Maximising the potential of smart meter technology through a customer-centric strategy
National Utilities Company
3 min read
Nichola Wolfe
As of 2024, every household and business in Ireland will have a smart meter installed to provide customers with access to their real-time electricity usage. I collaborated with this client to create innovative customer experiences and product offerings that take advantage of this new technology.
In this case study:
Project Ambition and Objectives
My client's ambition was to seize the opportunity that smart meter technology affords by creating a well-defined customer centric strategy, with a focus on;
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Innovative customer experiences
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Enchanced product offerings
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New customer acquisition and competitiveness
Approach and Methods
To achieve the ambition we conducted customer and market research, crafted personas and utilised customer journey to gain a clear vision that identified opportunities for enhancing the customer experience, informed strategic direction, and guided the product roadmap while creating alignment across the stakeholder ecosystem.
When tackling a project of this magnitude, various techniques can be used to achieve success. For this specific venture, client collaboration was a key objective. Given the extensive stakeholder network, it was essential to work collaboratively and iteratively, provide clear mock-ups and present well-informed findings to obtain approval for concept and prototype development.
Throughout the course of the project several methods and approaches were utilised, including;
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Facilitating design-thinking workshops
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Conducting customer and market research
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Crafting personas and scenarios
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Mapping the customer journey
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Identifying improvement opportunities
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Designing wireframes for improvement opportunities
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Securing concept and wireframe approval
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Creating high-fidelity prototypes for development
Project Outcomes
By prioritising a customer-centric approach, this energy provider put themselves in a position to leverage smart meter technology to gain insights into customer behavior and preferences. This can enable them to offer tailored products and services that meet the unique needs of each customer segment and overcome long-held negative perceptions on specific product types in order to expand their product offering and increase their competitiveness. Additionally, a customer-centric strategy will help to build trust with their customers by providing transparent and accessible information about energy usage and costs. By doing so, they can enhance the overall customer experience and foster long-term loyalty. Ultimately, a customer-centric strategy can help energy providers to maximize the potential of smart meter technology and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.
Applying these methods to your business
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