Embracing VOC to Improvethe Customer Experience

CS Week 42: Analytics Track

Rob Pinkasavage

Manager, Market Research and Customer Experience

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Cautionary Statement

This presentation is being provided for informational purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive. Neither CenterPoint Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries and affiliates (the "Company"), nor its employees or representatives, make any representation or warranty (express or implied) relating to this information. By reviewing this presentation, you agree that the Company will not have any liability related to this information or any omissions or misstatements contained herein. You are encouraged to perform your own independent evaluation and analysis.

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About CenterPoint Energy

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Electric Transmission & Distribution:

Electric utility operations with ~2.4 million metered customers across

~5,000 square miles in and around Houston, Texas

19th largest U.S. investor-owned electric utility by customer base (1)

86,828,902 MWh delivered

Natural Gas Distribution:

Regulated gas distribution jurisdictions in six states with ~3.4 million

customers

6th largest U.S. gas distribution company by customer base (1)

Delivered 411 Bcf of natural gas

Energy Services:

Non-regulated competitive natural gas supply and related energy

services serving ~33,000 commercial and industrial customers across

33 states

Delivered 777 BCF of natural gas(1) As of Dec. 31, 2015 per EEI and AGA

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“The ear of the leader must ring

with the voices of the people.”

- Woodrow Wilson

What IS VOC?

• Voice of the Customer is a systematic approach to collecting and understanding the wants, needs, expectations, and aversions of customers and incorporating those insights into the design of customer experiences, products, and services.

Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy, measure, and share

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Customers talk. Listen!

• Key customer touchpoints• In-person interactions such as contact

center, office, and field interactions• Employee feedback• Social media• Closed-loop feedback channels• Complaints, suggestion box, etc.

• Quantitative and qualitative research:• Omni-channel transactional surveys• Relationship studies / Focus groups• Syndicated benchmarking studies

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Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy, measure, and share

Avoid common mistakes:

• DO NOT rely too heavily on your “A-List”. • Those who often provide insight may have different needs than those who

are not frequently engaged.

• DO NOT concentrate on only one kind of customer.• Ensure a representative sample of the population for whom you’re trying to

develop a solution.

• DO NOT lead the conversation by defining the solution instead of probing for the need.• At this stage, customers should inspire the solution not react to it.

• DO NOT accept vague answers when specificity is needed.• Get granular. Keep asking “Why?” until the root cause is understood.

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You’ve collected data. Now what?!

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Data ≠ Insights

• Use KPIs as a barometer, but do not rely on them to tell the whole story.

• Look for common themes across data sources.• Low survey scores associated with

specific channels, call types, workgroups, or products/services?

• Sentiment analysis, emotion detection, topic analysis?

• Recurring, prevalent themes in open-ended feedback?

• Understand relationships, frequency and drivers.

• Tell the story of how this affects your organization’s ability to succeed.

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Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy, measure, and share

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Assess Impacts and Prioritize

• Communicate key insights and recommendations to stakeholders.

• Understand the return on objective (ROO)• What is being addressed? Processes,

employee behaviors, individual customer relationships?

• What are the anticipated outcomes produced by addressing your theme(s)?

• Secure a sponsorship from influential leaders within the organization by aligning the recommendation to existing goals or imperatives. A solid business case helps as well if a budget is requested.

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Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy, measure, and share

Design – Prototype – Test - Repeat

• VoC-generated insights and expressed customer needs become project requirements.

• Projects should yield specificcustomer outcomes which address VoC. Think, “Who? What? Wow!”

• Engage small, cross-functional teams to prototype your solution, maintaining focus.

• Test with small groups of sponsor users to refine the solution prior to launching.

• Repeat as needed.

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Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy, measure, and share

Deploy, Measure, and Share Outcomes!

• Time to implement!• Don’t forget:

• Organizational Change Management• Internal communication and training• Measurement of KPIs to track success• Reports to key stakeholders and

sponsors.• “THANK YOU!” message to

customers to share outcomes of their feedback.

• Resume listening for success-related feedback and seek new opportunities to improve.

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Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy, measure, and share

Customers told us: • IVR was exceptionally difficult to navigate.• Customers could not find meaningful content

Our approach: • Conduct quantitative and qualitative research around customer contact preferences.

The end result: • Natural language IVR was developed using over 70,000 actual customer utterances to fine-tune its functionality.

Customer outcomes: • Improved customer experience via low-effort transactions (4.7/5 CES score)

• 89% customer satisfaction within the IVR channel.

Business Outcomes: • Significant savings achieved through call deflection and IVR containment.

VOC Success: IVR Redesign

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“I spent something like

twenty minutes on the telephone

tree…”

Listen to and

capture data

Merge, analyze,

and synthesize

insights

Prioritize and share;

Gain approval

Design, test and repeat

Deploy and

measure

Effective VOC Programs MUST…

• Use a variety of feedback channels and customers.

• Be aligned with your organization’s strategic outcomes.

• Produce meaningful, actionable insights.

• Have the support of senior leaders and key stakeholders.

• Be sustainable!

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Thank you for your time!Questions?

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Rob PinkasavageManager, Market Research and Customer Experience1111 Louisiana St., Houston, TX 77002Office: 713-207-4243 | Mobile: 713-560-9749E-mail: Robert.Pinkasavage@CenterPointEnergy.com