On average, today’s energy consumer is much different from those of a decade ago. With the advent of smartphone apps and high-speed internet connections, consumers generally expect a lot more engagement in near real-time. Additionally, energy consumers of 2023 and beyond will be facing higher energy prices based on many current events.

Today, utilities must engage with and provide data to their energy consumers to simply maintain relationships, but this customer engagement can even increase customer satisfaction scores and reduce operational expenses. A Kelley School of Business study found that for every unit increase in customer satisfaction, utilities’ operational costs decreased by magnitudes. This connection also increases the chances of energy consumers engaging with their utility when adding new energy usages, such as electric vehicles, and new energy sources such as solar photovoltaics and battery storage.

Billing and payments are the obvious touch point for consumers. Providing them with easier, more flexible options not only helps specific customer demographics but also helps the utility manage arrearages and improve utility cash flow.

Itron Smart Pay can help forward-looking utilities with a solution that addresses both today’s energy consumers’ desires and the need for a new robust billing system that can efficiently support AMI systems. We will have two separate webinars focusing on the municipality (January 24) and the IOU (January 31) markets. Register at the links below. We look forward to seeing you!

• January 24 webinar at noon, Pacific for municipalities
• January 31 webinar at noon, Pacific for IOUs