PRESS RELEASE
Release date: 28thJune 2016
Unique VR experience will switch utilities onto customers
Utilities companies will be shown how they can utilise technology to catapult the customer to the heart of operations with a unique virtual reality event, at a time when the utilities sector is facing a customer revolution.
Utilities expert K3 CRM is teaming up with Microsoft to bring a virtual reality event to the utilities sector on July 7, to enable IT leaders to get a 360 view of their customers, hear from industry and technology experts and learn how they can prepare their business for the imminent customer revolution facing the sector. The experience is made possible with the use of Virtual Reality goggles, which are being sent out to utilities businesses throughout the UK in preparation.
Whilst the experience itself demonstrates how technology can be used to engage people, its underlying message is serious - utilities business must place the customer at the heart if they are to remain competitive at a time of widespread change in the sector.
Ofgem's latest report entitled‘Retail Energy Markets in 2015'has revealed that customer service satisfaction remains well below historic levels. Customer service within the sector has been impacted by a number of factors, including the digitisation of services, which many businesses are unprepared for, thus putting customer service at risk.This process has been a challenge for many, reflected inasignificant number of customers receiving inaccurate bills and in some cases, no bills for months on end. This has fuelled high levels of complaints and record fines from Ofgem,withScottish Power and Npower the latest recipients of substantial penalties.
Speaking about the challenges faced within the utilities sector, and the importance ofaligning systems with processes, Alison Brown, Marketing Manager at K3 CRM, commented:"The utilities sector is evolving rapidly around the needs of customers who are becoming more sophisticated and educated about utilities processes than ever before. Those providers and suppliers that are implementing technology which does not have the customer at its heart risk failing to deliver a great customer experience, resulting in problems for their existing customers, and missing the opportunity to acquire new ones.By utilising centralised systems such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, utilities providers are afforded a powerful solution in which to collate and analyse valuable customer data, providing the ability to respond proactively to changing customer needs."
In addition to rising customer dissatisfaction levels, the utilities sector is facing rapid change elsewhere: regulatory, legislative and economic. England's water industry is just one sector which is now having to prepare for widespread transformation, with the business sector being opened up to competition for the first time in 2017, and the retail sector expected to follow soon after, with a preliminary date of 2020. The continued growth in regulation and legislation is an issue which is impacting upon the entire utilities landscape. In practice, the changes mean businesses will need to handle an incremental amount of data, whilst ensuring they adhere to regulatory and legislative requirements, at the same time, keeping the customer at the very heart of everything they do.
In order to successfully navigate such developments, businesses need to ensure their business systems are equipped to handle the volumes of data that will be required, whilst being skilled and empowered enough to utilise this data to improve the customer experience, win new business, and retain customers.
Speaking ahead of K3 CRM's virtual presentation for the utilities sector, Alison Brown commented, "The customer revolution is coming to the utilities sector and those that do not have the customer at the heart of their technology and processes, are the providers that are going to struggle. We want to empower utilities providers with the intelligence and technology they need to deliver a great customer experience and remain at the forefront of a rapidly changing, and constantly challenging industry."
For moredetails and to take part in the free virtual reality conference, businesses are being urged to visithttp://k3crm.com/the-customer-revolution/
- Ends -
About K3 CRM
K3 CRM is a division of K3 Business Technology Group PLC dedicated to the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM across multiple industries, with a focus on the manufacturing, distribution and retail markets. The business also has experience working with not-for-profit organisations and construction businesses and offers customer both a specialise, agile and focused team of Microsoft Dynamics CRM experts, together with the reassurance and backing of the K3 Group, a leading global supplier of integrated business systems and a member of Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle 2015.
For further information, please contact:-
Editorial - Alison Brown, Marketing Manager, K3 CRM on 0800 0832 382, or John Edden, Bridge PR & Media Services on 024 76 520025, or e-mail john@bridgepr.co.uk.