Customer Segmentation Archives

5 Customer Segments to Consider for Stronger Engagement

Utilities have access to more customer data than ever before. Yet many utility communicators still rely on one-size-fits-all communications that treat every customer the same.

That’s a missed opportunity for engagement. According to HubSpot, segmented email campaigns achieve 50% higher click-through rates than unsegmented campaigns. Utility-specific results demonstrate this impact as well: AEP Ohio’s industry-segmented newsletters achieved 22% higher open rates and 44% higher click-through rates compared to its unsegmented newsletter.

The good news is that audience segmentation doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, some of the most effective segments may already be hiding in plain sight.

Here are five utility customer segments you may be overlooking — and the best ways to reach them.

1. New Customers

Moving is one of the most significant moments in a person’s life — and an important customer engagement opportunity for utilities. The start of service gives utilities a chance to make a strong first impression.

New customers are navigating a new home, a new bill and, often, a new utility. They may have questions about billing and payment options, account management, energy efficiency programs, outage communications and other available resources. At the same time, they’re establishing habits that will shape how they interact with their utility for years to come.

Utilities should use this early point of the customer journey to introduce essential resources and encourage behaviors that make future interactions easier. Promoting digital self-service tools, such as My Account and mobile apps, sets the stage for future digital communications.

Effective onboarding campaigns deliver this information gradually throughout a customer’s first few weeks of service rather than overwhelming them all at once. A well-planned Welcome Series should prioritize immediate needs first, such as account access and billing, before introducing energy-saving programs, outage resources and community initiatives.

Customers are particularly receptive to utility communications at the start of service. According to Questline Digital’s 2026 Utility Benchmarks Report, Welcome Series achieved an average 33.16% Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR), making it one of the highest-performing utility communications.

2. Renters vs. Homeowners

Both renters and homeowners represent substantial audiences, but the programs and advice that resonate with each can look very different.

For homeowners, utility communications help to inform bigger, longer-term energy decisions. Because homeowners typically have greater control over their property, they may be able to invest in equipment upgrades or structural energy-efficiency improvements.

Topics of interest to homeowners:

Home energy assessments
HVAC rebates and equipment upgrades
Smart thermostat programs
Insulation and weatherization incentives
Solar and battery storage programs
Electric vehicle charging incentives

Timing can make these messages even more effective. Customers replacing an aging HVAC system or considering home renovations are often more receptive to information about related utility programs. Utilities should use available customer data and behavioral insights to deliver relevant resources when customers are most likely to need them.

Renters have different options for managing their energy use. Although they have limited control over major equipment and structural improvements, they still want manageable bills, a comfortable home and practical ways to be more energy efficient.

Topics of interest to renters:

Low-cost energy-saving tips
Portable efficiency products
Budget-management resources
Behavioral energy-saving strategies
Bill assistance and payment options

Utilities should clarify which programs require landlord participation and provide resources renters can share with property owners. For multifamily properties, there may be additional opportunities to engage landlords and property managers.

3. High Energy Users and High Bill Customers

Customers with consistently high energy consumption are an important segment to reach with proactive communications.

According to J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, average monthly residential electric utility costs reached $189 in 2025, up 34% since 2020. Utilities can help customers better understand and manage their consumption with personalized usage information, energy-saving recommendations and relevant programs.

High energy users benefit from:

Personalized energy reports
Home energy assessments
Budget billing
Energy efficiency rebates
Smart thermostat incentives
Personalized energy-saving recommendations
High-usage alerts and usage monitoring tools

Communications should explain where energy is being used, compare usage over time and suggest practical ways to reduce consumption.

But usage alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Utilities should distinguish between customers with consistently high consumption and those experiencing a temporary bill spike. A customer might receive an unusually high bill because of extreme weather, schedule changes or a malfunctioning HVAC system, for example.

Targeted communications help customers understand:

Why their bill increased
How weather or seasonal usage affected costs
Available payment assistance options
Online usage monitoring tools

Reaching out shortly after a significant bill increase helps to reduce confusion before customers contact their utility’s call center. A simple explanation of why costs changed, combined with actionable resources, demonstrates that their utility is committed to helping them manage energy costs.

4. Digital Adopters

Not every customer engages with their utility in the same way. Some customers consistently log in to their online account, pay bills digitally, use a mobile app and interact with text messages. These behaviors help utilities identify customers who may be receptive to additional digital tools and services.

According to J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Utility Digital Experience Study, mobile apps earned the highest satisfaction scores among utility digital channels, yet 28% of utilities studied still don’t offer one.

Digital adopters are often interested in:

Paperless billing and autopay
Mobile app downloads and new features
Self-service account management tools
Personalized energy insights
Digital outage alerts and notifications
Pilot programs for new digital experiences

These customers provide valuable feedback on new programs and technologies. Rather than promoting every new digital offering to the entire customer base, utilities should first engage digital adopters who are more likely to explore and adopt new tools.

At the same time, utilities should recognize that not every customer is ready for a fully digital experience. Some customers still prefer printed bills, phone support or in-person assistance. Effective segmentation allows utilities to encourage digital adoption while continuing to meet customers through their preferred communication channels.

5. Customers Who Don’t Engage

Sometimes the most valuable audience to analyze is the one that isn’t responding.

Every utility has customers who rarely open emails, ignore text messages or never log in to their online account. It’s easy to assume these customers simply aren’t interested, but low engagement may signal that communications aren’t reaching them through the right channel or with a message that resonates.

Rather than continuing to send the same messages and hoping for different results, utilities should use engagement data to identify customers who may benefit from a different communication strategy.

To engage these customers, try:

Testing alternative channels, such as direct mail, SMS or outbound calls
Adjusting messaging frequency to reduce communication fatigue
Simplifying subject lines and calls to action
Sending shorter, more focused communications
Re-evaluating whether content reflects their needs and interests

What customers don’t engage with can be just as revealing as what they do. For example, if a group consistently ignores rebate promotions but engages with outage updates, reliability-related information may be more relevant than energy efficiency messaging. These behavioral signals can help utilities better understand customer interests and tailor future communications accordingly.

It’s also important to distinguish between customers who are temporarily disengaged and those who have become consistently inactive over time. Monitoring engagement trends gives utilities a clearer indication of when to adjust their approach before customers tune out altogether.

By identifying these customers, utilities have the opportunity to improve message effectiveness, strengthen customer relationships and help ensure important information reaches the people who need it most.

Smarter Segmentation, More Relevant Communications

Utilities don’t need dozens of complex audience segments to make communications more relevant. In many cases, the customer data they already have can reveal meaningful differences in needs, behaviors and preferences.

The key is turning those insights into action. By identifying a few high-value customer groups and tailoring communications accordingly, utilities can deliver more useful information, promote the right programs and create stronger connections throughout the customer journey.

Ready to make every communication more relevant? Discover how Questline Digital can help your utility use smarter segmentation to reach the right customers with the right message.

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Powering Engagement Podcast: Episode Three Recap

Utilities communicate with customers every day. But delivering a message and making a meaningful connection aren’t always the same thing.

In Episode Three of the Powering Engagement Podcast Series: Advanced Personalization, the Questline Digital team explores how utilities can turn everyday customer communications into relevant, engaging experiences that build understanding and inspire action.

“The challenge isn’t getting information out the door,” says Rebecca Czarobski, Senior Director of Customer Success at Questline Digital. “The challenge is really helping customers pay attention, understand what you’re telling them and take action when it matters.”

One Message Won’t Resonate With Everyone

Sending the same message to every customer may be efficient, but that doesn’t necessarily make it effective.

As Matt Irving, Creative Director of Video Content at Questline Digital, explains, communicating with a large audience often means creating a message for the “greatest common denominator.” The problem is that a message designed for everyone may not feel particularly relevant to anyone.

“By sending it to everybody, you’re making it very generic, and that’s not going to be helpful for getting that message to be understood by any one person,” says Joe Pifher, Creative Director at Questline Digital.

That’s where segmentation and personalization can make a difference.

Utilities have access to a wealth of customer information, which can help them identify the messages most relevant to different audiences. The key is shifting the perspective from “What do we need to tell customers?” to “What does this customer need to know right now?”

Powering Engagement Podcast Episode Three: Advanced Personalization

Lead With Empathy

Effective communication starts with understanding what customers may be thinking and feeling when they receive a message.

High bill communications are a great example. When a customer’s bill increases, simply notifying them isn’t enough. Customers want to understand what caused the increase, what they can do about it and how they can avoid similar surprises in the future.

“Utilities have the information, but they don’t necessarily help their customers understand it,” Pifher says. “And understanding is really the most important aspect of any message that you’re sending out.”

A high bill can also be an emotional experience, especially for customers concerned about how they’ll pay it. Pifher emphasizes the importance of considering the customer’s perspective and the questions they may be asking, such as “Why does this matter to me?” and “What do I actually need to know?”

By explaining what contributed to the high bill and providing actionable steps, utilities can help answer these questions. Instead of simply delivering a notification, utilities have an opportunity to become a resource that helps customers understand and solve a problem.

Irving summed up this empathetic approach: “Put yourself in the shoes of the customer.”

Meet Customers Through the Right Channels

Creating a relevant message is only part of the equation. Utility communicators also need to consider where and when customers want to receive it.

Email remains an important communication channel, but customers increasingly expect information to be available in different formats. Depending on their preferences and the message itself, they may be more likely to engage through text message, an online account or mobile app, video or another digital experience.

“People are used to having whatever information they want in many different ways,” Irving says. “How can we communicate to you in the way you want to be communicated to?”

A multichannel approach gives utilities more opportunities to meet customers on their terms.

Make Personalization Meaningful

Personalization goes much further than simply inserting a customer’s name into an email. The real opportunity is using customer data to make the information more relevant.

During the episode, Irving and Pifher discuss Questline Digital’s SmartVX personalized video solution, which uses utility customer data to dynamically create videos tailored to individual customers.

Depending on the available data, a personalized video could reflect a customer’s location, program enrollment, services, billing information and other circumstances. The technology makes this level of customization possible, but Irving emphasizes that technology isn’t the end goal: “The technology empowers the story.”

For example, a personalized high bill video could incorporate a customer’s actual bill and energy use.

“We can legit tell them your bill was this amount, and this is how much energy you use…so it’s hyper-personalized information that they’re receiving,” Pifher says.

A personalized video could also include individualized charts to illustrate a customer’s billing or energy usage history. The added context makes an unfamiliar program or rate easier to understand and gives customers the information they need to make an informed decision.

Give Customers What They Need

One example from the podcast episode shows how a personalized approach could work during customer onboarding.

Imagine a new customer named Joe. The utility knows his location, services and existing program enrollments. He’s already signed up for paperless billing and text alerts, but he hasn’t enrolled in autopay.

Rather than presenting Joe with every available program, a personalized welcome experience could introduce autopay while providing safety information relevant to his electric and natural gas services. It could also include links that allow him to immediately take the next step.

“We’re not telling him to sign up for My Alerts because he already has My Alerts,” Irving explains. “We’re not having him sign up for paperless billing. He already has paperless billing. We don’t need to do that. So let’s not waste Joe’s time.”

The same principle applies to financial assistance. Instead of making customers sort through every available resource, utilities should direct customers only to programs that apply to their unique circumstances.

Build Engagement One Positive Experience at a Time

Every communication is an opportunity to shape a customer’s relationship with their utility.

When customers repeatedly receive information that isn’t relevant to them, they may eventually tune it out. But consistently delivering useful communications creates a different expectation: When their utility reaches out, the message is worth their attention.

“They’re going to listen to you more often,” Irving says. “They’re going to open something you send because if you’re giving them communications they care about, maybe they’ll care about the next one just as much.”

That’s why advanced personalization isn’t simply about improving the performance of a single campaign. Each touchpoint builds trust, encourages future engagement and strengthens the customer relationship over time.

Watch Episode Three of the Powering Engagement Podcast Series to discover how advanced personalization can create more relevant customer experiences.

Is Your Utility Sending Too Many Emails?

Sending more emails doesn’t always lead to greater customer engagement.

Utility customers are inundated with messages every day. When communications aren’t relevant to their needs, interests or lifestyle, they can quickly become disengaged.

“Customers are receiving personalized experiences everywhere in their daily lives,” says Joe Pifher, Creative Director at Questline Digital. “These interactions are changing what they expect from their utility’s communications.”

This growing demand for personalized communications is changing the way utilities approach utility email marketing. Instead of one-size-fits-all messaging, utility communicators are increasingly leveraging segmentation, utility email personalization and customer data to deliver more meaningful customer experiences.

The Risk of a One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Today’s customers expect emails that are timely, relevant and tailored to their needs. In fact, research from McKinsey found that 71% of consumers expect personalized interactions, while 76% become frustrated when those expectations aren’t met.

When utilities rely on too many broad email campaigns, customers often begin ignoring emails, deleting messages without reading them or unsubscribing altogether.

“If you’re sending customers information they don’t need or want, you’re training them to ignore your emails,” Pifher says. “Eventually, the messages that do matter may go unseen.”

Improving utility email engagement begins with delivering communications customers actually want to receive. Research shows that email fatigue is an ongoing challenge for marketers. According to a recent study, 43% of consumers say the primary reason they unsubscribe from email lists is because they receive emails too often.

“Utilities often discover they don’t need to send more emails to improve engagement – they need to send more relevant emails,” Pifher says. “When customers consistently receive information that matters to them, engagement tends to follow.”

Utilities communicate about a wide range of topics, from financial assistance to electric rate plans. While these communications provide valuable information, not every message is relevant to every customer.

Before sending an email, utility communicators should ask, “Who will find this information most valuable?” This simple change in perspective helps them send smarter utility email marketing campaigns that are more likely to accomplish program goals and create a positive customer experience.

Reaching the Right Customers

Segmentation is one of the most effective strategies for improving utility email engagement. By organizing customers into groups based on shared characteristics, behaviors and interests, utilities can send fewer, more targeted emails.

“Segmentation doesn’t have to be complicated,” Pifher says. “It’s simply about making sure the people receiving a message are the people who will actually benefit from it.”

The impact of segmentation can be significant for companies. According to the Digital Marketing Association, 77% of email marketing ROI comes from segmented, targeted and triggered campaigns, demonstrating the value of delivering the right information to the right audience.

Examples of Utility Segmentation Strategies

For example, customers who consistently engage with energy efficiency content will likely be interested in additional program recommendations. Customers with high energy usage patterns could benefit from energy-saving tips, budget billing options or home energy assessments. New customers need educational resources that help them understand account management tools, billing options and available utility programs.

The value of segmentation extends beyond utility email engagement metrics — it can also drive measurable program participation and business outcomes.

A large Midwest energy utility wanted to increase participation in its Demand Response program among commercial and industrial customers. Rather than sending a single message to all customers, the utility used a segmentation strategy, tailoring emails to prospective participants and previous program enrollees.

Prospective customers received educational content focused on program benefits, including cost savings, compensation opportunities and community impact. Previous participants received targeted reminders highlighting enrollment deadlines.

Through the segmented campaign, the utility achieved its 180-megawatt Demand Response nomination goal, exceeded enrollment expectations and reached participation targets ahead of schedule. This utility email marketing campaign demonstrates how segmentation can help utilities deliver more relevant communications while driving measurable program results.

Ultimately, segmentation helps utilities communicate with greater precision and maximize the impact of every message.

Sending More Relevant Emails

Many marketers think of personalization as simply inserting a customer’s first name into an email. While that tactic can help, today’s customers expect much more. Effective utility email personalization uses customer data to tailor messages to their unique needs, interests and behaviors.

“The message should speak directly to the customer’s situation,” Pifher says. “You don’t have to reinvent the entire email — you just need to make sure the most important parts – like the subject line, headline and introduction – are relevant to the audience receiving it.”

Utility email personalization can improve both customer engagement and program participation. One study found that personalized emails generated an 81.5% increase in click-through rates compared to non-personalized sends.

Infographic of 5 examples of utility email personalization

For example, a customer who recently purchased an electric vehicle may benefit from information about EV rates and charging infrastructure. Likewise, a customer struggling with high bills may be interested in budget billing or payment assistance programs.

Utility email personalization can be especially valuable when utilities need to explain complex topics. PSEG Long Island partnered with Questline Digital to help customers better understand new Time-of-Day (TOD) rates. The utility used personalized bill explainer videos that incorporated each customer’s actual bill data and energy usage patterns.

The videos provided tailored energy-saving recommendations, simplified TOD rates through clear visual explanations and helped customers better understand their energy costs.

The results demonstrated the power of personalized communications to improve understanding, build trust and help customers make more informed decisions. Nearly 93% of customers said the videos clearly explained bill components, and 92% found the information more helpful because it used their actual billing data. Additionally, 82% of customers said the personalized tips provided valuable cost-saving opportunities.

The Foundation of Targeted Communications

Successful utility email marketing is built on customer data. Segmentation and personalization are only possible when utilities effectively leverage the customer information they already have. Fortunately, many utilities have access to valuable insights that can help create more impactful communications.

Graphic showing how Customer Data Powers Better Communication

“Utilities are sitting on a gold mine of customer data,” Pifher says. “The challenge isn’t collecting the information, it’s understanding how to use it to create more relevant customer experiences.”

One of the biggest misconceptions in utility email marketing is that increasing email sends automatically improves customer engagement. In reality, customers are more likely to engage when communications feel valuable to their unique situation.

When utilities combine segmentation, personalization and customer data, the result is a more strategic approach to customer communications – one that benefits both customers and the utility.

“Personalization works hand in hand with segmentation,” Pifher says. “It’s really about removing the noise and making sure customers only see what’s relevant to them.”

Delivering More Value with Every Message

Utilities that embrace segmentation, utility email personalization and customer data are better positioned to meet evolving customer expectations. By focusing on relevance versus volume, utility communicators can create communications that strengthen long-term customer relationships.

“The future of customer engagement isn’t about sending more emails,” Pifher explains. “It’s about creating communications that are timely, relevant and useful for each customer.”

Discover how Questline Digital’s customer engagement solutions help utilities improve utility email engagement through advanced segmentation, personalization and data-driven communications.

Learn More

Powering Engagement Podcast: Episode Two Recap

Utility communicators face a common challenge: How do you increase customer engagement without sending more emails, adding complexity or overwhelming busy teams?

That’s the focus of Episode Two of Questline Digital’s Powering Engagement Podcast Series, Smarter Targeting & Optimization. Building on the fundamentals discussed in the first episode, the conversation explores how utilities can move beyond simply sending campaigns to create more intentional, data-driven communications.

Our team of experts explores how utilities can create more effective email campaigns that truly resonate with customers.

Smarter Targeting Starts with Segmentation

When thinking about sending a message to customers, utility communicators should first ask, “Who actually needs this email?”

According to Molly Dannaher, Questline Digital’s Applications Director, one of the most common communication challenges that utilities face is ensuring the right message reaches the right customer at the right time.

This is where segmentation becomes essential.

For some utilities, segmentation may be as simple as targeting newly enrolled customers with onboarding information. For others, it may involve more sophisticated audience criteria, such as identifying customers who recently opened an email, have overdue balances and live in zip codes that qualify for payment assistance programs.

While segmentation is often perceived as complex, Dannaher explains that the concept is actually quite simple: Deliver more relevant communications to the customers who need them most.

Without segmentation, utilities often send the same message to every customer, regardless of whether the information actually applies to them. Over time, this one-size-fits-all approach can lead to lower engagement and missed opportunities to connect with customers.

“Customers can experience message fatigue when messages don’t align with who they are and what’s important to them,” Dannaher explains.

Discussion of how utilities can use segmentation in email marketing

Segmentation is becoming increasingly important as customers have come to expect personalized experiences in nearly every aspect of their lives. When communications don’t feel relevant, customers are more likely to ignore them — or stop engaging altogether.

Fortunately, utilities don’t need complex strategies to get started.

Dannaher encourages utility communicators to look beyond basic demographic data and pay closer attention to customer behavior. Who is opening emails? Which topics generate engagement? Which customers consistently ignore messages?

Dannaher also recommends following up with customers who didn’t open an important email. In many cases, knowing who doesn’t engage can be just as valuable as knowing who does.

These insights can help utilities create more targeted communication strategies while supporting broader utility goals.

“When we segment, we see more engagement, less confusion, fewer questions and utility call centers often experience a reduction in customer calls,” Dannaher says. “Less customer confusion leads to better adoption of your programs and overall better customer engagement scores.”

Personalization Ensures Relevance

Once utilities identify the right audience, the next step is crafting a message that feels relevant to the person receiving it.

According to Joe Pifher, Questline Digital’s Creative Director, personalization is often misunderstood. Many marketers associate personalization with inserting a customer’s first name into an email. While that tactic has its place, Pifher notes that meaningful personalization goes much deeper.

“Personalization is removing all that noise,” he says. “You want to make sure that your customers only see what’s relevant to them.”

Discussion of improving personalization in utility emails

For utilities, personalization and segmentation work hand in hand. A customer already enrolled in a program doesn’t need the same message as someone considering enrollment for the first time. Likewise, customers who don’t qualify for a program shouldn’t receive an email about it.

Rather than creating dozens of different emails, Pifher encourages communicators to focus on tailoring the message to an audience’s specific needs and circumstances. “When you’re doing that well, the message is going to resonate with your customers,” he says.Unlike traditional marketing campaigns, utility communications often involve topics customers genuinely care about, including service reliability, financial assistance and energy savings. And these topics require a different approach to communications.

Instead of relying on marketing jargon or overly clever language, utility communicators should focus on providing straightforward information that helps customers make informed decisions.

“When you write from a place of being calm, clear and helpful, your customers are going to relax and you’re going to build trust,” Pifher says.

Clarity Beats Cleverness

The same principle also applies to email structure. Most customers aren’t reading every word of a message – they’re quickly scanning for the information that matters most to them.

According to Pifher, customers are typically looking for answers to three questions:

What is this?
Does it apply to me?
What do I need to do?

The faster an email answers those questions, the more effective it becomes. As AI-powered inboxes continue to evolve, clarity will become even more important for utility emails.

“Clarity beats cleverness,” Pifher says. “As a creative, I hate that because I would love to be clever in all my emails. But we’re finding that just being clear is more effective.”

When discussing best practices, Pifher offers one piece of advice utility communicators can apply immediately.

“My number one rule is one audience and one goal per email,” he says. “If everything’s important, nothing’s important.”

Utilities often attempt to include multiple announcements, programs and calls to action within a single communication. The result is a message that tries to accomplish too much – but ultimately accomplishes less.

Instead, Pifher recommends focusing on a single audience, objective and primary call to action. This approach creates clearer performance metrics and stronger engagement over time.

Drive Stronger Results With A/B Testing

Once utilities have defined their audience and crafted a relevant message, the last step is optimization.

Many utility communicators hear the term “A/B testing” and immediately think of additional work, complicated reporting or difficult-to-interpret results. However, Jeremy Harning, Questline Digital’s Vice President of Research & Development, encourages utility teams to think about testing differently.

At its core, A/B testing answers a simple question: What actually resonates with your audience?

“The way that I think about testing is that you’re always trying to move the needle toward perfection,” Harning says. “We know we can’t always get there, but we can make small improvements over time that help us get closer to the best results possible.”

Discussion of using AB testing to improve utility email communications

Rather than randomly changing elements from one campaign to the next, A/B testing allows utilities to make data-driven decisions based on customer behavior. Every email becomes an opportunity to learn something new and apply those insights to future communications.

When open rates are lower than expected, Harning recommends starting with the two factors that influence opens the most: sender name and subject line.

If customers are opening emails but not taking action, the focus then shifts to different elements within the message.

“If we’re getting good attention on our emails, but we’re not getting the action we want, that’s where we start looking at the CTA language, placement and the number of calls to action,” Harning explains.

Timing is another area where utilities frequently look for answers.

“There is no magic send time,” Harning says. “But there are things we can do to move the needle.”

According to Harning, utilities should avoid sending emails at the top of the hour, when countless marketing platforms are deploying messages simultaneously. Instead, consider scheduling communications at less conventional times to help your email stand out in a crowded inbox.

Most importantly, he encourages utilities to view testing as an ongoing process rather than a one-time exercise.

“It’s about consistency, documenting what happened and reusing what you’ve learned,” Harning says. “Every time we communicate, we should learn something from it and use that information to do better next time.”

Over time, those small insights become a valuable playbook that helps utilities continuously improve engagement, drive stronger results and create more effective communications.

Turn Insights into Action

One of the most valuable takeaways from Episode Two is that utilities don’t need to overhaul their communication programs to improve engagement.

Small adjustment, like segmenting audiences, leveraging behavioral data and simplifying messaging, can make a big difference.

Want to learn more about audience segmentation, personalization and optimization?

Watch Episode Two of the Powering Engagement Podcast Series to hear the full conversation and discover practical strategies your team can implement right away.

Watch On Demand

How to Use Customer Information to Improve Utility Communications

Utilities send millions of customer communications every year, from billing notifications and outage alerts to program promotions and educational newsletters. Yet many utility marketers still struggle to answer a critical question: Are these messages actually influencing customer behavior?

Measuring utility customer engagement goes beyond email open rates and webpage clicks. The ultimate goal is helping customers take action, whether enrolling in paperless billing, signing up for financial assistance or participating in energy efficiency or water conservation programs.

To truly improve participation, utilities must look beyond traditional marketing metrics and adopt a more data-driven approach — one that connects communications with the latest customer information.

“Utilities have more opportunities than ever to connect with customers,” says Brian Lindamood, Executive Vice President at Questline Digital. “The challenge isn’t just sending communications, it’s making sure those messages are actually relevant to customers’ needs and interests.”

Meeting Customer Expectations for Targeted Messages

Customer expectations for utility communications have evolved over the past several years. Today’s consumers interact daily with companies like Amazon, Apple and other leading brands that have set a new standard for personalized communications.

These companies use data to deliver highly targeted messages — from customized product recommendations to mobile notifications about order updates or rewards programs. As a result, consumers have grown accustomed to receiving information that reflects their preferences, behaviors and immediate needs.

The same expectations are increasingly shaping how customers engage with their utility providers.

“Customers today are accustomed to highly personalized communication from the brands they interact with every day,” says Mark Wilkinson, Executive Vice President at Advanced Utility Systems. “Modern brands have trained consumers to expect relevant information that reflects what they’re experiencing in the moment. Utilities have access to a tremendous amount of customer information. When that data is used effectively, it can power communications that are far more meaningful to the customer.”

While utilities operate differently than retail and technology companies, customers still expect communications that are timely, relevant and easy to act on. Generic, one-size-fits-all messages are becoming less effective as customers look for content that directly relates to their actual usage, billing situation and program eligibility.

Data-driven communications can help utilities meet these evolving expectations. By leveraging insights from billing systems, customer interactions and energy usage data, utilities can deliver messages that are better aligned with each customer’s unique situation. For example, utilities can use data to proactively share financial assistance resources with customers who may have fallen behind on their energy bill payments.

“Relevance is what drives engagement,” Lindamood explains. “When utilities communicate with customers at the right moment — whether it’s during a billing cycle, after a service interaction or when a program could help them — those messages become far more impactful.”

When utilities communicate with the same level of personalization that customers experience from other trusted brands, they create stronger engagement, build greater trust and help customers make more informed decisions.

Relevant Outreach Will Improve Utility Communications

Every department within a utility interacts with customers in different ways.

Billing teams monitor account activity, payment patterns and enrollment in programs like paperless billing and auto pay. Customer service teams interact directly with customers, answering questions about bills, programs and account management. Meanwhile, marketing teams develop campaigns designed to inform, educate and engage customers.

Individually, each team holds valuable information about customer behavior. But when these insights remain isolated within departments, utilities miss opportunities to improve utility communications with more effective messages.

For example, when a customer calls with questions about a high bill, customer service representatives have access to valuable information about their usage trends, payment history and whether they’re enrolled in specific programs or services. When representatives use that information to trigger helpful communications — such as energy efficiency tips or assistance programs — it creates a great customer experience.

“Billing and customer service teams interact with customers every day, and they often have insights that communications teams don’t see,” Wilkinson says. “When those insights are shared across departments, utilities can better align their communications with the needs of their customers.”

Turning Customer Data into Program Participation

Utilities across the country offer programs designed to help customers manage costs, improve efficiency and take advantage of digital account management tools. However, many utilities struggle to achieve a desired level of participation.

Data-driven communications can help utilities better understand the customer journey from receiving a marketing message to ultimately enrolling in a program.

For example, if a campaign promoting paperless billing generates strong open rates but low enrollment, the issue may not be the message itself. Instead, there may be friction in the enrollment process, confusion about benefits or the program may not be relevant to a particular customer.

“Customers are far more likely to engage with information that arrives at the moment they need it,” Wilkinson says. “When communications are timely and connected to what the customer is experiencing, open rates increase, trust grows and customers are more likely to act on the information.”

To help utilities improve engagement and program participation, Advanced Utility Systems and Questline Digital developed Customer IQ, a tool designed to bridge the gap between customer information and customer communications.

Through a centralized dashboard, utility teams can see program participation data and quickly identify opportunities to increase customer understanding and improve enrollment. From there, they can easily launch ready-to-deploy campaigns to educate customers and drive conversions.

“Customer IQ helps utilities connect communications with the customer data in their CIS,” Wilkinson explains. “Utilities can identify which customers would benefit from specific programs and deliver personalized communications that encourage action.”

Customer IQ also helps align teams across the organization. Billing, customer service and communications teams can access insights about customer behavior and program performance, making it easier to coordinate strategies and improve utility communications.

“Utilities already have a tremendous amount of data about their customers,” Wilkinson says. “The key is putting that data to work so communications are timely, relevant and connected to the actions customers are most likely to take.”

Communications Powered by Real Customer Insights

As utilities introduce new programs, services and digital tools, effective communication will play an increasingly important role in helping customers understand their options.

For continued success in the future, utilities must embrace a data-driven approach to customer engagement, connecting communications strategies with real customer insights.

“The utilities seeing the strongest engagement today are the ones using data to guide their communication strategies,” Lindamood says. “When communications are informed by customer information, they become far more effective at building relationships and encouraging participation in programs.”

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