Utility billing and customer service teams are on the front lines of operational performance. Every day, they manage call volumes, resolve billing questions, and help customers navigate increasingly complex programs and rate plans.
But behind many of these operational challenges lies a common factor: How effectively utilities communicate with their customers.
“With proactive communications, utilities can educate and empower their customers,” says Brian Lindamood, Executive Vice President of Questline Digital. “That’s why targeted campaigns built on customer information are so important — they ensure the right message reaches the right customers when it matters most.”
Utility Customers Face Growing Complexity
Utilities are offering more programs, services, and rate options than ever before. Billing and customer service teams play a critical role in rolling out these offerings, including time-of-use rate plans, autopay, budget billing, conservation and efficiency programs, and digital account management tools.
However, successful adoption often depends on how well customers understand a program and its benefits.
“Utility programs and rate plans are becoming increasingly complex, which means utilities have more information than ever to communicate to customers,” Lindamood says. “Education is no longer optional — it’s essential to helping customers and achieving the utility’s operational goals.”
When customers don’t fully understand a program or service, the impact quickly shows up in operational metrics, such as higher call center volume, more billing inquiries, and rising delinquencies. This leads customer service representatives to spend more time answering questions that could have been addressed proactively.
“Customer education plays a direct role in operational efficiency,” Lindamood says. “Proactive outreach can prevent many of those calls before they ever happen. When customers understand their options from the start, they’re more confident in their decisions and less likely to need additional support.”
Data-Driven Communications Support Utility Operations
One of the most effective ways billing and customer service teams can improve customer education is through targeted communications. Timely and relevant campaigns help customers understand their options and take action independently, whether signing up for paperless billing or enrolling in an energy efficiency program.
By using customer information to segment campaigns, utilities can reach the right customers with the right message. In fact, segmented email campaigns drive 30% more opens and 50% more click-throughs.1 According to a recent study, 71% of customers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions.2
Many utilities are beginning to adopt tools that make data-driven communication easier to implement. For example, Customer IQ — a joint solution from Advanced Utility Systems and Questline Digital — integrates customer information from a utility’s customer information system (CIS) with communication tools to identify opportunities for targeted outreach.
By connecting real-time customer information with communication workflows, utilities can see where participation may be lagging and launch campaigns to encourage adoption. This self-service platform allows utilities to communicate directly with the customers most likely to benefit from specific programs and services.
For example, utilities can easily identify and reach customers who:
- Have not enrolled in paperless billing
- Do not use autopay
- May benefit from budget billing
- Have not signed up for outage alerts
- Are eligible for energy efficiency upgrades
- Are not following water conservation guidelines
- Have fallen behind on their bill and may qualify for assistance programs
“The real value comes from using customer information to identify opportunities and connect customers with programs that truly benefit them,” Lindamood says.
Connecting Customers to Helpful Utility Programs
Targeted communications can also help utilities connect customers with programs designed to reduce energy costs and water usage or to provide financial support. Many utilities offer assistance programs and budget billing options, yet customers may not realize they qualify or fully understand how to participate.
Instead of sending broad messages to the entire customer base, communications can reach the customers most likely to benefit, such as those who may be struggling to keep up with their bills or those whose homes may qualify for efficiency upgrades.
This proactive approach supports both customers and utility operations. When customers enroll in assistance or efficiency programs, utilities often see fewer late payments, reduced collection activity, and more consistent billing outcomes. For billing and customer service teams, this translates into fewer escalated calls and a smoother customer experience.
“If you can get the right message in front of the right customer and explain how they can take advantage of a program, it benefits both the customer and the utility,” Lindamood says. “Customers receive the support they need, and utilities improve their operational outcomes.”
How Data-Driven Campaigns Can Improve Operational Outcomes
Historically, operational teams and marketing teams within utilities have worked in silos. Billing and customer service teams focus on program performance, customer questions, and operational metrics, while marketing teams manage communication strategy and campaign development. But as utility programs become more complex, closer collaboration is increasingly important.
Solutions, like Customer IQ, help bridge that gap by giving operational teams greater access to communication tools. Through a centralized dashboard, teams can see program participation data and quickly identify opportunities to improve enrollment and customer understanding. From there, they can easily launch ready-to-deploy campaigns designed to inform and educate customers.
This approach allows billing and customer service teams to act quickly when they see participation plateau or customer confusion increase.
As utility programs continue to evolve, proactive customer education will become more vital. By combining customer information with easy-to-use communication tools, utilities can deliver targeted outreach that improves both customer understanding and operational performance.
“Targeted campaigns can help bridge the gap between billing, customer service and communications,” Lindamood says. “That’s how utilities improve program participation, achieve operational goals and deliver a better customer experience.”
Ready to improve program participation and reduce avoidable customer calls? Connect with our sales team to see how Customer IQ—powered with Questline Digital—can help your team use real-time CIS data to launch targeted, ready-to-deploy customer communications.
