A new report from SmartGrid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) provides insights into how utilities can best handle consumer engagement as they deploy smart grid technology.

The report, Excellence in Consumer Engagement, is the result of a four-month effort by SGCC in which researchers started with some 150 programs in the U.S., and whittled them down to 21 that represent the best efforts.  As described to me in a pre-brief with Patty Durand, executive director of SGCC, three key findings emerged:

1. Utilities need to integrate consumer engagement across all customer touch points, and not treat the effort as a silo; utilities that have done the best job have infused engagement into all operations.
2. Messages to customers need to be simple, and “staged” to coincide with when actual benefits are available; for example, don’t alert people to a money-saving feature when it’s still months away.
3. Utilities need to leverage the collective learning from Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployments and follow the best practices of the industry leaders.

Focus Internally, Too

Durand said also that beyond customer engagement, the most successful utilities conducted an internal education effort around smart grid so that all utility employees were fully informed as to what was happening.  That way everyone got the same message and could translate it to family, friends, and neighbors.  Makes sense.

Two examples stand out: Oklahoma Gas & Electric, AEP Ohio and San Diego Gas & Electric.  In particular, SDG&E set a high bar: focusing on “How satisfied can you make the customer?” For instance, SDG&E made changes in its call-center procedures, reducing the time for resolving some issues from two to three weeks to two to three days.  They now train their people to treat customers more empathetically.  Also SDG&E took the unusual step of sending out field reps to people’s homes, answering questions and informing people of what’s coming next.

The free report was produced with the help of strategy consultant Altman Vilandrie & Company, and will be available from SGCC’s website.  In case you were wondering what the SmartGrid Consumer Collaborative is: it’s a non-profit organization with a diverse set of members who aim to help educate the public and engage consumers on the benefits of the smart grid.

Takeaway:  This deep-dive can help utility managers who struggle with how to best engage consumers during complex smart-grid deployments.  Having these blueprints available from trailblazing utilities will benefit those just now getting started.   

(For more on utility consumer engagement, also check out Pike Research’s recently-published report titled Social Media in the Utility Industry, which offers strategies and best practices for utilities seeking ways to harness Twitter, Facebook or YouTube – and avoid mistakes.)