Why is it important for a company to invest in providing a good Customer Experience? Customers look for loyalty and transparent communication, personalized experiences, and efficient services and products. Focusing only on the intrinsic characteristics of the service is no longer enough: KPMG Global Customer Experience Excellence Research 2020 shows that 56% of consumers takes into account company environmental and social policies before making a purchase, and for 63% of customers value is the defining element when choosing a product or service, therefore this is a point on which increasingly more companies concentrate their efforts on.
The report – based on approximately 100,000 consumers and 80,000 companies across 27 countries – shows that globally during the past year Customer Experience has improved by 3%. The profits of companies who invest on this aspect grow 14% more compared to those who do not.
What is Customer Experience? Customer Experience (CX), refers to the result of the interaction between a customer and an organization over the time of their relation. Anything that adds value to the purchase and use of a product or service is part of this concept.
The experience provided to the customer is part of the offer, as stated in 1999 by Pine and Gilmore, the fathers of the experience economy.
Over time, Customer Experience has evolved. What was a product-based economy turned into an experience economy and now companies don’t just focus on a product and its characteristics, instead they offer a fluid multi-channel experience, across all their digital and physical channels.
Thanks to digital transformation, what has changed is the approach: the aim is to intercept customers’ needs and behaviors in order to provide a service able to satisfy their expectations.
Offering a positive Customer Experience is essential to strengthening the trust of its stakeholders.
A multiutility can improve its Customer Experience by focusing on the quality of its services and on the needs of the communities in which it operates.
The experience customers have when they come in contact with the Acea Group is the result of a relentless research to offer the most innovative solutions across all digital and physical touchpoints. Listening to customers is the starting point and an essential condition for a good CX.
For years, the Group has been carrying out surveys measuring the satisfaction of customers and communities with reference to its electricity, gas, water, and public lighting services. In 2023, in line with previous years, two half-yearly customer satisfaction surveys involving over 39,747 people, were carried out with reference to the services provided by Acea Energia, Areti, Acea Ato 2, Acea Ato 5, Gori, Gesesa, and AdF.
Between 2019 and 2020, pilot projects have been launched to assess CX by applying a module that combines measuring perception and analyzing customer contacts logged in the system; after reconstructing the most common customer journeys, pain points were identified to help focus on improvements. The project involved procedures at Acea Energia, Acea Ato 2 and Areti, and teams were able to broaden their horizons and apply a new exploration method which was also appreciated by CRMs.
During the year, customer satisfaction surveys, including with the use of Mystery Clients, were also carried out to assess the quality of the service offered over the phone, at help desks, and in online chats, with the aim to identify the areas requiring improvement.
The results of the work carried out in 2023 are very positive: the overall level of satisfaction, based on the answers of the total number of calls received, was 93,4%. Moreover, in 2022, the new apps for the electric and water services were activated: MyAcea Energia and MyAcea Acqua.
Acea also carries out activities aimed at streamlining its customer services and making them more efficient across all its contact channels; for example, thanks to the collaboration with Pedius, Acea Energia call center is accessible to customers with hearing difficulties via the Pedius app.
More good examples are the Digital Assistant service available to Acea Energia customers and the Digital Help Desk for Acea Ato 2, Acea Ato 5 and Acea Molise users, which provide assistance via video call, after booking an appointment filling in a form on the relevant websites.
Additionally, the graphics and content formatting of water bills have changed, making them easier to read and more transparent.
Digital services have been promoted using communication and awareness campaigns targeted to the public and providing training courses for help desk and in call center employees.
With reference to services that help users manage their supplies, Acea customers can access the MyAcea reserved area, available via website or mobile app, and keep an eye on consumptions, submit meter readings, and pay bills online from a single account in the comfort of their home. Options include the Web Billing service, to receive digital bills that replace paper bills. Customers who switch to digital bills, in addition to choosing a convenient and quick service, also make a sustainable choice that has a positive impact on the environment.
Another digital service, completely free of charge, is the interactive bill, which allows to view bills quickly and easily. The new graphic interface and content format make bills easier and more intuitive to read.
Customer Experience is a world in constant evolution, that moves in step with digital evolution and customers’ needs and expectations: this is why Acea is committed to keep offering the best services and value to its customers.
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