As the utility sector continues to evolve, achieving optimal call center efficiency is essential for maintaining superior customer service and controlling operational costs. Faced with increasing call center volumes, utilities are adopting sophisticated AI technologies to refine their processes and improve customer interactions.
Understanding the Challenges of Utility Call Centers
The average cost per call in utility call centers ranges from $5.50 to $12 according to our utility partners, encompassing various expenses such as agent wages, infrastructure maintenance, and training. High call volumes further compound these costs, creating significant financial burdens for utility companies. Moreover, handling routine inquiries consumes valuable time and resources, limiting agents’ ability to address complex issues and engage in proactive customer outreach.
To address rising call volumes and operational costs, utility call centers need a comprehensive approach blending technology, strategy, and customer insight. BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform revolutionizes operations by identifying customer patterns, predicting call volumes, and personalizing communication. This leads to cost reductions and enhanced customer service. Discover how BlastPoint can help your utility thrive.
Introducing BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform
BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform is a cutting-edge AI tool designed to empower utilities to optimize call center efficiency and reduce costs. With BlastPoint’s comprehensive features, such as segmentation, propensity analysis, call type categorization, deep dive segments, and caller location data, utilities can tailor their approach to customer service, reduce call volumes, and deliver a superior customer experience.
Let’s dive deeper into key features essential for reducing call center volumes and explore their visualization on our platform.
Segmentation
Segmentation is a strategic process of categorizing the customer base into distinct groups based on shared characteristics such as income level, property type, and home ownership status. This analytical approach facilitates the development of targeted marketing strategies customized to cater to the unique needs and preferences of each group. By tailoring communications in this manner, utilities can significantly enhance the relevance and effectiveness of their outreach efforts when presenting Call Center alternatives to different customer segments.
How the Data Guides Action
Analysis of this visualization yields valuable insights through advanced analytics and customer segmentation. By identifying key demographics and behavioral patterns associated with a higher propensity for calling the Call Center, utilities can pinpoint which customers are most likely to reach out for assistance. Armed with this knowledge, they can proactively divert these customers to self-serve options, thereby reducing the volume of calls to the Call Center.
Propensity
Complementing segmentation, propensity scores offer a numerical estimate of the likelihood that an individual customer within these segments will call the Call Center. This level of detailed targeting assists in identifying not only which segments are generally more inclined to call but also pinpointing specific individuals within those segments who are most likely to take action. By integrating these scores into their strategy, utilities can allocate resources and tailor messaging more efficiently, focusing on customers with the highest propensity to call in the efforts to redirect to digital channels in the future.
(A propensity ranking of consumer’s likely preference for daytime TV advertising. 1-10 where 1 = least likely, 10 = most likely)
The image above illustrates channel preferences by segments. The top two groups display a high affinity for daytime TV, suggesting that commercials aired during the day could be effective in reaching these segments.
(A propensity ranking of an individual’s likelihood to use Facebook. 1-10 where 1 = least likely, 10 = most likely)
The image above illustrates social media preferences by segments. Outage Reports and Usage Optimizers display a high affinity for Facebook, suggesting that Facebook ads could be effective in reaching these segments.
How the Data Guides Action
The model assigns a score between 0 and 10 to each customer, indicating their propensity or likelihood of taking a specific action.Customers with higher scores (closer to 10) have a greater propensity for the action being modeled, whereas, lower scores indicate a lower likelihood of the customer taking that action.
Utilities can tailor their campaigns to reach customers through the channels they prefer, increasing the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Call Type
By leveraging advanced analytics, BlastPoint identifies patterns and trends in customer calls, allowing utilities to understand the reasons behind customer inquiries. Insights from our platform enables utilities to proactively address common issues through targeted communications and digital solutions, thus reducing the need for customers to call.
How the Data Guides Action
Account Update shows the highest percentage, followed by Customer Education and Billing Inquiry. This implies that implementing digital solutions like IVR(Interactive Voice Response) and Chatbot could help reduce the chances of utilities receiving a high volume of calls.
*You can explore the call categories further within the BlastPoint Platform.
Caller Locations
BlastPoint analyzes caller locations to identify geographic hotspots of call activity and customer clusters. The feature, Mapping, allows users to visualize data geographically, helping to identify patterns, hotspots, and areas of opportunity that may not be apparent in traditional data analysis.
Heat Map
Heat maps visualize data with color coding to represent different values or intensities. In BlastPoint’s platform, they highlight geographic concentrations of customer attributes or behaviors.
How the Data Guides Action
By leveraging mapping features, utilities can launch location-based campaigns to address the unique needs of customers in different geographic areas. For instance, they can offer localized service upgrades or outage notifications based on regional call trends.
Predicting Call Volumes
BlastPoint’s platform utilizes predictive analytics to forecast call volumes and anticipate spikes in demand. By analyzing factors such as seasonality, weather patterns, and promotional campaigns, the platform can accurately predict when call volumes are likely to increase and for what reasons. Armed with this information, utilities can adjust staffing levels, allocate resources more efficiently, and proactively address customer needs before they escalate.
Real-World Application – Case Study:
Let’s take a closer look at how BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform has helped utility companies improve call center efficiency and reduce costs.
In a recent case study with a leading utility company, we uncovered significant opportunities for utilities to reduce call center costs and enhance customer service through targeted strategies. Using BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform, the company was able to identify key segments that represent low-hanging fruit for reducing call volumes and improving efficiency.
The Low-Hanging Fruit: Transient Planners and Outage Reporters
Transient Planners (in pink):
- Profile: Digitally inclined customers who prefer self-service over phone calls.
- Key Insight: Despite their preference for digital interactions, Transient Planners were making a high volume of calls, particularly for account management and starting/stopping services.
- Opportunity: By developing robust online tools and self-service options, utilities can significantly reduce the number of calls from this segment, cutting costs and meeting customer preferences.
Outage Reporters (in yellow):
- Profile: Customers with higher incomes who typically do not call unless there is a significant issue.
- Key Insight: This segment showed a spike in calls during service disruptions, such as those caused by storms.
- Opportunity: Preparing for increased call volumes during predictable events (like storms) by enhancing service request tools can improve response times and customer satisfaction.
Analyzing Impact: Evaluating ROI from Reduced Call Center Volumes
The company identified that each call costs about $10. For example, by targeting the 50,000 calls made by Transient Planners (in pink in the chart above) alone, there is potential for a half-million dollar saving annually ($10 per call x 50,000 calls).
BlastPoint’s AI Transforms Utility Call Centers
BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform offers utilities a powerful tool to achieve these goals by providing actionable insights into customer behavior, predicting call volumes, and tailoring communication strategies. By harnessing the power of AI, utilities can streamline call center operations, reduce costs, and enhance the overall customer experience.
By integrating BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform, Utilities can gain valuable insights into customer behavior, predict call volumes, and tailor communication strategies effectively. This comprehensive approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also significantly improves customer satisfaction.
Ready to transform your utility’s call center operations? Contact us today to learn more and schedule a demo!
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