WEB SELF-SERVICE, MOBILE APPS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UTILITIES

Transcription

1 EUCI presents a conference on: WEB SELF-SERVICE, MOBILE APPS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UTILITIES National Arts Centre Ottawa, Ontario TESTIMONIALS FROM PAST ATTENDEES "Exceeded my expectations. It was great to see first-hand what other utilities are doing and the problems they are facing." Union Gas Ltd. I left energized and enthusiastic, with many solid tips and much practical information for development and implementation. Great conference! Terrific learning experience. Manager - Corporate Communications and PR, Enwin Utilities Great conference! I left with about a dozen solid new ideas to improve customer communication and service. Director - Public Affairs, CVPS Good information for those exploring social media options. Senior Communication Specialist, MLGW Sponsor Exhibitor EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.9 CEUs for this program.

2 OVERVIEW Utility companies continue to broaden and enrich their customer Web services. It has become routine for customers to have the capability to pay their energy bills online, now through various mobile applications. As utilities continue to improve their existing websites in areas such as outage communication, bill payments, and start/stop service functions, new media such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Socialcast, and other Webbased forums add a whole new dimension to communicating with customers. Both dialogue and customer expectations have increased, and utility customers have access to more energy data than ever before. During this conference, attendees will learn how to increase customer self-service channels and optimize customer Web self-service usage. This conference is designed to provide tangible strategies and techniques for immediate implementation. Furthermore, this conference will reveal tools to drive overall customer satisfaction and explain what creates online satisfaction for differing customer segments. Social media should be part of an overall effort to move your brand forward and should align with company messages and goals. LEARNING OUTCOMES Select the necessary components of an excellent customer Web experience Apply best practices to your organization s Web self-service strategic plan Define what is expected of a customer s Web experience Demonstrate benchmarking and best practices in social media Prepare to launch your social media site Add mobile to your social media platform Determine and develop the type of content to provide to the public Recognize how the mobile Web is surpassing desktop Web usage Compare utilities to other industries in the adoption of mobile Web service Examine what drives online customer satisfaction for residential utility customers WHO SHOULD ATTEND Utility staff to include: Vice presidents, general managers, managers, directors, and supervisors of customer service Internet service professionals ebusiness professionals Social media managers Social media content providers Social media/web risk-management professionals Usability professionals Contact center management professionals Corporate communication professionals Web designers, interactive group Market research strategists and analysts Business planning, information systems Strategic planning and performance management professionals IACET EUCI has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA In obtaining this approval, EUCI has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/ IACET Standards, which are widely recognized as standards of good practice internationally. As a result of its Authorized Provider membership status, EUCI is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standards. EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.9 CEUs for this program. Requirements for Successful Completion of Program Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the conference to be eligible for continuing education credit. Instructional Methods Case studies and PowerPoint presentations will be used in this conference. 2

3 PROGRAM AGENDA MONDAY, MARCH 26, :00 8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks and Introduction of Chairperson Vanessa Nero 8:30 9:15 a.m. Delivering Improved Customer Experiences and Operational Savings Through Your Website, Self-Service, and Social Media Are you really competing with Zappos and FedEx? What customer experience standard would you set if Google delivered natural gas and electricity? Challenge current thinking around utility customer expectations in this data-rich fast-paced session, covering the latest research and insights on customer experience expectations and strategy, critical channels and target areas for utilities, and real-world implications of improved customer satisfaction ratings and enhanced brand perceptions. (Yes, you are competing with Zappos and FedEx.) Maureen Russolo, CEM, CCM, Director - Customer Experience Services, E Source 9:15 10:00 a.m. Understanding Online Customer Satisfaction What drives overall satisfaction with residential utility customers? And as more customers interact online, what drives online satisfaction? Are electric and gas customers who use online self-service more or less satisfied? Andrew Heath, senior director at J.D. Power and Associates, explains what makes customers satisfied and explains how their online experiences influence overall satisfaction. He also shares some of the latest research from J.D. Power and specifically discusses the new utility website evaluation study. Andrew Heath, Senior Director - Energy Practice, J.D. Power and Associates 10:00 10:30 a.m. Networking Break 10:30 11:15 a.m. Customer Portal: A Case Study from Hydro Ottawa About Hydro Ottawa Customer feedback My HydroLink o Today o User activity o Benefits Marybeth Macdonald, Manager - Customer Experience, Hydro Ottawa 11:15 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Multi-Channel Self-Service Strategy It Works! NB Power s Customer Story In 2008, NB Power embarked on a plan to transform its corporate website into a destination for all of its customers servicing and informational needs. NB Power has continued to enhance the Web self-serve features to improve service while at the same time reducing costs for stakeholders. The website has over 50,000 registered customers (both residential and business). During this online evolution, T4G played the role of architect, designer, systems integrator, and development partner in conjunction with NB Power's business and technical resources. Today, the website is rated No. 1 in Canada and No. 3 in North America in E Source's top-rated utility websites study. Jill Feero, Performance Manager - Customer Care, NB Power Shawn Peterson, Team Leader, T4G 12:00 1:00 p.m. Group Luncheon 1:00 1:45 p.m. Leveraging Technology to Deliver Enhanced Customer Experience at Toronto Hydro Outdated views of customer service for utilities are no longer acceptable Customers are more technology-savvy and have higher expectations of service quality Utilities need to provide more options to allow customers to interact with them on their own terms Technology is critical for the successful delivery of better customer service, but it s not easy Utilities need to be innovative in the services they provide to customers Robert Wong, Vice President - Information Technology & Strategic Management, Toronto Hydro Electric System Ltd. 1:45 2:30 p.m. The Evolution of Web Self-Service at Union Gas Master summary billing The strategy behind our redesign Greg Prieur, Web & Interactive Communications Specialist, Union Gas Ltd. Deanna Marley, Project Specialist - Commercial Industrial Marketing, Union Gas Ltd. 2:30 3:00 p.m. Networking Break 3

4 PROGRAM AGENDA MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012 (CONTINUED) 3:00 3:45 p.m. Developing a Customer-Centered Mobile Website and Strategy: A Case Study from AEP In November 2010, American Electric Power (AEP) launched its first mobile website for outage reporting. Since that time, AEP has launched a touch interface design for smartphones and has embarked on its future mobile strategy, including the build-out of its mobile Web functionality and app development. This session will cover: AEP s research efforts and scoping of features Guidelines on how to design usable, navigable mobile websites Tips for conducting usability testing of mobile sites How to devise a practical mobile strategy Sneak previews of AEP s future mobile features Eric J. Davis, User Experience Supervisor, American Electric Power 3:45 4:45 p.m. How the Mobile Web Is Changing the Face of Customer Self-Service Current trends in mobile device adoption How the mobile Web is surpassing desktop Web usage Mobile device stats breakdown How utilities compare to other industries in the adoption of mobile Web service The opportunities for utilities: cost savings and customer satisfaction Examples of mobile self-service sites Technology options for deploying mobile self-service The future: NFC, smart grid, converged home control, etc. Richard Mendis, Co-founder and CMO, AnyPresence 4:45 5:00 p.m. Closing Remarks 5:00 6:00 a.m. Networking Reception TUESDAY, MARCH 27, :00 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 8:30 9:30 a.m. Smart Meter Access Data Portal Just as many utilities are putting up customer portals, Internet browsing is plummeting and being replaced with other uses of the Internet bandwidth. The advent of social media, push technology, and consumer hunger for information become large challenges for the slower-moving utility industry. On top of all this, the move to a smart grid, the mountain of data it produces, and that much of this data is becoming available via the Internet makes interaction with customers even more difficult. The smart grid combined with the Internet means that customers energy use can be controlled by someone other than the utility. Steve Hammond, Co-founder and CEO, Lowfoot Inc. 9:30 10:15 a.m. Building a Social Media Strategy and Implementing a Social Media Program for Your Utility Step-by-step guide to how Toronto Hydro built its social media strategy and implemented its social media program from the ground up Challenges, opportunities, lessons learned Results achieved to date Vanessa Nero, Senior Digital and Social Media Communications Consultant, Toronto Hydro Electric System Ltd. 10:15 10:30 a.m. Morning Break 10:30 11:15 a.m. Privacy Implications of the Smart Grid and Social Media Understanding the relevant privacy laws in Ontario Which privacy laws apply to certain utilities in Ontario Inconsistency in utilities as it pertains to privacy laws Oren Weichenberg, Legal Counsel, Information and Privacy Commissioner's Office 4

5 PROGRAM AGENDA TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 (CONTINUED) 11:15 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Social Media: A Driver for Electricity Conservation This presentation will discuss the joint IndEco Strategic Consulting (IndEco) and Niagara Peninsula Energy Inc. (NPEI) project funded by the LDC Tomorrow Fund. Together, IndEco and NPEI conducted a nine-month project to produce a social media handbook for Ontario electric utilities, which is available for download from the MEARIE Group website - LDC Tomorrow Fund section ( The project included interviews with leading social media utilities in Canada and the U.S., online research, and a four-month pilot project. 12:00 p.m. Conference Adjourns The focus of the presentation will be on the following topics: Getting started: 10 key steps to launch Mitigating the risks Getting results Success stories Sabrina Boulkheir, Senior Consultant, IndEco Strategic Consulting SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Do you want to drive new business through this event s powerful audience? Becoming a sponsor or exhibitor is an excellent opportunity to raise your profile before a manageably sized group of executives who make the key purchasing decisions for their businesses. There is a wide range of sponsorship opportunities available that can be customized to fit your budget and marketing objectives, including: Platinum, gold, or VIP sponsor Workshop sponsor Reception host Lanyard sponsor Networking break host Luncheon host Tabletop exhibit Breakfast host Custom sponsorship opportunities are also available. Please contact Grant Neptune at or gneptune@euci.com for more information. 5

6 PROCEEDINGS A copy of the conference proceedings will be distributed to attendees at the event. If you are unable to attend or would like to purchase additional copies, flash drives are available two weeks after the conference is complete. The cost per flash drive is US $295 (add US $50 for international shipments). Flash drives include visual presentations only. Upon receipt of order and payment, the flash drive will be shipped to you via regular USPS mail. NOTE: All presentation flash drive sales are final and are nonrefundable. EVENT LOCATION The conference will be held at Canada's National Arts Centre: 53 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1 Phone: Nearby hotels include: The Lord Elgin 100 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON Phone: The Arc Hotel 140 Slater Street, Ottawa, ON Phone: REGISTRATION INFORMATION REMEMBER: EVERY FOURTH REGISTRANT IS FREE. For instant registration, call or fax the registration form to Register Three; Send Fourth Free! Any organization wishing to send multiple attendees to this course may send one FREE for every three delegates registered. Please note that all registrations must be made at the same time to qualify. All cancellations received on or before February 24, 2012, will be subject to a US $195 processing fee. Written cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event or publication. This credit will be good for six months. In case of event cancellation, Electric Utility Consultants liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at EUCI reserves the right to alter this program without prior notice. MAIL DIRECTLY TO: Electric Utility Consultants, Inc. (EUCI) 4601 DTC Blvd., Ste. 800 Denver, CO FAX TO: PHONE: ONLINE: PLEASE REGISTER THE FOLLOWING Customer Web Service for Utilities: Web Self-Service, Mobile Applications, and Social Media : US $ % HST (US $ ) Early bird on or before March 16, 2012: US $ % HST (US $ ) I'm sorry I cannot attend, but please send me the conference proceedings for $295. (Please add $50 for international shipping.) ENERGIZE WEEKLY EUCI s Energize Weekly newsletter compiles and reports on the latest news and trends in the energy industry. Newsletter recipients also receive a different, complimentary conference presentation every week on a relevant industry topic. The presentations are selected from a massive library of more than 1,000 current presentations that EUCI has gathered during its 25 years organizing conferences. Sign me up for Energize Weekly. How did you hear about this event? (direct , colleague, speaker(s), etc.) Name Job Title Name Preferred for Badge Company Telephone Address City State ZIP Check here if you have any dietary or accessibility needs. We will contact you for more details. PAYMENT METHOD Please charge my credit card: Visa MC AMEX Discover Security Code Visa and MC cards have a 3-digit code on the signature panel on the back of the card, following the account number. American Express cards have a 4-digit code on the front of the card, above the card number. Name on Card Signature Account Number Exp. Date Card Holder Phone Number Billing Address Billing ZIP Code OR Enclosed is a check for $ to cover registrations. 6