Connect to Create Value: How Social Media Can Fuel The Future of Power
As many people across the globe embrace the wrath of the Polar Vortex, the energy and utility sector is faced with the challenge of keeping customers safe, while continuing to provide a seamless experience. Record temps below freezing in the Midwestern United States and extreme heat in Australia are making things tough for companies around the world.
In Michigan, for instance, utility companies have asked customers to keep their thermostats low to prevent possible outages. While things continue to run “per usual,” many utility plants are linked to energy grids in affected areas and are concerned about potential risks of outages.
On top of doing everything possible to “keep the lights on” during Mother Nature’s latest wrath, 2019 is complicating things even more with the speed of digital transformation. Technological advancements in Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things are forcing companies to rethink and redefine their frameworks for how to reach customers and meet their demands to win their trust and brand loyalty.
In her article, Will There Be Enough Power With 100 Billion Connected Things?, Thulium CEO, Tamara McCleary, discusses innovation and disruption for the energy sector posing the question, “How will we power 100 billion connected things, as well as, support all the smart devices and the customers who use them?”
Think about it, that’s a lot of ‘things’ to power! And guess what? Your average customer doesn’t care how many devices need powering, or the power source. What they care about is a seamless experience at a competitive price. On top of that, they want the freedom to engage with their provider in the way that’s most convenient for them.
How can energy and utility companies be proactive in an uncertain future to provide value to customers and stay ahead of the competition?
You may have guessed — social media.
According to the 2019 Global Digital suite of reports from We Are Social and Hootsuite, 45% of the world uses some social media to some extent. That’s 3.48 billion people! And guess what? These are your customers. Almost every single person tweeting on #PolarVortex2019 right now is a consumer of energy.
If you’re not engaging with these people on social media, you’re missing out on opportunities.
Nobody thinks about energy or utilities until they don’t have it anymore. What’s going to happen when power fails, and everything goes black? Remember, it’s not if it will happen, it’s when. Your customer is likely not going to know what to do, and you’re probably not going to be able to reach them. Proactively managing customer engagement is mission critical. To be seen and be heard means you have to be engaged.
We can’t predict the future. Well, at least not yet anyway. However, we can work with the tools and technology we have to harness the power of social media and be a leader. We can create meaningful engagement with customers and build trust in the community while offering continuous support across all channels.
How can energy and utility organizations leverage technology to offer up better customer engagement with their customers? Here are the top 5 2019 trends to watch.
