Public and private utilities like water supply, electricity connection, mobile telephony etc are primarily service-oriented businesses. This means that treating customers well and being responsive to their needs is just as important as the consistency of the service provided, like availability of water, electricity, natural gas, sewage removal, internet service etc.
Here is where a utility Chatbot becomes an instant solution for your subscribers. How ? It answers the most routinely asked questions, sends monthly bill payment updates, raises timely alerts, and ensures an unparalleled conversational experience. This especially important in critical customer situations, which might occur during the off hours too.
The Energy and Utilities sector is characterized by 24 x 7 operations and a large customer base which includes both residential and commercial sectors. These customers depend on uninterrupted services and immediate service remdiation in case of rare disruptions. Conversational Chatbots can play a vital role in this field service enablement, providing more intelligent and versatile automation of service workflows.
Each utility bot can have a different role and can perform unique functions. Several bots can be deployed to handle customer service tasks, manage customer journeys, automate processes, run marketing campaigns, or facilitate employee workflows. Some customer queries are more urgent than others, and sometimes those requests require human intervention. AI Chatbot automatically qualifies, prioritizes, and routes complex requests to your customer support agents.
These bots are not just confined to customer contact center environments but can also be deployed to handle outbound campaigns or to support field service operations.
Chatbots powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning can help utilities improve their bottom line by elevating the customer experience and customer satisfaction to new heights while reducing the related operating costs.
Benefits –
Chatbots offer numerous benefits to utilities:
- They reduce the expenditure needed to maintain a large staff of customer care representatives.
- Chatbots can help offer 24/7 customer support.
- They can be accessed through a variety of channels, including app, social media, and text.
- For many customers, chatbots have offered improved customer experience at lower costs.
The future will see AI implementations in almost the entire operating mechanism of the utility sector, there by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. This industry will see newer ways to convert AI capabilities in emerging business domains.
