ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Industry innovation and shifts that characterize a responsive, customer-centric organization were the themes of the annual Allconnect Summit, featuring over 100 U.S. energy company leaders and industry experts who gathered in San Francisco from September 22-24.
Allconnect CEO Sam Howe kicked off the conference with a discussion on the mover experience by inviting an Allconnect / PG&E customer to join him on stage. In closing, Howe reminded the audience that “while expanded products benefit customers, it’s ultimately the experience they have with our companies that makes the biggest difference.”
In her keynote speech, PG&E Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Laurie Giammona shared how customers want choice and control in their engagements, and how PG&E has undergone a transformation to enable a new model of employee interaction and customer service.
A panel of top utility leaders, including Eversource Chief Customer Officer Penni McLean-Conner, SDG&E Chief Energy Officer Caroline Winn and CPS Energy Vice President of Customer Accounts and Operations Phyllis Batson discussed the use of technology, data, cross-channel communication and employee empowerment to handle disruption.
Additional presentations included:
- Utility Benchmarking - Taking Customer Engagement to a New Level: CPS Energy Director of Community Programs Jesse Hernandez highlighted how CPS Energy has changed customer interactions and empowered employees by placing customer service agents directly in local neighborhoods.
- Selling Value in a Competitive Electric Market: TXU Energy Director of Acquisitions Patrick O’Shea talked about marketing TXU Energy packages in a targeted, relevant way.
- Shifting for the Impossible: Allconnect Executive Vice President for Partner Management and Business Development Kim Shumway shared insights into how companies will need to shift how they develop ideas and business models in a world of unprecedented change.
- Best Practices Panel: AEP Managing Director of Customer Operations Rob Cheripko and PSE&G Director of Customer Contact Bill Nash addressed call center management challenges and solutions, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty and training and developing the next generation of call center representatives.
- Sharing Economy: Lending Club Vice President of New Business Initiatives Tom Green addressed how the convergence of technology, data, transparency and customer needs has resulted in a new way to access money that benefits both the investor and the borrower.
The Summit closed with “The Grid of Things,” a special session with PG&E’s Electrification and Electric Vehicles group, and described the company’s nation-leading initiatives in support of electric vehicles, including its current project to install 25,000 EV Charging Stations, the largest effort of its type in the U.S.
About Allconnect
Allconnect offers customers a convenient single source to compare and connect integrated media, broadband, home protection, energy and green products. Allconnect’s services are available at allconnect.com, through utility and energy companies representing over 50 million households, and via affiliates. Through more than 20 million annual consumer touch points, the company acquires customers, increases revenue and generates higher customer satisfaction for its partners. Allconnect’s customer satisfaction ranks in the top 10 percent of companies nationwide based on its American Customer Satisfaction Index score. Founded in 1998, Allconnect is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in Lexington, Kentucky, and St. George, Utah. For more information, visit allconnect.com or follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.
