Development of online customer service in the energy industry
Three years ago, 25% of customers were expected to use electronic customer service channels in the energy supplier industry in 2020.
This industry has been considered to be lagging behind in the digital transition for years – in many situations, contact with a stationary service point is still necessary today. No one could have foreseen that 2020 would bring a complete change and new challenges in customer service. Closed stationary service points have forced suppliers to shift the burden of customer service from offline to online, putting the already overloaded contact channels under pressure.
How do customers see customer service in the energy industry?
The Ernst&Young report indicates that customers are beginning to think about changing their energy supplier in the case of complex tariffs, illegible rates and consultants without competence in energy consulting. 21% of respondents pointed out that their problem was not solved during the contact and they remained without support from the supplier. Additionally, due to the specificity of the energy industry, customers expect quick and professional contact with customer service. Breakdowns, disruptions and interruptions in service delivery, complaints, errors on the invoice – these are the most frequent reasons for contact.
How AI Busters can help the energy industry
In the case of advanced requests – complaints, invoice error – AI Busters analyzes the message, categorizes it and automatically sends it to the appropriate department or employee. In case of missing attachments – using a personalized message – AI Busters engine will ask the client to send the missing file. This way, a consultant dedicated to the case will have complete information from the beginning.
AI Busters also integrates with field systems, significantly speeding up the handling of the request. In case of identified interruptions in delivery, the AI Busters engine:
1. Authorizes the Customer on the basis of contact data (e-mail address, message data) 2. Links the customer’s location to information on interruptions or failures. 3. Prepare a personalized response, which is either sent automatically or left to the consultant for approval. And all this on a massive scale within seconds.
The speed of response of the AI Busters solution is also an excellent alternative to IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems and providing the required data in increasingly preferred digital channels, which relieves the call center.
„Energy providers are increasingly encouraging the use of online self-service systems. The combination of online service together with the development of customer service competencies in the same channel increases customer satisfaction and the desire to recommend services to friends. With AI Busters, the digital transformation of the energy industry can run smoothly and efficiently.”
Karol Kowalczyk Co-founder AI Busters