Electricity, Water & Gas customer communication Smart Meter checklist. Keep customers informed around visits and smart meter appointments to increase access and boost customer experience. in the loop on the day of service to increase first-time access rates for energy, water and smart meter appointments.
Customer communication is key to appointment satisfaction
Consumers don’t benchmark utility providers against one another. Rather, they expect the same level of service they receive from Amazon or DPD. During the pandemic, digital communications and transparency have become the norm. Using readily available technology, utility providers can exceed customer expectations and reduce costs around repairs and smart meter appointments.
Leading up to the appointment
Prior to the day of service, it’s crucial to offer appointment reminders and opportunities to reschedule. Share instructions that the customer needs to be aware of – including social distancing instructions. This helps customers to prepare mentally and practically.
The day of the visit
The standard four-hour ETA window causes unnecessary anxiety, increased calls to your contact centre, and no-access visits. Consider sending an automatic notification when the technician is on their way, including the expected arrival time. With Localz, you can even include a link to a live tracking map. Customers can go about their lives, knowing exactly when they need to provide access.
When the visit is due
By empowering customers and operatives to communicate, you’ll speed up access to the property. With two-way communications, residents can share entry instructions, social distancing preferences, and more. Using Localz technology, you can route messages directly to the technician, or to a support centre, depending on your business needs.
After the appointment
As your organisation adapts to changes in service delivery, appointment-based feedback allows you to monitor satisfaction and deal with issues as they arise.  Why not send a feedback request as soon as the operative has left the property, while the appointment is still top-of-mind? A well-timed digital feedback request can identify satisfied customers, removing the need for a follow-up phone call. This allows you to focus support staff where they are really needed.
Customer communication in action
During a utility service appointment, it’s vital to instil confidence at every opportunity. Lack of communication leads to low satisfaction, missed appointments and increased inbound calls. Localz has pulled together a communications checklist to provide a hassle-free experience to customers and technicians. You can download it here, or get in touch to find how Localz can help.
About Localz
Since 2013, Localz has strived to go beyond the last mile. We provide mobile workforce solutions to deliver a frictionless customer, field staff and operational experience on the day of service.
We deliver location technology and communication workflows that save time and boost customer engagement. The more we can automate and simplify your job through scalable technology, the more time we can save – and that means a better experience for you and your customers.
Let’s make the day of service awesome.
