ATLANTA – February 16, 2006 – The top challenges among utility customer care centers revolve around customer satisfaction but have shifted in emphasis. It appears in 2006, it is all about the people, according to The Chartwell Customer Care Center Report 2006. While processes and technologies are not without mention, staffing challenges appear to be what keep many utility personnel on their toes, followed by meeting service levels and increasing customer satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction has created quite a buzz in the utility industry. Transactional customer surveys and general, or image-based, surveys can help clarify a company’s strengths and weaknesses in customer service. Approximately half of utilities are conducting transactional customer surveys while more than three-quarters of utilities conduct general, or image-based, customer satisfaction surveys, according to The Chartwell Customer Care Center Report 2006.
The majority of utilities have experienced an increase in their call volume over the past year. For many utilities, this increase is the result of growth in their customer base. And, more respondents cited first-call resolution as extremely important or very important, leading the other metrics such as average speed of answer and call handle time, the report reveals.
The Chartwell Customer Care Center Report 2006 is available only to members of Chartwell's Premier and Customer Care Research Series. For information regarding the Customer Care Research Series or Chartwell's Premier membership, contact Bill Grist at (404) 237-9099 or (800) 432-5879. A free table of contents and summary of this report can be downloaded at www.energylibrary.com.
Recently released reports include:
- Serving Special Customer Segments: Second-language, Critical Care and Special Needs Customers;
- The Chartwell Report on Captivating and Satisfying the C&I Customer;
- The Chartwell Report on IVR Applications and Speech Technologies 2005;
- Transactional Customer Surveys: Listening to the Customer to Improve Service Levels;
- Web-based Customer Service in the Utility Industry 2005; and
- Chartwell's Guide to Bill Presentment and Payment 2005.
You can purchase and download these reports from Chartwell's Energy Library at www.energylibrary.com.
