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The Energy and Utility industry has been transitioning from a highly traditional method to a technologically revolutionized, empowered mode of operation with the facilities technological developments provide. For a sector where companies need to provide uninterrupted basic amenities and constant customer care and problem-solution, it is of high importance to be in close touch with their customers and their issues. In this series, we have been investigating many features chatbots can offer for different sectors (to check our other blog posts, you can click here. Today, we will be examining the benefits chatbots can offer to the Energy and Utility industry.

Features of Energy & Utility Chatbots

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Round-the-clock Service— Whether or not a company hires customer representatives, it can always make use of the 24/7 customer service chatbots provide. Chatbots can work at any second of any day and can reply to a limitless number of customers in an instant. While customers receive instant support, companies can also reduce the costs of training customer representatives.

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Answer Queries— Most of the questions an energy or utility chatbot receives are about technical queries on the services they receive. These can be about registration and deregistration, meter readings, changes they would like to make on their tariffs, past or present invoices, or fault clearances.  

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Provide Instant Help— Customer representatives can work within limited hours, but there will always be customers who will come in after hours. During times of crisis, such as a power outage, an unexpected cut-off on the electricity due to an unpaid bill, etc., chatbots can come in to save the day with the instant communication they provide 24/7.

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Avert Crisis— All companies face a crisis at some point, however, in a sector where customers’ lives get directly affected, a crisis can be unwelcomingly problematic. During those times, chatbots can send notifications and alerts about possible power outages in advance, and during the times of unexpected crises, like a long power outage, customers can be guided to chatbots for necessary explanations and updates on the situation.

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Help With Relocating— As customers move out, they need to fill out several forms to declare they are logging out of one place and logging into another. Via chatbots, without any complicated process, they can simply carry out the handover process through chatbots. Chatbots can ask for certain information necessary for the relocation, like the old meter readings, the handover dates, customer information, etc. After collecting the data, it can then notify the competent bodies of the alterations.

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Provide & Change Data— Another very useful feature of chatbots is the fact that it provides data on customers and their use patterns. Chatbots create analyses of conversations and provide valuable data for future use. While they provide in-depth analysis to the company, they provide information to customers on their needs and let them change certain data, such as their tariffs, locations, etc.

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Promote Your Solutions— Finally, chatbots can analyze the current situation of the customer and can inform them about the company’s offers and discounts to serve them better. With the right design, chatbots can be taught to respond in certain situations to trigger sales consultancy, which, in the end, will make both parties more satisfied.  

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How Can You Get a Chatbot?

Very easy.  

All you need to decide is whether or not to have a chatbot. Afterward, you can contact a company to provide you with information on the process, the features they offer, and the features they can “specifically” offer for you, they will tell you on which platforms you can have your chatbot (WhatsApp, Instagram, Web, Teams, etc.) and you will meet with their teams to handle the project together. If you are interested in the things chatbots can offer you now and in the future, we invite you to fill out our form by clicking here to start your journey.

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