In a rapidly evolving landscape defined by customer expectations and operational challenges, the water industry is under increasing pressure to enhance service delivery amidst scrutiny regarding environmental practices and customer satisfaction. Richard Gregory from Odigo highlights the growing complexity of these issues in a recent blog originally published in the Water Industry Journal. He outlines how water companies can leverage their contact centres to deliver significant improvements in customer service, a necessity underscored by recent regulatory penalties and declining satisfaction metrics.
As water companies grapple with legacy systems inherited from the public sector era, they are simultaneously encouraged to adopt innovative, eco-conscious practices—these include the promotion of smart meters and initiatives aimed at facilitating responsible water consumption. Gregory notes that contact centres are uniquely positioned to become a pivotal point of connection between customers and service providers, evolving beyond their traditional roles of merely processing billing inquiries or complaints.
Gregory asserts that optimising contact centre operations has the potential to significantly elevate the overall customer experience. "The right processes free up valuable time for agents to connect with customers in meaningful ways," he states. This could involve providing education and support for vulnerable customers, ultimately cultivating trust and driving engagement.
Drawing from over 15 years of experience in the contact centre industry, Gregory suggests that strategic service improvements can yield immediate, tangible results. He emphasises the importance of understanding customer intent and the underlying reasons for their calls, as this insight is essential for aligning service offerings with actual demands. Surprisingly, while phone calls still dominate inbound traffic within utility contact centres—accounting for 74%—only a small minority of customers prefer to use the phone for complex (40%), urgent (36%), or emotional (22%) issues.
In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative tool capable of streamlining customer interactions by providing both alternative communication channels and improving service efficiency. Gregory highlights the potential of AI to automate repetitive tasks such as data entry and call summaries, which can subsequently enhance overall response times. More significantly, AI's integration into call qualification and routing processes can help organisations identify vulnerable customers and respond to urgent issues more swiftly.
As AI-powered insights become deeply embedded in business practices, water companies are expected to reshape their service delivery frameworks. Optimised interactive voice response (IVR) systems informed by real customer language can enhance user experiences and empower organisations to adapt their training and routing strategies. A unified customer interaction history, combining data from various channels—whether phone, email, or web—will prove crucial for delivering consistent and personalised experiences.
Gregory asserts that the goal of AI is not to dehumanise customer interactions but to enhance them. "By responding more effectively, and fine-tuning engagement strategies, AI ensures that stretched contact centre resources are intelligently used to provide every customer the attention they need," he explains.
As water service providers navigate a landscape marked by universal access and varying customer needs, the ability to deliver seamless and accessible multi-channel experiences will be vital to fostering trust. Gregory concludes that while AI technology can produce quick wins, it requires a strategic investment of time and resources to lay the groundwork for a robust, customer-centric service capable of adapting to the evolving challenges faced by today’s water industry.
The implications of these advancements are significant, not only for the operational success of water companies but also for the customers they serve, reflecting a necessary adaptation to the demands of modern society and industry expectations.
Source: Noah Wire Services