What do utility customers expect from modern self-service applications, and why are traditional portals insufficient?

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, customers demand convenient and intuitive interfaces to manage their accounts and access services effortlessly. A robust portal and self-service application serves as a gateway for users to interact with your service. To meet these expectations effectively, it's imperative to understand the core needs and expectations of customers and provide features that cater to their diverse needs in most efficient and flexible way. Below we provide a list of key areas that we identified as being most important for Utilities individual customers to address, taken from our consulting projects, customer surveys and business results of implementation projects. 

Real-time communication

Is paramount in keeping users informed and engaged. Providing in-app notifications, along with SMS and email alerts, allows users to stay updated on important announcements, promotions, and service-related updates, fostering transparency and trust between the business and its customers. 

Security

Customers seek hassle-free access to services without compromising on security. By incorporating features such as secure authentication methods like two-factor authentication (2FA) using SMS codes or Authenticator apps, businesses ensure both convenience and protection for their users' accounts. Secure access to accounts and services is paramount in maintaining user trust and security. Implementing robust authorization features, including user authentication and data access control, safeguards sensitive information and ensures compliance with GDPR regulations. 

Billing and payment convenience

Simplifying billing processes and offering multiple payment options are essential for customer convenience. Features such as viewing bill history, detailed bill information, and online payment capabilities empower users to manage their finances efficiently, reducing friction in the payment process.  

Consumption monitoring and insights

Customers seek transparency and control over their energy usage and consumption. Providing access to consumption data, usage charts, and insights enables users to make informed decisions, optimize their energy usage, and work towards sustainability goals effectively.  

Another valued feature is the ability to set energy and other utilities consumption goals and receive alerts when exceeding usage levels. This promotes energy efficiency and sustainability. In particular, this is necessary to address the challenge of incoming dynamic tariffs. This often can be used also to notify about abnormal situations like water leakage.

Support and help resources accessibility

Prompt and reliable support is crucial in addressing user queries and concerns in all complex cases. Offering access to customer support, FAQ articles, and helpful hints within the application ensures users can find assistance quickly and resolve issues efficiently, enhancing overall satisfaction and trust. 

Case management and issue resolution

Streamlining case management processes enhances user experience and satisfaction. Enabling users to create and track cases or tickets for various purposes, such as contract changes or problem reports, ensures timely resolution of issues and reinforces customer confidence in the business. 

User-friendly interface

Customers value simplicity and clarity in navigating through applications. A well-designed homepage presenting essential information such as notifications, promotions, and active services upon login streamlines user experience, enabling quick access to relevant features and resources. 

Personalization

Is key to enhancing user satisfaction and engagement. Empowering users to manage their profile information, update contact details, and customize preferences ensures a tailored experience that meets individual needs and preferences. 

Mobile optimization and accessibility

With the prevalence of mobile devices, optimizing the application for mobile use is essential. Ensuring seamless functionality and user experience across different devices and screen sizes enhances accessibility and convenience for users on the go. 

Access to timely information

Is crucial for user satisfaction. A robust search feature allows users to find relevant articles, help, FAQs, or information within the application effortlessly, saving time and effort in navigating through content. 

This also means that dynamic content presentation is vital for keeping users engaged and informed. A flexible, AI-powered CMS enables administrators to manage content effectively, including articles, multilingual support, banners, dashboards, ensuring relevant and up-to-date information is readily available to users. 

Traditional type of self-service applications that were very static - strictly bound and integrated directly with one backend system are becoming impediments in current fast-moving world. They often cannot be extended or modernised without substantial expenses. For many years utilities companies were used to provide static, simple websites with very little often outdated information. Nowadays energy sector is booming with innovative solutions, customers vying to understand new tariffs, and all sorts of regulartory changes that need to be answered fast.

The old-school customer-facing touchpoints that cannot be configured without involving developers and weeks or months of development are becoming irrelevant. Modern digital platforms, powered by Content Management systems to quickly manage information, content, look and feel, as well as help build new forms and new processes by business administrators

By prioritizing customer needs and integrating key features into a technologically modern platform, utilities companies should deliver a great user-centric experience that fosters engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty at a fraction of cost. By providing users with modern, attractive and convenient tools, utilities can strengthen their relationships with customers and differentiate themselves in today's competitive market landscape where aggressive startups are offering ever more elaborate business models and compete on customer experience.