Listening and Engaging your Customers: Voices of Experience National Town Hall Meeting July 11, 2013

The Challenge Consumer awareness and sense of urgency is low I dont have time to pay attention to this right now. I keep hearing more scary news about global warming. What does it all mean? Will my bill go up? I dont really understand why I need to change. Will other people be able to see my information? What is the Smart Grid? What is a kilowatt? Are Smart Meters really safe?

Consumer engagement is critical to success © 2013 Silver Spring Networks. All rights reserved 3 Smart grid enables transformation of the customer relationship Proactive consumer engagement is critical to smooth deployments and customer acceptance The more consumers know and understand, the more receptive they are to grid modernization efforts

Our Panel of Experts Paige Layne, Duke Energy Communication Manager; Customer Billing, Payments & Products; Smart Grid; Energy Efficiency Risa Baron, San Diego Gas & Electric External Affairs Outreach Manager Laney Brown, Iberdrola USA Director of Smart Grid Planning and Programs Barbara Leary, Florida Power & Light Senior Director, Smart Grid Customer Education 4

Voices of Experience Characteristics of a Successful Customer Engagement Program 1.Established strong guiding principles that provide direction throughout the program. 2.Viewed customers as partners. 3.Engaged employees from the start and continued throughout the program. 4.Started customer engagement efforts prior to the technology deployment. 5.Managed change within the organization proactively. 6.Met customers in their preferred forum – traditional mail, in person, or online. The channel is just as important as the message. 7.Recognized the importance of listening and engaging with customers who had concerns about the technology.

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Getting Started Laney Brown, Iberdrola USA Guiding Principles provide the strategic vision to ensure consistent internal and external messaging and deliverables A strong Program Management structure and governance with executive sponsorship is critical to project success Goals ensure consistent delivery to milestones On Time On Budget Best in Class customer Satisfaction

Communication Strategies Alternative Visibility Framework: 'Communicate When It Counts' Large multi-year deployment over broad geographic area High-level benefits messaging in broad communication channels Specific messages targeted to stakeholders and customers Primary focus post-activation Partnership with Community Colleges: 'Energy Savings Essentials' Low tech, high touch Free one-hour class offered by community colleges How to use the smart meter energy dashboard to create an energy savings plan Special outreach to limited income customers, seniors Barbara Leary, FPL

Communication Strategies Monitoring and Escalation Enhanced processes in billing and customer care Daily national media monitoring Weekly review of customer concerns with cross-functional team Weekly calls with change network All customer questions referred to specially trained advocates Monthly review with VPs of customer service, communication, external affairs, government affairs Barbara Leary, FPL

Communication Structure Decision Makers CustomersIndustry/Peers DemonstrateInformPromote Envision Center face-to-face Direct Mail Telephone / Face-to-Face Envision Center National Media Online publications Blogs Envision Center Audience Goal Tactic Paige Layne, Duke Energy

Customer Communication Touch Points Customer Service and Support Day 1 Day 5 Day 6-15Day 26 Day 45+ Day 60+ Day 36 Meter Reading and Billing certification occurs Meter installation vendor Day 18 Duke Energy Web Page Vegetation Mgmt Door Hanger Manage Vegetation Postcard Notification Canvas and Door HangerOutbound CallsLetter 1 Disconnect Notice Disconnect Door Hanger Certification Letter Daily Usage Postcard The Mark & Don Strategy Old-Fashioned Customer Engagement specific one-on-one high touch / personal EFFECTIVE! Over 1,300 customers engaged since 2010 New Customer Relationships Paige Layne, Duke Energy

12 Communicating Before and During Installation Days: Meet with elected officials and community leaders Days: Participate in community events 30 Days: Mail customer notification letter 3 Days: Outbound dialer notification began May 2010 Day of: Personal contact (installer and SDG&E as needed) and door hanger 7-Day after install: High/Low Bill check Within 2 weeks after install: Personal follow-up by SDG&E with a sample of customers to answer questions and offer information on programs and services 12 Risa Baron, SDG&E

13 Collaborating with Stakeholders Local and national media Community organizations and local leaders, and industry collaboration Technical Advisory Panel with regulators, state commissions Green Partners Program Program developed to expand the reach of community education by partnering with environmental and community based organizations Smart Meter program provided resources to reach out to educate their community on smart meter technology, demand response, and energy-efficiency 13 Risa Baron, SDG&E

Discussion Questions Questions Please describe how you use social media in your project For your smart grid communications program, what did you do differently? New Processes? Different mindset? What are your top two lessons learned? Your best piece of advice to utilities just embarking on their smart grid project

The Duke Energy Key Room

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