Call Volume Down, Customer Happiness Up

Episode Summary

In this episode, we explore six transformative strategies for utilities to reduce call center volume drastically while significantly improving customer satisfaction.

Episode Transcript

The transcript has been edited for clarity and readability while maintaining the original content and intent of the speakers.

Shaun Jackson: Welcome everyone to today's episode. I'm your host, Shaun Jackson, senior vice president of marketing at KUBRA. And today, we're playing a little game of would you rather. So here's an interesting choice. Would you rather clean a toilet or call customer service? Well, you might be surprised to learn that for forty-two percent of your customers, the answer is getting on their hands and knees and scrubbing that toilet.

For far too many of your customers, the prospect of having to call a customer service rep is daunting, and it's taking a toll on their overall experience. So if you want to discover how to cut down call center volume while also improving satisfaction, keep listening because we're sharing six effective strategies to help you achieve this. Now while some of these strategies sound like they lean toward a utility audience, really, any business that handles billing and communicates with their customers will find these tips helpful. So let's get into it.

Strategy 1: Empower Customers with Self-Service Portals

Shaun: Look. If customers have to call you for every little thing, they're not going to be thrilled. In fact, seventy-nine percent of people expect you to have self-service support tools that let them handle issues on their own. A quick side note, I'll be sharing the sources for all these stats in the show notes if you're interested.

So questions like, why is my bill so high? Or how long will this power outage last? These are simple questions that are putting unnecessary pressure on your call center and can be answered with self-service tools. Tons of utilities are stepping up their game in this regard, reducing call center numbers considerably by offering websites or customer portals that are robust, intuitive, and comprehensive.

What are we talking about when we say self-service features? First up, account management tools. Customers can pop in, check their balance, and update their communication preferences without dialing support—it's like giving them keys to the control room. Bill payments come next. You’ve got to make it painless for people to pay their bills. A couple of clicks, a secure payment gateway, and they're done. No hassle, no phone call. Usage tracking is also key. When customers see their consumption patterns over time, those “why is my bill so high this month” questions melt away.

Service requests should also be simple. The ability to start, stop, or move services needs to be at their fingertips, making transitions smooth and something they can do during a coffee break. Energy saving tips add extra value by helping customers shrink their bills. And when bills go down, so do calls. If your business is looking to add more self-service features, these are the best places to start.

Strategy 2: Harness the Power of AI Chatbots

Shaun: Nobody likes waiting on hold. It's why a lot of consumers are increasingly turning to AI for help. A remarkable seventy-four percent of customers have said they'd opt for a chatbot over a human agent when it comes to straightforward questions. And it's not just about convenience. By the end of this year, chatbots are predicted to save businesses up to two point five billion hours and slash customer service costs by as much as thirty percent.

When a customer types out a question or speaks to one of these AI helpers, they get answers right away, anytime of day. No need to wait until office hours to call a human. And because each interaction makes these chatbots smarter, they continue to raise the bar for future interactions.

Strategy 3: Design Better Bills

Shaun: This is a topic I love, and that is the magic of well-designed bills. The design of a utility bill is often overlooked, yet it plays a crucial role in customer communication. Complex or cluttered bills can lead to confusion, frustration, and a flood of customer service calls.

At KUBRA, we've researched this topic extensively and found that a thoughtfully designed bill doesn’t just look good—it significantly boosts customer satisfaction. It’s a blend of science and aesthetics, placing important information where eyes naturally go first, using color and typography strategically to highlight key elements like the amount due and due dates. Colorful charts and graphs also help customers understand the breakdown of a bill. With a clean layout and focused content, we see fewer customer inquiries and more on-time payments.

Strategy 4: Stay Proactive with Outage Reporting and Communication

Shaun: When storms hit, call volumes surge. Customers want to know, is my power the only one out? When is it coming back on? They're stressed, and your call center feels the pressure. The trick is to communicate early and often. Get ahead of the storm and use every channel you've got—text, email, social media—to keep folks in the loop.

Information is a comfort during times of uncertainty, and consistent updates can soothe the anxiety that drives people to pick up the phone. Having robust outage and incident reporting software is also key. Customers can self-report issues, see if others are affected, and follow the status in real time. It’s really about empowering them to get the info they need and reserving call center lines for the truly critical cases.

Strategy 5: Reimagine the IVR Experience

Shaun: I came across some insights from McKinsey that really put things into perspective. They found that a typical utility serving two million customers receives two million to three million calls annually, which can cost twenty to forty million dollars. To combat this, many utilities have implemented interactive voice response as a channel.

But the challenge is that traditional IVR systems are rigid, leaving people fumbling through clumsy menu options until they eventually just hit zero to connect to a live agent, a major waste of resources. With natural language IVR, customers can speak naturally just like they would to a live agent and perform simple tasks without frustration. According to the McKinsey report, bill inquiry calls account for seven to ten percent of total call volume, which makes the billing and payment journey of your customer a perfect candidate for a natural language IVR experience.

Strategy 6: Offer Multiple Payment Avenues

Shaun: The more payment options you offer, the smoother the experience. When customers can choose how they pay—whether online, through mobile, or in person—they're less likely to need to call in. And it doesn't end there. Offering a variety of payment methods is just as important as offering channels.

Does your organization provide pay by text, secure email, and digital wallets like Apple Pay? And what about your unbanked or underbanked populations? Offering cash payment options at retail stores and supermarkets creates an inclusive payment experience that leads to more timely payments and fewer calls around payment issues.

Shaun: And with that, I'd like to wrap up today's episode. I'm Shaun Jackson, and you've been listening to Experience Better, the CX Podcast by KUBRA. Press two for a stress-free experience, or rather, hit subscribe for more insights and stories from the world of CX. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you next time.