Proactive Customer Change Management and Education is Key to Ensuring Smart Grid Success

Smart grid is more than just an engineering and technology project – it’s a customer inclusive transformation that requires buy in and understanding from both utility stakeholders and customers.  Utilities must clearly communicate what they are doing  The realized benefits of your smart grid business hinge on your customers enrolment in advanced programs and altering their energy consumption behavior:  without a strong communications structure to facilitate buy-in, the success of your smart grid project becomes a gamble.

Through extensive smart grid implementations, West Monroe Partners understands transformation management within the utility industry.  Combined with our deep understanding of customer communication we bring a unique convergence of industry knowledge and practical customer change management to your smart grid transformation.   Our Utilities Communication team has the proven tools, processes and methods to design and manage effective customer change at your utility:

• Customer segmentation: Understand usage, behavior, demographics, etc.
• Market Research and Understanding: Coordinate, develop and execute Focus Groups, Open Houses, Open Air and Community Outreach campaigns to communicate the benefits and the meaning of Smart Grid
• Comprehensive Marketing Planning: Develop and execute a strategic marketing plan that aims to “bring the consumer along” in the process of implementing Smart Grid
• Customer Communication Guidelines: Establish a “Customer Bill of Rights” and Privacy Plan to make the customer feel like their voices are being heard and their interests are protected
• Stakeholder Education and Collaboration: Work with utility management as well as local, state and federal regulatory and legislative bodies to enact policies and positions on important issues such as customer privacy, inclusion, partnerships and customer program funding
• Technical Articulation: Benefits of smart grid technology demonstrated to end users in terms they can understand
• Message Monitoring: Tap traditional and social media channels to gauge customer sentiment
• Contingency Planning:  Develop crises management and avoidance plans

As your trusted advisor we partner with you to ensure the communication engine fires on all channels.  The West Monroe Utility Communications team understands the technology and benefits of smart grid, but more importantly, can design plans to articulate to your customers how this technology offers them choices, convenience and conservation opportunities – all in language they understand.  

Why West Monroe?

With deep experience delivering enhanced customer experiences and managing change across all industries, West Monroe understands and addresses the challenges of implementing new technology and process.  Unlike a PR firm which focuses only on outward communication, we utilize deep industry knowledge to design two way communication programs that proactively address the challenges and risks of implementing smart grid.  Through a proven approach and strong Demand Side Management Consulting credentials, West Monroe’s Customer team can help your utility achieve demand goals through the execution of customer programs.  Vast service competencies including CRM strategy and implementation, information architecture, ePortal and online development, and customer change management uniquely position West Monroe to assist your utility in maximizing smart grid success.