R & D Operations Alone used to Rule: Customer Experience is Now Equally Paramount to Success By Tim Cole and Mandee Fish, MPX Consumers are changing the oil and propane business forever. Despite a proud history dating back over a hundred years, the industry is now dealing with a new breed of customer who cares little about the past. They demand simplicity, value and instant gratification. It suddenly seems that what most dealers relied upon over many generations is no longer enough. Businesses struggle with ways to adapt, where to start and how to blend the lessons of the past with the warp speed of the future. Is your business focused on what is important to this new consumer? Or are you still distracted by what used to be important? The Age of Operations It is fair to say that the fuel business has been defined by operations. Organizing people, trucks and vans comes as second nature to successful dealers. Managing the peak winter period is challenging, but the work always gets done. Company employees may have sleepless nights but are gratified by keeping customers warm and comfortable. How, then, can these very customers be staging a revolt? • Like in countless other industries, consumers expect companies to change to meet their evolving expectations. • They want fuel deliveries at fair prices. • They want easy ways to understand and pay their bills. • They want to arrange for these deliveries (and service calls) online and after hours. • They want the ability to set up or make payments online at their convenience. • They would welcome a reminder for service with an easy way to instantly schedule. The oil and propane industry is no longer all about operations but instead, success is now built around delivering a world class customer experience. However, this transition is proving difficult. Customers are simply speaking a different “language” than they used to. In some respects, the real problem is communication. Customers have evolved expectations of businesses that include personalized service, multiple contact options and quick answers at the click of a mouse. The phone is a nuisance and they are more interested with time savings and convenience—the traditional model is out of sync. Customers notice this and are “walking” elsewhere with an ease that, if ignored, will leave too many otherwise good fuel dealers highly vulnerable. The New Customer Profile The majority of energy consumers are incredibly busy during business hours. Evenings and weekends are often when they think about or have time to interact with their energy provider. No surprise that on any given day, and even over time, your customer service representatives (CSRs) only talk to a very small percentage of your customers. However, 100% of your customers receive your billing documents and/or use your online web portal. The experience you deliver with your billing documents and web portal separates great fuel companies from average ones. Technological services are the cornerstone of effective communication and are now the front lines of customer service. Today’s consumers are in control. They receive exceptional service from progressive customer-oriented companies, like Amazon, and expect nothing less from you as well. If they don’t experience what they’re looking for, they are quick to switch providers and can easily do so at night or on the weekend—often before you are aware. Statements and online portals are among the few remaining places to tell your story, strengthen your brand and create adherence by being smart and tuned in. How, then, has this part of your business remained “out of sight and out of mind,” far down the list of priorities? In fairness, only recently has it taken on the same critical significance as fuel margins and costcutting process improvements. However, it is time for dealers to take action and put consumers in control, which is where today’s loyalty and growth are earned. The first step is to let go of the belief that what you mail or deliver over the web to customers are just “bills.” That kind of outdated thinking can lead to trouble. In truth, your document strategy touches all the mission critical functions of your business; therefore, the following should be given serious consideration. Opportunity #1: Generational Legacy and Responsibility In just the past 10 years, it is amazing to recognize what customers receive elsewhere and now fully expect from companies. Reshaping the customer experience to keep up with accelerating consumer expectations will determine this generation’s legacy. Businesses intuitively know that customer experience matters and requires action. Companies know its 20 ICM/March/April 2017
ICM March-Apri 2017
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