Utilities have long prioritized onboarding—ensuring that customers get connected, understand their billing cycles, and know how to contact support. But what happens after that initial connection? Too often, the answer is: not much.
In today’s dynamic energy landscape, where the push for energy efficiency, affordability programs, and smart technologies is stronger than ever, utilities need a proactive engagement strategy. That’s where reboarding comes in.
What is Reboarding?
Reboarding is the process of re-introducing existing customers to the programs, and services available to them, especially as their needs, circumstances, or eligibility change over time.
While onboarding covers the first few weeks of a customer’s journey, reboarding focuses on mid-lifecycle engagement—targeting customers who may be underutilizing benefits or unaware of new opportunities. For example:
- A customer enrolled in budget billing might also be a great fit for an energy assistance program after an income change.
- A household that adopted a smart thermostat last year may now be ready for time-of-use rate plans.
- A longtime customer may have recently acquired an electric vehicle, opening up new rebate or rate optimization opportunities.
Rather than waiting for the customer to discover these programs on their own, reboarding proactively reconnects them with tailored solutions.
Introducing BlastPoint’s Next Best Program (NBP)
Reboarding becomes exponentially more powerful when paired with BlastPoint’s Next Best Program (NBP) engine. NBP helps utilities predict and recommend the most relevant program for each customer at any point in time, based on real-world data and machine learning.
How NBP Works:
- Data Collection
We gather and ingest data on customer behavior, demographics, energy usage, and interaction history. - Feature Engineering
Patterns in the data are transformed into meaningful variables that help uncover key customer traits and signals. - Model Training
Using advanced machine learning, the system learns from past outreach and participation data to predict who is most likely to adopt a given program. - Propensity Scoring
Each customer is scored on their likelihood to enroll in specific programs, from energy assistance to EV rebates. - Segmentation & Personalization
Customers are grouped into strategic segments for outreach, and messages are customized to reflect their individual needs and circumstances. - Continuous Learning
Models are updated regularly as customer behavior changes, ensuring recommendations remain timely and effective.
Why Reboarding + NBP is a Game-Changer
When reboarding is powered by data and personalization, utilities can move from a reactive to a proactive engagement model. This delivers tangible benefits:
- Higher Program Adoption
Targeted outreach ensures customers receive offers that truly apply to their needs, boosting conversion rates. - Better Customer Experience
Customers feel seen and supported—not just when they enroll, but throughout their entire journey. - More Efficient Marketing Spend
By narrowing outreach to high-propensity segments, utilities avoid wasting budget on mass messaging. - Improved Equity & Access
NBP helps surface underserved populations who qualify for benefits but haven’t yet enrolled. - Faster Decarbonization Progress
From smart thermostats to EV rebates, strategic nudges can accelerate adoption of energy-saving tools and services.
Visualizing Program Combinations to Drive Reboarding Strategy
To power personalized reboarding, understanding which programs your customers already use—and how they adopt new ones over time—is critical. One way NBP helps is by analyzing combinations of product or program adoption at the individual level.
Program Combinations
Each customer’s engagement was evaluated across four core categories—such as Energy Assistance, Budget Billing, EV rebate, and Payment Plan. By mapping the unique combinations of program adoption, utilities can:
- Quantify how many customers are actively participating in each service
- Identify which program bundles are most common (e.g., customers on E- Billing are more likely to also adopt Payment Plan)
- Spot underutilized combinations that could be activated through reboarding
Why it matters: This reveals natural product journeys and synergies that NBP can leverage for recommending the next best program, based on real-world customer behavior.
Program Participation Counts
This visual breaks down how many programs each customer is currently enrolled in, from none to three or more. We often find that a large portion of customers engage with just one program—leaving significant opportunity for deepening relationships through reboarding.
With this insight:
- Customers with zero or one program can be targeted for reboarding campaigns
- The NBP model can prioritize recommendations based on gaps in adoption
- Utilities can focus on cross-promoting complementary programs
Operationalizing Reboarding
Getting started with reboarding doesn’t require an overhaul. Here’s a simple path to begin:
- Identify Key Moments
Life events, seasonal changes, or time-lapsed enrollment (e.g., 12 months after service start) are good triggers. - Integrate NBP Scoring
Use BlastPoint’s NBP models to match the right customer with the right program. - Deliver Personalized Messaging
Choose the most effective channel (direct mail, email, SMS) based on customer preferences. - Monitor & Refine
Track engagement, participation rates, and satisfaction metrics. Adjust strategies based on real-time feedback.
Reboarding in Action: A Utility Case Study
Enroll More Customers in Energy Efficiency Programs
An electric utility serving western Pennsylvania, utilized BlastPoint’s Customer Intelligence Platform to enhance customer awareness of energy efficiency programs. By harnessing customer segmentation insights, email campaigns yielded enrollments 16% higher than industry benchmarks while engagement rates exceeded 300%!
Download the case study to discover the strategy behind 300%+ engagement.
Boosting E-billing Program Adoption with Advanced Analytics and Customer Segmentation
A Northeast utility used BlastPoint to boost customer engagement with targeted E-billing, achieving a 35% improvement in paperless billing enrollment. With one BlastPoint-powered campaign to about 40,000 customers – BlastPoint delivered an additional $20,000 in paperless billing savings for this utility.
The Future of Customer Engagement is Lifecycle-Centric
Reboarding isn’t just another outreach campaign—it’s a mindset shift. It says that customers are not static, and their evolving needs deserve ongoing attention. When paired with NBP, utilities can meet those needs efficiently, personally, and proactively.
Ready to Reboard Your Customers?
BlastPoint’s AI-powered platform helps utilities activate reboarding strategies that drive results.
Contact us today to see how Next Best Program modeling can supercharge your outreach and deepen customer relationships.