Utilities tackle first-call resolution with technology, training

摘要

"One call, that's all." It is the motto of a personal injury lawyer who spends big bucks on television advertising. But these days, many utility customer contact center executives might want to adopt that same slogan. As electric and natural gas distribution utilities get back to a focus on energy delivery, the customer service side of the business has been elevated from basement status to stand front and center. This includes not only maintaining service reliability, but also handling customer calls promptly and with the knowledge necessary to answer the customer's question or effectively handle the problem―in one call. It is called first-contact resolution, and it is a growing issue in the energy delivery business. Forward-thinking utilities can no longer concentrate on simply lowering call handle times. While this statistic is still important to the bottom line, the idea of politely and efficiently addressing a customer's concern on the initial contact translates into a focus on the bigger picture. Satisfied customers leave with a good impression they are likely to share with others, and those customers are not likely to call their utility back, resulting in a reduced call load. This ultimately translates into customer satisfaction and sustained costs. This single contact resolution doesn't apply only to calls, however. The customer who reaches out through the Internet, e-mail or some other touch point must also be satisfied on the first go-around.