Creating the Connected Utility

Since the advent of advanced metering infrastructure, familiarly known as “smart metering,” utility IT systems have been collecting valuable customer data that strengthens their customer information systems (CIS). Still, much of this data remains locked away in a variety of siloed systems. To serve the organization and to keep up with rapidly evolving market demands, data needs to be unlocked, made available across the organization (and even to some external stakeholders), and augmented with intelligence tools like AI and machine learning. These steps allow utility companies to have a 360-degree view of the customer, to save operational costs and provide additional value for both customers and stakeholders.

Connected utilities integrate back office systems (like billing and CIS systems) with the front office, so that any customer-facing employees or processes have the flexibility and intelligence they need to deliver personalized and relevant customer experiences. Digital transformation then creates more value by making data accessible and usable across the organization.

Don’t worry — modernizing doesn't mean starting from scratch. Instead of replacing legacy systems, utilities can instead build on them to gain new insights from their existing gold mine of data.

Automation, AI, and machine learning capabilities open the opportunity to improve customer service outcomes, increase efficiency across business operations, and make both customer and employee experiences more enjoyable. AI can help your customer service teams gain a better understanding of customer needs and interests so that they can proactively provide the best service possible and/or target specific customer segments with energy incentives that might appeal to them. Getting back to the idea of being the ISO of human systems, AI also enables a utility to use real-time data to more accurately forecast everything from power usage to revenue. This is essential when it comes to planning, for example: modeling how an energy curtailment or outage might affect the grid; or quickly determining how to tap locally-sited batteries to satisfy demand on the grid.

Including customer insights in a secure, data-driven operating system allows utilities to oversee their entire operation in a way that’s actionable, manageable, and cohesive. Utilities are better positioned to serve their communities when both employees and partner organizations have the information they need to address problems in the field.

Day-to-day service operations have become more complex with more moving parts. Providers manage everything from increased demand on the system to power outages to routine maintenance and meter reading. They need digital solutions that give them the ability to respond faster and effectively resolve issues, while keeping the cost to serve down. Since face-to-face interactions can be one of the most powerful ways to nurture customer loyalty and satisfaction, more utilities are looking for ways to empower field teams and service agents to:

• Streamline scheduling and enable dispatchers to dynamically make appointments and efficiently organize their calls
• Equip mobile teams and empower technicians with apps and back-office information that helps them increase productivity and safety
• Take opportunities when servicing customers to market other relevant products, programs, and services

As the world moves to a sustainable future, utilities are on the front line playing a critical role in enabling widespread electrification across economic sectors. However, this is not something that utility companies can do on their own. Salesforce Energy & Utilities Industry Advisor, Joe Delaney says that demand-side participation is critical to balancing the future renewables-dominated grid: “The transition is happening but, to be successful, energy companies must build trust with the emerging energy prosumer, and secure the community social license critical to building new clean energy infrastructure.”

Already, leaders like ComEd have committed to net zero goals as well as to ensuring equitable access for all communities to energy efficiency, electric vehicle, and demand-side management programs.

As they face increasingly mandated climate risk disclosure regulation, commercial and industrial customers are looking to utilities and energy providers to help them accelerate their own net zero journeys. Utilities are rapidly transforming their business models to provide high-value but complex new demand-side solutions and services to their customers. This new two-sided energy paradigm requires a constant focus on building trust through customer-centricity if we are to achieve our common goal: a fully decarbonized energy system.

Connected utilities are able to undertake these efforts with data and automation tools to back them up. They have the ability to accurately target areas for improvement, track progress over time, and help their customers make changes that lower their carbon footprints.

Furthermore, they can effectively integrate these initiatives with the rest of their business so they can properly manage new utility offerings. This enables them to meet the increased customer demand for renewable energy options, rates that better fit their consumption patterns, and incentives for conservation or demand-side management behaviors that keep the grid reliable, safe, and green.

Three major trends are converging: burgeoning data capabilities, growing customer leverage, and an “all hands on deck” approach to decarbonization. In response, utilities are becoming more connected and transforming from mere commodity providers to true multi-service community partners. As a result, connected utilities using energy CRM platforms are creating better customer experiences.

By centering on the customer, and focusing on building long-standing, trusted relationships with the communities they serve, utilities will be in the best possible position to meet today’s challenges head on.