments. Not only do companies that use a single source of truth get insights 29% faster, they also report a 32% increase in customer satisfaction.
Here’s why. Imagine you have a customer who is charging their EV during hours when the rates and load are highest. With the right platform, you can instantly surface that finding and automate helpful communications, such as inviting the customer to plug-in at night when there's less stress on the grid and prices are lower — the top reason people want to conserve energy .
Research strongly suggests that there’s a big opportunity for utilities to engage with their customers about the benefits of owning an EV in the weeks before or after they buy. With only 4% of consumers using their utility as a source of information on EVs, it’s your job to get in front of them now.
Electric Vehicles: Driving the Customer Experience , Smart Energy Consumer Collective, January 26, 2022
One way to do that is to segment your customers into audiences that are likely to consider buying an EV or who have recently made the purchase. To do this, categorize and organize your data into groups that share characteristics. Obvious examples are customers whose power usage has suddenly increased, but it could also include customers who:
Once you’ve identified target segments, go deeper into your data sets to create messaging strategies that make sense for their lifestyle. Then, using digital advertising tools and automation, you can get a greater return on your marketing communications investment. In fact, companies that use a data-first approach boost customer engagement by 31%.
Despite a general awareness of EVs, consumers remain in the dark about the details of how the technology works. In fact, only 14% of consumers claim they know a lot about EVs. There’s also a knowledge gap around all the effects their EV purchase will have in other areas of their life — such as the way it will change their utility bill. The good news is that customers are eager for one place to go to find the information they need. In fact, research suggests customers want utilities to deliver standalone EV communications that are separate from billing statements or other information, ensuring they won’t get lost in their inboxes.
Consider educating customers on:
Are you using your data to deliver offers that are tailored to customers’ particular needs? When it comes to personalization, customer expectations have never been higher: 73% expect companies to understand their unique needs and 56% believe offers should always be personalized.
State of the Connected Customer, 5th Edition, Salesforce, May 2022
Your job is to improve the EV ownership experience, ensure a resilient grid, and drive efficient growth. A personalized approach to customers will:
To drive efficient growth and ensure everyone benefits from the EV transition, utilities need to mine their treasure trove of customer data. But can you use it to deepen customer relationships, protect the grid, and help the environment?
The answer is yes if you connect real-time customer data across commerce, sales, service, marketing, and IT on one shared platform. Then, armed with a 360-degree view of the customer, you can apply tools like automation and artificial intelligence to efficiently surface insights that predict their future needs and behaviors. With the right data strategy, proactive communications, and personalized service, you can make EV ownership easier — and ensure you remain the undisputed energy expert for years to come.