Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

Utility companies are in an interesting situation when it comes to customer service. For some, there is no direct competitor and therefore their drive for customer service has to come from internal strategies to create an overall perception of the company rather than a focus that is trying to maintain the customer base.

For others, there is direct competition and therefore their customer service delivery must be strong enough to not only protect the base, but also to grow the company, adding new customers on a consistent basis. Without a strong customer service focus within the contact center, success in this area will be a challenge.

InterWeave, a Tampa performance management consulting firm, recently published the 2008 benchmarking study of 105 utilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not utilities as a whole are taking the necessary steps to WOW their customers. The research was also able to determine if these call centers were delivering even the most basic of service.

To complete the study, InterWeave selected a sample of investor owned, cooperatives and municipalities. The company then placed five calls into each utility call center to assess the level of customer service and efficiency. These calls were recorded and then evaluated against 23 behavioral criteria to identify the performance of each utility.

“I was surprised by the results," stated Kimberling King, InterWeave president in a company statement. "On a scale of 0 – 100 percent, the highest score was 60 percent with an average of only 46.1 percent."

These results indicate that fewer than 11 of the 23 standards were achieved on the average call. This research also shows that 51.8 percent of the calls were answered with the company name, 9.2 percent of the representatives used a warm and friendly tone and 10.1 percent thanked the individual for calling.

"These behaviors drive critical customer perceptions,” continued King. “If I don't feel respected or valued, I would potentially call back again, ask to speak with a supervisor or file a complaint with the Public Service Commission."

The utility needs to keep in mind that if a customer is upset and calls back to speak to someone to report it, this action costs the company additional money. Company leaders have an obligation to identify strategies that ensure the company can be more cost effective. Ignoring the service delivery within the call center is in direct conflict of such strategies, driving up costs and creating discord among customers. Whether there is competition or not, no company should be content with this approach.

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