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Read | Nov 17, 2022
AUTHOR(s)
Ameya Naik
Senior Director – Solutions, Utilities and Energy
As we know, utilities in the UK are grappling with a significant rise in vulnerable customers. According to a study by the University of York, approximately 45 million Britons will plunge into fuel poverty this winter. The research also highlights that 86.4 percent of pensioner couples will likely fall into fuel poverty.
The global pandemic and geopolitical factors, such as Brexit and the Russia-Ukraine War, have collectively resulted in the worst inflation the UK has witnessed in decades. Amid the deteriorating cost of living crisis, customers are struggling to pay their bills. As the energy price cap rises and debts mount, utility providers are rethinking utility customer engagement strategies to respond effectively to rising service and support demands.
Utilities must proactively identify vulnerable customers and leverage a human-digital blend to drive contextual customer interactions that define the utility customer experience. Specialized training to handle vulnerable customers with multiple communication channels for an ‘anytime, anywhere and any language’ engagement will transform customer experience in utilities. More importantly, the customer should only have to have this conversation once and not repeat it to multiple suppliers and agencies.
This article highlights some of the critical challenges utilities face in a complex landscape and how an intelligent human-digital Customer Experience (CX) solution can support utilities customer service while balancing the needs of vulnerable situations with business priorities. It emphasizes how companies can achieve their key objectives at this time, including:
Smart identification of vulnerable customers through an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-led virtual assistant or a digital friend
Proactive contact through a live 24x7 chat platform
Optimized omni-channel strategy
Utility customer segmentation with predictive analytics-led propensity modeling
Predictive home move management
Specialized vulnerability management training
Utility customers increasingly expect personalized, seamless and proactive interactions across digital and assisted channels. Intelligent and empathetic customer engagement helps utilities improve trust, strengthen customer loyalty and reduce service friction while managing rising operational complexity. WNS enables utility providers to combine AI-powered automation with human-led support models to deliver differentiated customer experiences at scale.
Utilities can improve customer experience by adopting digital-first engagement strategies that integrate self-service platforms, intelligent automation, analytics and omni-channel support. These capabilities help reduce manual workloads, accelerate issue resolution and improve service consistency. WNS helps utilities modernize customer operations through AI-enabled CX frameworks that balance efficiency with customer empathy.
AI enables utilities to deliver predictive, personalized and context-aware customer interactions through conversational AI, analytics and intelligent workflow automation. These capabilities help improve response times, reduce call volumes and enhance customer satisfaction. WNS leverages AI, machine learning and domain expertise to help utility organizations create scalable and data-driven customer engagement ecosystems.
Customers expect seamless engagement across voice, digital, mobile and self-service channels without disruption or repetition. An effective omni-channel strategy improves customer convenience, accelerates resolution times and creates a consistent brand experience across the customer journey. WNS helps utilities design integrated customer engagement models that connect channels, processes and analytics for superior service delivery.
WNS combines deep energy and utilities domain expertise with AI, analytics, automation and customer experience capabilities to help enterprises modernize customer operations. From intelligent billing support and analytics-driven personalization to digital customer journeys and AI-enabled service models, WNS enables utilities to improve NPS, strengthen operational resilience and drive long-term business value.
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