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NEWSLINENEWSLINEa CS Week publication Fall 2015
in this issue...
CS Week and AGA/EEI Premiere in Phoenix Together
Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun Welcomes CS Week 40
Utilities Can Deliver a Better Billing Experience at a Lower Cost
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Fall, a Time for Change...Fall has always been a time of change for many of us. Farmers and ranchers prepare their land for winter. Wildlife prepare in various ways for winter and even the Farmer’s Almanac forecasts winter weather based on their behaviors. Of course, with the start of fall, we can all enjoy the fall football season. Early fall also marks the time when our Planning Committee, Executive Advisory Panel and CS Week Board start work on the educational content and direction for CS Week 2016 in Phoenix.
I am steadfastly curious and waiting to see the El Nino effect. Much of the west, particularly California could do with the wet winter, as forecasted. Over here in Texas we are also expecting an El Nino winter, which is also a wetter than normal winter.
I am certain many of you are aware of the combining of the AGA/EEI Customer Service Conference. This will make an even better CS Week 2016 in Phoenix. I am pleased to announce that 14 of their 15 Planning Committee members have joined either a Steering Committee or the Planning Committee of CS Week.
CS Week groups and venues are front and center at the annual planning meetings. This year we had so much more information from the surveys than ever before. What kind of data did we have to work with? 89% of respondents listed customer service as their primary area of interest, followed by 75% of respondents listing CIS/Billing as pertinent. Of interest to me, the scoring of workshops continues to reflect a high level of quality in the content and presenters.
It is not too early to start thinking about two dates that pop up sooner than expected. Registration for CS Week opens mid-November online. Also in response to your requests, the call for 2016 award submissions for the Expanding Excellence Awards has already opened. Submissions are due no later than January 4, 2016.
Watch for information available soon on greater outreach and year-round involvement in CS Week Women in Utilities.
Stay tuned to our website and social media as we update events, dates and opportunities leading up to CS Week. We are excited to return to Phoenix in 2016 and are building toward an even greater attendee experience – beyond the classroom - including the historical setting, the food and the endless networking opportunities.
Rod Litke CEO
Rod LitkeCEO
CS Week
This issue of Newsline sponsored by:
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April 25-29 2016- CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS -
- Submission deadline is January 4, 2016 -
Any utility submitting an Expanding Excellence Award entry will receive a 50% discount on up to 5 Conference 40 registrations!
CS Week announces the 2016 Expanding Excellence Awards, designed to recognize and salute excellence in customer service. The Expanding Excellence Awards program honors outstanding contributions and innovations in utility customer service. Within this program are four distinguished awards:
Best Mobility Implementation
Best CIS Implementation
Best Devices, Data & Analytics Project
Innovation in Customer Service
Apply by completing the official Expanding Excellence Awards application form.
For more information on the awards or the nomination process, contact CS Week Expanding Excellence Awards Program Manager, Lisa Collins at 903-821-8675 or .
CS Week | 2612 W Lamberth Rd, Ste 300 | Sherman, TX 75092-5183 | 903-893-3214 |
Contact Us
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NEWSLINENEWSLINE Fall 2015Todd Arnold*Duke Energy (Retired)
Sue Daulton*Tacoma Public Utilities
Penni McLean-Conner*Eversource Energy
David McKendry**Hydro Ottawa Limited
Kerry Overton*Austin Energy
Andrea Pelt-Thornton*Florida Power & Light Company
Mark Wyatt*Duke Energy (Retired)
Rod Litke*CS Week
Jerry Duvall*CS Week
Sandra BroughtonAGL Resources, Inc.
Diane ColeyPiedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc.
Tom CunninghamDuke Energy
Fred DaumPSEG Long Island
Cindy DossettVectren Corporation
Jessica HobbickAPS
Aundrea JacksonTampa Electric Company
Keith JenningsAlagasco
Ann KellyCanadian Electricity Association
Jacqueline KirwinEversource Energy
Tim LangWe Energies
Mary Ann MartinezXcel Energy, Inc.
Rosemary ScherbaBaltimore Gas & Electric
Tony SimasEversource Energy
Lois StarkKansas City Power & Light Company
Roger StephensOncor
David TomlinsonDuke Energy
Penny TootleLas Vegas Valley Water District
Pamela WheatOncor
Donna Williams-OrmondCity of Richmond
Darren YatesONE Gas
John SildCS Week
Lisa CollinsCS Week
*Board Member**Advisory Board Member
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The mission of CS Week...is to plan and deliver professional, unbiased educational opportunities in a cost-effective manner for the electric, gas, water/wastewater utilities, cooperatives and municipalities throughout North America and the world.
Newsline is published quarterly by CS Week, 2612 W. Lamberth Rd. Ste. 300, Sherman, TX 75092; 903-893-3214 tel, 903-893-6136 fax, . . Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of CS Week.
© 2015, CIS Conference, Inc. dba CS Week, all rights reserved.
All CS Week print media, including Newsline, is distributed at no charge to utility industry professionals. To receive current and future publications, please e-mail . Address changes: Please photocopy the back page as currently addressed, carefully print your new address and fax it to 903-893-6136. You can also send an email to
CS Week 2016 |
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www.csweek.org
www.csweek.org
Fall, a Time for Change...Rod LitkeCEOCS Week
When 1+1>2: Q & A on Combining the AGA/EEI Customer Service Conference with CS WeekTodd ArnoldDuke Energy (Retired)
CS Week 2016 Registration
Rest Your Head, Recharge Your Battery; 2016 Conference Hotels
New Name: Devices, Data and Analytics; Old Name: Smart InfrastructureRod LitkeCEOCS Week
5 Utilities Can Deliver a Better Billing Experience at a Lower Cost
8 Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun Welcomes CS Week 40
11 Cowtown Welcomes Back CS Week for its Fall Planning Committee Meeting
12 Introducing New CS Week Board and Planning Committee Members
14 CS Week Executive Summit
15 And the Survey Says: CS Week Research Update
16 CS Week Key Account Forum CS Week Research
17 CS Week 2016 Sponsors
19 CS Week Synergy Groups
20 CS Week Colleges
21 Calling All Aspiring Authors: CS Week Publishing
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Michael Staples Product Marketing Customer Care Manager Opower
When you ask consumers what their utilities could be doing better, one answer rises to the top: the bill.
And, in particular, high bills. Four in five residential customers worldwide want their energy providers to send proactive alerts before unusually expensive bills arrive. But today, that need is going unmet. Fewer than two in five utility customers are satisfied with their current high bill experience.
When you ask utilities about ways they could improve, you get the same answer: billing and call center operations.
Why? Because those services are phenomenally expensive. Globally, utilities spend billions of dollars a year operating call centers, and most of the calls utilities receive are about billing.
Together, these trends represent an opportunity. By using proactive alerts to give homes and businesses more information about their energy use, utilities can answer questions about billing before customers ever have to ask. That means fewer calls to the call center, fewer truck rolls, reduced handle time and abandonment rates — and, as a result, lower operating costs.
To deliver on those outcomes, utilities need a deep understanding of customer attitudes toward the billing experience. Why do utility customers feel the way they do? What information are they looking for? What shapes their behavior before, during, and after bills arrive? And, critically, what makes for a great experience that cuts costs and boosts satisfaction?
To find answers, Opower’s Consumer Insights team conducted research across 175,000 utility customers — through online polls and experiments, interviews and focus groups, third-party data, and a global survey. What follows is a step-by-step guide through the customer journey — including consumer attitudes toward every part of the billing process, and actions utilities can take to deliver a better bill experience at lower cost.
1. Bill arrival
Most households don’t spend a lot of time interacting with their energy providers. Accenture pins it at about nine minutes per year.
Utilities Can Deliver a Better Billing Experience at Lower Cost. Here’s How
Cont.
80%
37%
84%
45%
84%
48%
80%
53%
72%
40%
69%
43%
78%
52%
72%
48%
65%
43%
57%
37%
60%
41%
65%
47%
Importance: How important is it that your utility provides you with the following?Satisfaction: How satis�ed are you with how your utility provides the following?
FIGURE 1. EIGHTY PERCENT OF UTILITY CUSTOMERS SAY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR UTILITIES TO PROVIDE UNUSUAL BILL ALERTS, BUT JUST 37 PERCENT SAY THEY’RE SATISFIED WITH
THE ALERTS THEY’RE RECEIVING (IF ANY).
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Billing is one of those rare moments when utilities really have their customers’ attention. Four in five customers say they read every bill.
Normally, bills are a neutral experience. But too often, it becomes a negative one. Seventy-two percent of households say they remember receiving a particularly expensive electric bill, and 39 percent say it’s happened within the past 12 months. The vast majority of customers say their high bills caught them by surprise — making them feel anxious, and giving them the sense that their utility is causing problems.
Bill shock is problematic for utilities, too. Customers who receive high bills are twice as likely to call the call center. 2. Bill assessment
But how do customers draw the line between normal utility bills and high ones?
Customers’ perception of what separates high bills from average ones is relative. Household income is a key predictor. On average, customers who earn less than $50,000 a year feel that a $20 to $30 spike pushes a bill from normal to high. For people with a $50,000 to $100,000 annual income, the threshold is between $40 and $50. Households earning more than $100,000 a year draw the line around $100.
When you benchmark those values against customers’ average monthly bill amounts, you find that the threshold for high bill shock is roughly 20 percent above normal for households earning under $50,000 a year, 34 percent above normal for those earning $50,000 to $100,000, and 63 percent above normal for the highest income bracket.
Of course, predicting bill shock isn’t an exact science, because shock is a subjective feeling. Any one individual’s high bill threshold will depend on more than income alone.
3. Bill attribution
Once customers have identified high bills, the overwhelming majority of them ask two questions: whether the bills are accurate, and the root cause of the increase.
The psychology behind the second question is worth exploring. When Opower’s Consumer Insights team polled people about the most likely causes of high energy bills, the top three responses were all related to things outside of their control: extreme weather, new fees, and rate increases. Customers were a lot less willing to identify internal attributes — including their own behavior — as driving factors behind high bills.
Psychologists call this phenomenon the “fundamental attribution error.” It’s part of how our brains are wired: as individuals, we tend to assume our own problems are caused by external factors, and other people’s problems are caused by internal factors.
This is a human quirk that utilities should take into account. Customers who believe they aren’t responsible for high bills are more likely to call a customer service representative, or give up in frustration. Those who have hard data about the external factors — like weather, fees, and rates — are much more willing to explore how their own behavior is affecting their bills, and how they can start making improvements. Cont.
63%
34%
20%
Under $50k $50k to $100k Over $100k
FIGURE 4. THE HIGH BILL THRESHOLD FOR CUSTOMERS EARNING DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLD INCOMES. MEASURED AS A PERCENT INCREASE OVER THEIR AVERAGE ELECTRIC BILLS.
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
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When 1+1>2: Q & A on Combining the AGA/EEI Customer Service Conference with CS WeekRecently, CS Week Board of Director Todd Arnold sat down for a Q & A session about the AGA (American Gas Association) and EEI (Edison Electric Institute) combining their customer service conference with CS Week. According to Arnold, the math formula of one plus one equals two doesn’t add up in this scenario because the benefits of blending these two conferences are far greater than its sum.Todd Arnold
AGA and EEI typically held their customer service conference in the spring and CS Week Conference likewise convened about the same time. Was competition for attendees the driver?
“That’s a yes and no answer,” Arnold replied. “With typically strained travel training budgets, utilities told us they were making hard choices to send some staff to AGA/EEI’s customer service conference and other staff to CS Week, knowing educational content was exceptional at both.” Arnold continued, “Yes, one conference does make travel training more efficient and economical for utilities. And no, attendee competition was not the primary driver.”
If attendee competition was not the driver, what really drove this decision?
“It was primarily driven by utility employees and customer service leaders,” said Arnold, “who saw the tremendous need for one top-shelf customer service conference for education, information and networking.” He added, “Though comprised of investor-owned gas and electric utilities, AGA/EEI recognized that CS Week’s conference audience included all types, whether large, small, private, public, municipal or co-op plus utilities from other countries. That breadth and depth of attendees combined with a broad spectrum of educational venues was very attractive.”
How did this combining effort impact the fall CS Week Planning Committee meeting in Fort Worth?
“Most definitely in positive and opportunistic ways,” Arnold explained. “Five members joined the Planning Committee”. They were debriefed on the whole PC process and invited to participate where their passions led them. They are now working on track workshops, synergy groups, and other venues for a total integration of AGA/EEI’s interests with CS Week’s. Both stepped right in and rolled up their sleeves. In the discussions that weekend, we honestly couldn’t tell who was new and who was a veteran PC member.”
Jim Linn, managing director of information technology at the American Gas Association, and Becky Harsh, director of retail energy policy at Edison Electric Institute, have joined the Executive Summit Advisory Panel. What synergies and creativity do we anticipate they will bring to this prestigious group?
“One of the secret sauces of the ES Advisory Panel is their critical input to produce a strong, content –driven agenda for the Summit. This Panel sets the course for what executives want to hear and discuss at the Summit. Then, they use this input to find best in class speakers on these subjects,“ Arnold expounded. “Becky and Jim’s involvement further strengthens this dynamic process.”
What changes to CS Week Conference can attendees expect for 2016?
Arnold explained, “All conferences bear the challenge of remaining relevant and worth the time and investment of people leaving busy workplaces to attend these events, whether it was AGA/EEI’s conference or CS Week’s. Both organizations have done well over the years in creating and sustaining this relevance. This effort is another example of CS Week continuing to do that.”
Arnold concluded, “It’s always healthy to have a fresh set of eyes and new perspectives. And, unlike many industries, utilities actually share learning and best practices. AGA/EEI brings those new eyes and reflects other perspectives. Combining both efforts into one conference, we believe, will make a stronger CS Week for everyone. It’s a win-win formula.”
Q
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QA
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CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
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Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun Welcomes CS Week 40Phoenix basks in sunshine more than any other major metropolitan area in the US, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Its sunny skies and showstopper landscapes is the 2016 venue for CS Week.
How about a quick history lesson? The Hohokam people inhabited what is now Greater Phoenix until about 1450 A.D. They created the first major urban civilization in the Salt River Valley and developed a canal system that’s still in use today. In 1865, the U.S. government established Fort McDowell here, and settlers began farming the land. The city of Phoenix was established in 1868.
Today, Greater Phoenix covers about 2,000 square miles and has a population of more than 4.37 million, including 22 American Indian tribes. Its major industries are high-tech manufacturing, tourism and construction.
Home to the largest municipal park in North America, Phoenix’s South Mountain Park and Preserve covers more than 16,500 acres and has more than 50 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. There are six lakes within a 75-minute drive of Phoenix. More than 200 golf courses dot Phoenix’s regional
area. Knock-dead gorgeous vistas greet you looking north, south, east and west.
Phoenix has museums, activities and entertainment to suit every taste. The Heard Museum (Native American); Desert Botanical Garden (the world’s largest collection of desert plants); Taliesin West (home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation); and the Phoenix Art Museum (the Southwest’s largest art museum) are among its cultural hot spots. For attendees traveling with families and kids, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the Arizona Science Center and the Phoenix Zoo are must-dos.
The Phoenix Convention Center, the conference location, is within walking distance from many public greenways, trails and Chase Field where the Arizona Diamondbacks call home. Perhaps a double hitter is in your future – attending CS Week Conference and a major league baseball game!
Its geographic beauty, sophisticated urban spirit and limitless recreational choices may be reasons CS Week attendees will want to come early and extend their stay for Conference 40 in Phoenix.
Saguaro cactus greet visitors with open arms.
With a view from downtown Phoenix, Papago Park’s trails and sandstone buttes invite hikers and strollers.
Hike across red sandstone cliffs and tricky trails at Camelback Mountain.
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
REGISTRATION FEES EARLY REGULAR ON-SITE 11/15/15 - 03/01/16 03/02/2016 - 04/18/2016 Starts 04/19/2016 UTILITY ATTENDEE $995 $1,095 $1,195 EXHIBITOR ATTENDEE $995 $1,095 $1,195 NON-EXHIBITOR ATTENDEE $2,600 $2,600 $2,600 The full Conference attendee registration fee includes admission to the breakfasts and keynote speakers’ presentations, Exhibit Hall luncheons, CS Week Conference workshops and all social and networking functions including, but not limited to: Exhibit Hall receptions and the perennial favorite – the CS Week Special Event.
Conference 40 | Register 4 | Pay for 3Attendee registration for this package is available for utility employees only. Registration under this special package is available for a limited time only and must be made by phone. Please contact Julie Shankles, Registration Manager, at (903) 893-3214 or direct at (903) 821-8631 during working hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CST.
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CS Week College is intended for utility company attendees only REGISTRATION FEES UTILITY COLLEGE WITH CONFERENCE REGISTRATION* $199 COLLEGE $395
*Discounted College registration fee is offered to those who register for College and Conference.
$125 Registration Fee – Business Process Synergy Groups $199 Registration Fee – 311 Synergy Group registration
Complimentary Registration Fee - Vendor Synergy Groups
Synergy Group registration for utility and governmental attendees only (with the exception of Devices, Data & Analytics).
Admittance to session is subject to presenter approval (applies only to vendor groups).
Phoenix Convention Center
9CS Week 2016 |
CS Week 2016 Registration
www.csweek.org
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Rest Your Head, Recharge Your Battery: 2016 Conference HotelsLiving away form home can be hard...especially if the bed pillows are too! CS Week has reserved accommodations at three premier downtown hotels to help make your conference stay comfortable and convenient. All three hotels are located within a short walk of the Phoenix Convention Center.
The METRO Light Rail has stations at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport that take riders to Downtown stations close to these hotels. For more information routes, visit .
Booking your stay for Conference 40 couldn’t be easier. Go to www.csweek.org and click on Registration. Then, open the drop down menu to .
All three conference hotels are priced at $199/night + tax. Check out the photos, features and amenities of each:
The Hyatt Regency The Hyatt Regency122 North Second Street
602.232.1234
Free internet access
Fitness center and pool
On site restaurant
Full service business center and concierge services
Marriott Renaissance Phoenix DowntownMarriott RenaissancePhoenix Downtown
50 East Adams Street602.333.0000
Artful urban retreat at remodeled venue
Easy access to key attractions, including the US Airways Center, Chase Field, Phoenix Zoo, Orpheum Theatre and Heard Museum
State of the art fitness center
Rooftop heated pool
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Sheraton Phoenix Downtown340 North Third Street
602.262.2500
Minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
24-hour fitness center and outdoor lap pool
Just steps away from over 40 restaurants plus local boutiques, theaters and museums
Restaurants/lounges score high in guest reviews
www.valleymetro.org
Accommodations
Cowtown Welcomes Back CS Week for its Fall Planning Committee MeetingMaking it a working weekend, the CS Week Planning Committee (PC) members met in Fort Worth, Texas on September 10-12 to review the 2015 Conference and look ahead to Conference 40. Twenty-one PC members along with several CS Week Board members and CS Week program staff convened with these clear purposes in mind.
Every fall, the PC reviews conference statistics, attendee feedback and survey results from the April conference. “Attendee surveys are hugely impactful to our planning efforts. We pay close attention to what attendees actually do and say,” said Sue Daulton, Workshop Committee chairperson. “Also, lots of brainstorming and input from the Executive Advisory Panel provide kernels of ideas that often yield a rich harvest of must-have topics for the next conference.”
Hundreds of abstract submissions received since the spring conference from potential speakers and collaborators were reviewed for the conference workshop tracks:
• Billing• Credit & Collections• Customer Engagement• Data, Devices & Analytics• Field Customer Service• Payments• Strategies & Management
PC members also explored content for other CS Week educational venues: Synergy Groups, College courses and Key Accounts to name a few. Careful abstract reading sometimes led to horse-trading. Abstracts got moved around when those submitted in one track actually stood stronger in another or when topics aligned well with other venues. By Saturday, nearly 70 abstracts were identified for the 2016 Conference program. Several dozen more were reassigned to other venues.
With the addition of the AGA and EEI for the 2016 Conference, PC members ensured those interests remained focused. Similarly, over the years, highlighting Canadian involvement and water utilities have yielded a broader spectrum of workshop and increased attendance.
Daulton added, “PC members look for utility involvement in every abstract to keep the focus on education, not marketing or sales. This ensures educational breadth and quality for Conference 40, set for Phoenix on April 26-29, 2016. It’s the content that keeps attendees returning to CS Week. We’ve registered that message loud and clear across the years.”
By the weekend close, each selected workshop was assigned to a PC member to shepherd from abstract to presentation. Next steps include contacting submitters and collaborators to gain speaking commitments. PC members make sure timelines are met, prepare introductions, and coach speakers to develop informative and engaging 45 minute workshop presentations. Each year brings new challenges, but the mission to create and deliver a stellar conference full of unbiased educational opportunities remains the PC’s mission.
11CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
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Introducing New CS Week Board and PC Members
A respected and proven business leader, Dave McKendry joins the CS Week Board of Directors. Dave has over 30 years of broad-ranging domestic and international management experience in the electrical, telecommunications and technology industries. He has extensive electrical and telecommunications utility experience in addition to expertise in Energy Conservation, Software Development, Financial Services, Cable Television, Consulting Services and Retail. As a director at Hydro Ottawa Limited since 2003, Dave has achieved significant milestones, program improvements and operational efficiencies.
Dave serves as chair of the Canadian Electricity Association’s Customer Council. He has worked in large, medium and small companies and understands the respective challenges faced by each.
Meet Sandra Broughton, one of five new Planning Committee (PC) members. In her position as director, Customer Experience Business Office, she directs the activities of a multi-geographic business support team for seven gas utilities including Voice of Customer, Business Intelligence & Analytics, and contract/vendor management. Sandra leads strategic efforts in support of the Customer Experience organization and ensures meter to cash functions are fully integrated. Hailing from Atlanta, Sandra brings a wealth of experience and ideas to her new PC role.
She is assigned to the Customer Engagement track.
Dave McKendryDirector of Customer Service
Hydro Ottawa Limited
Sandra BroughtonDirector,
Customer Experience Business Office
AGL Resources Inc.
Like Sandra, Cindy Dossett is a new Planning Committee member assigned to the Customer Engagement track. Having worked for Vectren Corporation in Evansville, IN since 2008, Cindy is responsible for:
• Managing support activities of a 200+ seat Contact Center
• Servicing electric and gas customers to ensure financial objectives,
regulatory requirements and customer expectations are met
• Workforce management, call volume forecasting, capacity planning
and analysis, and
• KPI reporting and benchmarking
She manages and coordinates the Quality Assurance Process and the development and delivery of all Contact Center training. Cindy coordinates technology-related initiatives and manages external vendor contracts and relationships including two outsourced call centers, and interpretation services.
Cindy DossettPerformance Assurance
ManagerVectren Corporation
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Having spent nearly 25 years in management positions for call centers and customer service, Aundrea Jackson is our third new Planning Committee member. Prior to her TECO Energy director position, Aundrea worked at Puget Sound Energy in a similar role. She has specialties in:
• Labor Management and Union personnel
• Call Center Improvement
• Acquisition Specialist
• Vendor and Project Management
• Sales Support
• Dispute Resolution
Aundrea is assigned to the Strategies and Management conference track.
Aundrea JacksonDirector,
Customer ServicesTECO Energy
As director of Eversource Energy’s Call Centers, Tony Simas manages an organization that handles more than 10 million customer calls each year. He is responsible for ensuring all of Northeast Utilities 3.5 million electric and gas customers receive great customer service, while also increasing overall customer satisfaction. Tony oversees the implementation and ongoing management of new programs, quality assurance and process improvements. With 34 years’ utility experience, Tony has held numerous positions in the Customer Care organization including director of Billing, Meter Reading, Credit & Collections, and Revenue Assurance.
He served for many years on the AGA/EEI Customer Service Planning Committee. On the CS Week Planning Committee, Tony is assigned to the Billing track.
Tony SimasDirector,
Call CentersEversource Energy
Welcome to Roger Stephens and the impressive 31 years of service in gas and electric utilities that he brings to the PC. Roger is responsible for benchmarking Oncor’s customer service and safety activities against industry peers and working closely with benchmarking organizations. On a daily basis, Roger engages in process improvement projects and understanding data at such a deep level that Oncor can use it to plan and execute meaningful organizational improvements. For example, he is currently working on improving the temporary disconnects/reconnects process for customers.
Roger is assigned to the Data, Devices & Analytics track in his new Planning Committee role. Like Tony, Roger previously served on the AGA/EEI conference planning committee. Together they share a strong desire to maintain former professional relationships while ensuring AGA/EEI’s interests are well-represented across the array of CS Week Conference venues.
Roger StephensPerformance Management
ConsultantOncor
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
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CS Week Executive Summit Reaches New Heights
Todd Arnold2015 Summit
Venue Executive
Whether it’s the commitment of the gathered executives or the imperatives of the marketplace, the 2015 Executive Summit featured record attendance and two days of vigorous dialogue and discussions.
Topics covered a broad spectrum from customer service to improving operations, data analytics, changing regulations, leveraging technology and the emerging world these senior executives face.
Hearty conversations focused on the changing customer expectations between now and 2020. Whether in the formal sessions or the more leisurely groups, every discussion had the element of meeting the future and the ever-changing needs, demands and expectations of utility customers.
Thank you 2015 Sponsors:
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And the Survey Says: CS Week Research Update2015 marked the second year that CS Week Research has conducted Key (Major) Account benchmarking. The impetus for this research effort originally came from a CS Week Executive Summit discussion. According to Mark Wyatt, CS Week Director and 2015 Key Account Forum roundtable facilitator, “At the time, there was no venue within the utility industry that brought together senior leaders who manage key accounts (also called major accounts) for best-practice sharing and networking. CS Week Research addresses the ongoing need for utilities to perform benchmarking specifically associated with customer account segmentation, particularly for commercial and industrial accounts.” This discussion also launched the Key Account Forum which has become an anticipated venue during CS Week.
During the second half of 2014 through the first quarter of 2015, thirteen utilities participated as CS Research members to produce the Major Account Benchmarking Study. They represent a mix of investor-owned, municipal and co-op utilities.
Their benchmarking and reporting process followed a disciplined methodology:
1. The concept of Major Accounts was developed with Customer Service Executives from major US utilities.2. The basis of the benchmarking survey was established. Thereafter, members were solicited for participation.3. Questions from last year’s survey were reviewed and confirmed. They were then sent to members for comment, change, deletion or addition. 4. All members participated with their responses. Some members submitted their company information based on Operating Business Units.5. Data was compiled and reviewed for answers perceived to be out of survey boundaries. Where applicable, clarification was requested. Thereafter, the data was refined to produce the final report.6. Members held a roundtable to discuss the results at CS Week.
This collaborative process yielded a significant report that offers statistics and comparative information about: o Member statistics o Challenges and goals o How major accounts are defined o Accounts Manager profile o How major accounts at US utilities are profiled o Customer satisfaction o Major account interactions o Communication channels
Utilities who wish to participate in this annual benchmarking survey must pay a fee. Two membership levels are offered – Full and Associate. Those who participate as a “Full” member have the opportunity to attend a half-day session during CS Week and participate in a detailed walk-through of the survey results. “Associate” members are entitled to receive a summary report of benchmark survey results. All members who participate in the survey, Associate or Full, are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement which stipulates that all report information be shared only with those within the member’s utility on a need-to-know basis. Given the competitive and sensitive nature of information collected, CS Week Research opted to take this important confidentiality step.
The next Key Account Forum meeting is set for Thursday, April 28, 2016.
Perhaps your utility is interested in receiving the 2015 Major Accounts Benchmarking Report or becoming an Associate or Full member of CS Week Research. For more information, please contact Shelley Carter at
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
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Developed as an association of utility companies working together on benchmarking studies, members will identify the best practices surrounding customer service issues to improve overall of each member’s business operations.
The group prepared surveys on:
• Major Accounts; • 311 Comparative Survey; • 311 Technical Survey
The 2015 Key Account Benchmarking Survey consisted of approximately 40 questions related to how to best manage major account customers. Fifteen utilities participated in the survey, with most participants attending the Thursday roundtable session to review survey results.
Feedback was extremely positive, leaving the planning team well positioned to begin working this fall on next year’s survey.
a CS Week Educational VenueTM
The third annual Key Account Forum (KAF) was a resounding success. More than 50 key account executives participated this year, substantially eclipsing last year’s attendance.
This highly specialized forum covered a broad range of topics of interest to key account managers and senior leaders of their organizations. Topics included:
• gaining the perspectives of three national utility customers concerning what they expected from their utility and their key account management teams;
• what utilities are doing to develop and strengthen their key account management teams; and
• how key account managers are supporting their customers as these accounts consider alternative renewable energy solutions such as solar power.
Based on the depth and quality of the forum, many attendees indicated they would be bringing more team members to next year’s forum, not only
for the educational content, but for the opportunity to network with their industry peers.
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Thank You, CS Week 2016 Sponsors
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
New Name: Devices, Data and AnalyticsOld Name: Smart Infrastructure
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One workshop track and its corresponding synergy group are changing titles for Conference 40 in 2016. Smart Infrastructure will change to Devices, Data and Analytics. When asked what led to this change, CS Week CEO Rod Litke explained, “We had a number of influences leading us to change not only the track title, but also the content included in this track. We felt the ‘smart’ in the prior title, ‘Smart Infrastructure,’ was getting old, and attendees expressed the same concern. Also, the ‘smart’ title is not a common term used in water and gas utilities.”
The new title has three components:
1. Devices – This includes any customer-related device and all forms of meters.
2. Data – Utilities with AMI and other data-rich systems are challenged with storing, accessing and utilizing large amounts of data across their operations.
3. Analytics - Utilities are leveraging devices and the data they provide to offer proactive and real-time information to customers. This data is driving utilities to perform advanced analytics.
Attendees will see and feel a new energy with this title change. Conference workshops, panels and discussions will feature utilities and their partners who are combining devices and their data to enhance customer service. Attendees are likely to hear how utilities leverage data, for example, to predict storm outages or to proactively work with customers on high bills. The spotlight will focus on how utilities are using these three components to meet customer service challenges in creative and effective ways. “We are moving this track to be more customer-centric,“ Litke said.
CS Week also expects an increase in vendors for the 2016 conference in Phoenix, partly due to this title change. Additionally, the Expanding Excellence Awards will feature a Devices, Data and Analytics category.
Watch the website at for more information.www.csweek.org
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
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The CS Week 311 Synergy Group provides a professional, unbiased environment for in-depth and on-going discussion of current issues and common interests among current and prospective 311 customer contact managers throughout North America. The 311 Synergy Group is open to all municipalities and centralized contact centers with an interest in 311. Join the group this year in Phoenix for three days packed with networking, education and information exchange.
CS Week Synergy Groups were formed with the recognition that “two are better than one.” Individuals came together to combine their strengths, energy, and talents and share the challenges they face. They also consider the resolves of those who have come through such trials already to glean wisdom from their experiences. New strategies were created out of the interaction of talented minds imparting their concepts and practices.
April 24-26, 2016
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”-Aristotle
April 26, 2016Phoenix Convention Center | Phoenix, AZ
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Challenges and opportunities in the utility sector come fast and frequently. Being prepared to take full advantage of these is the driving force behind our College courses. Each year the CS Planning Committee reviews the current needs in the industry and provides the best resources available in the presentations for CS Week Colleges.
Monday, April 25, 2016, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Begin your Week with Colleges
Presenter: College Course: City of Richmond Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clark PwC Effective Change Management Strategies TMG Consulting Preparing to Go Live with Large Projects EY Strategy and Beyond: The Journey to First Quartile AAC Utility Partners Your Aging CIS, What’s Next and How to Move Forward
REGISTRATION FEES College with Conference Registration* $199 College $395
Attendee registration fee includes coffee breaks and luncheon.
*Discounted College registration fee is offered to those who register for College and Conference.
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
✓ Storyteller
✓ Keen observer of human nature
✓ Historian
✓ Translator of complex concepts to simple truths
✓ Humorist with a message
If any of these monikers describes you, perhaps you are our next author.
CS Week Publishing was launched in 2015 to publish and market books written by utility members. Asked why CS Week is in the publishing business, CEO Rod Litke responded, “We see publishing as another element of our mission to provide educational opportunities to people. CS Week is also clearly a number one channel to utility customer service people.”
If you are an aspiring author, here are the basics:
• You own and keep your copyright - unlike many publishers.
• CS Week brings the editing, design and publishing skills that enhance your work and make it
ready for print and electronic publication.
• CS Week markets your work to its clients at its numerous events.
• CS Week distributes your work through its events, website and numerous national distributors.
CS Week has established a committee to review submittals. The standards are simple. We seek good material and authors. The authors do not need to be at a certain title or level in their company. They also can be consultants or vendors. Mostly, our review committee is seeking submittal concepts that can yield quality content in a 200+ page book. We also screen for the author’s ability to produce a quality document. Of course we have a series of reviews, and a third party copy editor helps produce content that is worthwhile and readable.
Todd Arnold, retired sr. vice president, Smart Grid & Customer Systems at Duke Energy, became a CS Week Publishing author last year. His book, Rethinking Utility Customer Care - Satisfying Your Always-Connected, Always On Customers, met with a lot of interest at Conference 39 where he personalized his book and answered fan questions.
CS Week published books are available on in hard-copy or . For more information, please contact Lisa Collins at 903.893.3214 or .
Calling All Aspiring Authors: CS Week Publishing
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Amazon.com Kindle [email protected]
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
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4. Bill action
Once customers have opened, assessed, and attributed causes to their bills, their final step is to act. If they don’t pay their bills outright, customers usually do one of two things.
• Customers call the call center. This is fairly common: 23 percent of utility customers have made at least one call in the past three months, and 42 percent have called during the past year. Billing concerns are the number one reason households reach out to a service representative.
By addressing those concerns proactively — with alerts before bills arrive, and insights on the bills themselves — utilities can help customers answer questions before they ever have to ask.
Of course, some phone calls are inevitable —which is why utilities should also arm their service representatives with the tools to deliver a great experience. That means deliver insights: according to CEB, customers feel more satisfaction and loyalty when they learn something new from a utility representative. Personalized, enlightening information can turn call center calls into an opportunity for happier customers.
• If customers don’t call the call center, they go online. This is the road less traveled, at least for now. Fewer than 15 percent of consumers have been to their energy provider’s website in the last three months.
That said, most customers who did visit the web went there to handle their bills. One in three made a payment. Just one in ten logged on to answer a general inquiry, and fewer than one in 20 were there because of a high bill.
The truth is, many households want to manage their bills online, but there’s a lot of friction in the experience. It’s difficult. So when it comes to understanding, negotiating, and paying bills, most people choose to talk to a live service representative.
Why? One, customers believe that a call center is more likely to explain and help lower a high bill than a website. And two, only 55 percent of them find their utility’s website engaging. Just 62 percent think it gets regularly refreshed with new information. The bottom line
In the United States, most people have received an unusually high utility bill. Most people say it was a surprise. And most people had trouble understanding it. Which, in turn, led them to take high-cost actions to have bills explained and resolved, like calling a call center.
The bottom line on billing is that too often, it’s unpredictable and unsatisfying. But there are steps utilities can take to deliver a better customer experience.
For one, they can do more to shift customers onto automatic bill payments. Households that use autopay are significantly less likely to say they’ve received a high bill. What automatic payments can’t do is reduce the uncertainty and frustration associated with high bills — the sense that they come out of nowhere. Proactive alerts can, by letting customers know well in advance when they’re on track toward an expensive month, and offering actionable, personalized advice to lower their bills before they arrive. (The idea of high bill alerts is so popular with customers that, during Opower-led focus groups, they actually proposed it before we did.)
Utilities have other opportunities to give customers clarity and confidence, too. In the event that a household does receive a high bill, data-rich insights can clearly identify what caused it. Integrating those insights directly into electronic and paper bills, with additional insight online, can alleviate the need to call into a call center. But if the customer still calls, equipping utility representatives with pertinent analytics and insights can ensure the experience is advisory and satisfying.
The common thread that unifies all of these approaches is information. By using technology to give households visibility during every step of the billing journey — from before their bills arrive to after they’ve acted on them — utilities can deliver a deeper, more satisfying billing experience that’s proven to build trust and lower costs.
CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
For one, they can do more to shift customers onto automatic bill payments. Households that use autopay are significantly less likely to say they’ve received a high bill.
What automatic payments can’t do is reduce the uncertainty and frustration associated with high bills — the sense that they come out of nowhere. Proactive alerts can, by letting customers know well in advance when they’re on track toward an expensive month, and offering actionable, personalized advice to lower their bills before they arrive. (The idea of high bill alerts is so popular with customers that, during O power-led focus groups, they actually proposed it before we did.)
Utilities have other opportunities to give customers clarity and confidence, too. In the event that a household does receive a high bill, data-rich insights can clearly identify what caused it. Integrating those insights directly into electronic and paper bills, with additional insight online, can alleviate the need to call into a call center. But if the customer still calls, equipping utility representatives with pertinent analytics and insights can ensure the experience is advisory and satisfying.
The common thread that unifies all of these approaches is information. By using technology to give households visibility during every step of the billing journey — from before their bills arrive to after they’ve acted on them — utilities can deliver a deeper, more satisfying billing experience that’s proven to build trust and lower costs.
74%
87%
60%
84%
73%76% 76%
92%
Check in mail Autopay Online billpay Over Phone
FIGURE 9. FEWER UTILITY CUSTOMERS WHO USE AUTOPAY SAY THEY’VE RECEIVED HIGH BILLS.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
23CS Week 2016 | www.csweek.org
April 25-29 2016Phoenix Convention Center | Phoenix, AZ
CS Week is the premier utility customer service conference for managers and executives at investor owned utilities, cooperatives, municipalities and government entities.
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With Industry Sponsors:
Host Utility Sponsors: www.csweek.org
2612 W Lamberth Rd, Ste 300Sherman, TX 75092-5183
#CSWeek16
www.csweek.org
