In the world of the utilities industry, customer experience is becoming increasingly relevant and defining a successful strategy is becoming more crucial than ever. For this reason, Open has been working towards incorporating capabilities in its extended CIS to help utilities create their customer experience strategy in order to improve customer satisfaction.
Since its inception, Open has understood customer experience as one of the essential pillars of utility companies. They developed their CIS solution, Smartflex, based on the idea that a holistic software brings more value than integrating separate CIS, MDM, MWM, CRM and analytics platforms. Smartflex goes far beyond the traditional Meter to Cash process.
Smartflex is a modular, multi-service, preconfigured solution that, at its core, is a Customer Information System (CIS), extended into four dimensions: 1) in the metering area, with Meter Data Management (MDM) features; 2) in the customer domain, with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities, including multi-channel digital engagement features and a Customer Self-Service portal (CSS); 3) in field service, with agile Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) features; and, finally, 4) with operational reporting and dashboards/analytics capabilities. Additionally, the solution provides an extensive set of underlying tools including a SOA-based integration kit, workflow, and a powerful rules engine, which can virtually eliminate the need for coding to meet unique business requirements.
Smartflex incorporates customer-relevant functionalities that streamline the business transformation to provide a better customer experience in record time at a lower TCO.
Discovering Smartflex’s key customer-facing functionalities
Smartflex encourages utilities to manage customer interactions through a vast range of communication channels. Particularly, it offers a self-service portal that provides customers with relevant information regarding their service, including analytics that helps customers keep track of their service usage. The solution also allows customers to pay their bills and submit requests at any time. Furthermore, it includes an AI-powered chatbot that gives customers the possibility of solving doubts about the service without having to contact the company directly. With these tools, utilities can enable their customers to experience a digital journey with autonomy.
With Smartflex, utilities rely on a powerful configuration tool to model any pioneering product and service to meet market needs, as well as bundling products and special offers. The software also allows users to create target offers for residential, commercial, or industrial customer segments based on their geographic, financial and, demographic characteristics. Consequently, utilities create value for customers and ensure time-to-market reduction, which ultimately drives revenue growth and better customer experience.
Likewise, Smartflex provides a 360° view of the customers that help CSRs to have full contextual information during any given customer interaction. With just one click, a CSR can access account, financial, product, request, and appointment summaries. Each of these summaries includes detailed information and several graphics to provide a visual grasp of historical data. Using this at-a-glance view, CSRs respond swiftly and effectively to customers’ needs.
The solution manages customer requests, communications, service agreements, payments, collections, disputes, appointment scheduling and much more, from just one single screen. Smartflex provides all the information and tools necessary, so that customer care representatives can respond to customers’ questions and concerns in a timely and effective manner, resulting in an increase in performance and customer satisfaction.
With Smartflex, utilities can adapt to new market demands and digitally transform their business processes successfully. In fact, utilities have reduced the number of visits to customer centers by 8%, increased the number of customers with photovoltaic generation by 200%, improved the resolution of the first contact by 9% and reduced the time of new connection of customers by an average of 5 days.
Boost your customer experience strategy with a holistic CIS
Utilities often perceive CIS solutions only as billing engines. Instead, utilities should extend their vision towards a CIS solution that includes CRM capabilities that enhance customer experience and respond to constant market changes. With its holistic approach, Smartflex encourages utilities to face tomorrow’s challenges, today.
