Looking for classic concierge customer care in the cold modern world?

Customer care is the cornerstone of ESC Partners. Everything we do for utilities and municipalities anywhere in the world focuses first and foremost on the customer. It’s why we have an SVP of customer care (that’s the fabulous Ruby Irigoyen), and it’s the reason we are a sponsor of the largest customer care show in the utility world, IUCX (formerly CS Week), that’s going on here in Phoenix this week.

To extend that already rather extensive customer service offering, we’ve made an announcement at the show of a partnership with metering selection powerhouse SL-serco.

We sat down with SL-serco insider Wesley Gamble to talk about the business and his take on customer service.

Gamble’s passion for the business grew from the inside. He started in the industry in 2004 working as a technician at his local utility. And though he was entrenched in the world of GIS and network admin, he felt a real pull to the operational side—especially areas he could fix with better processes and thinking in the planning stage, better understanding of the big picture.

Helping utilities with that big picture had Gamble make the hop from utility insider to utility supporter in 2012. Now, he’s in the position to advocate for what utilities need and make those processes and planning better more directly.

ESC: We often talk about utilities seeing customer service as a new idea—that it's a change from the old term ratepayers—but we feel utilities have always been focused on customer service.

WG: I agree. I think now, more than ever, utility employees are looking at their jobs a bit differently. In the past, it was a comfortable and secure position with a steady set of working hours, but, with the bulk of employees retiring, I’m seeing a different mindset in the younger generations that are replacing them. Often, there’s a direct desire to make an impact and provide quality service to the community—not that this didn’t exist before, but I see it in a more pronounced way now.

I think ownership of the utility employee roles and a focus on perfection in operations is occurring more rapidly than before. I’ve been seeing more proactivity around customer service at all levels of a utility organization. In many of these cases, employees are going out of their way to accommodate customers and treat them with more respect than simply a ratepayer—while also ensuring the best service possible across all levels of the organization.

ESC: What are utilities doing right when it comes to customer service? In what ways are they leading other industries in this area?

WG: I feel utilities are probably the last vestige of what would constitute personal customer service. In a world where many companies are rushing to increase margins and remove the personability of their customer service, utilities are still the place where you can speak directly with someone. Especially after the pandemic, people desire that personal communication and touch, and utilities are one of the scant few industries left that provide that in spades.

While I think customers prefer automation and self-service as much as possible when things are going right, if there’s a real problem, they want a person. They want that human reassurance; utilities still do that.

ESC: How do you see utility customer service evolving over the next five years? The next decade?

WG: I suspect more customers will be connected than ever before in that timeframe, which should lead to a larger push for the customer-focused self-service and automation that we talked about earlier.

Additionally, I think utilities are hitting their stride with advocating for themselves and for their customers—or, more specifically, the right way to serve their customers. That will only make things better for all, leading to advancements that are tangible and beneficial to both their operations and the customer, whether that be continuity of service or customer service.

That increased sharing of information will provide a level of partnership between the customer and the utility that’s been unprecedented traditionally. And that has a ton of positives from better trust to a more informed consumer making more informed decisions.

ABOUT ESC PARTNERS: ESC is building smarter communities from utilities work to public works with solutions in the Oracle Cloud. Let us help you take full advantage of all the Oracle SaaS options available.

ABOUT SL-SERCO: SL-serco has strengthened utilities through change for the past 55 years. Whether it’s the planning, procurement, or deployment of change, we have empowered organizations to grow and experience their vision.