Social Media Customer Service Accelerates in Retail Electric Space

Utility customers who have questions about their bill or service are increasingly heading to social media rather than traditional means to contact their service provider. TXU Energy, which recently reached 100,000 Facebook followers, anticipated this migration and developed a social media strategy that revolves around customers’ communication preferences.

“A lot of people might not expect an energy provider to be active in social spaces, but we anticipated that customer preference and were there to meet that need,” said Jeff Camp, vice president of contact center operations at TXU Energy. “We work hard to provide exceptional experiences in every service space. If an expectation isn’t met, we want to hear about it and we want to fix it – fast.”

Last year one in five Americans used social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook to resolve service-related issues as opposed to more traditional methods, like phone calls or mail. While many companies are active in social media, most of them use it solely for marketing purposes. Only a minority of companies rise to meet customers in social spaces and address their issues there.

TXU Energy’s multifaceted customer service support – especially in social media – continues to grow in volume and customer satisfaction ratings. Seventy percent of TXU Energy customer communication is initiated by the customer through self-service channels such as social media, TXU Energy MyAccount, or the TXU Energy mobile app. Last year TXU Energy had more than 14 million online and mobile app visits.

“Our active and responsive presence in social spaces directly reflects our commitment to provide quick, easy and exceptional customer experiences; to capture customer insights and feedback; and to build relationships with our loyal customers,” Camp said.

TXU Energy has a dedicated, in-house Customer Engagement Center actively interacting with and assisting customers through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, the TXU Energy blog, and various discussion boards and sites.

“We’re proud to invest in growing our social media effectiveness to continue assisting customers,” Camp said. “We’re here first thing in the morning to answer your question on Facebook. We’re here during your lunch hour to address your account issue on our online chat platform. We’re here at midnight to take your questions in our 24/7 call queue. We’re here when, where and how our customers want to be served.”

“Our customer satisfaction ratings are at an all-time high and continue to climb,” Camp added. “We understand the power of engineering low-effort, high-value experiences, options and solutions based on individual needs and preferences. As our customers continue using social media and other self-service methods to share feedback and start conversations, we continue to be present, to listen, and to turn their feedback into actionable change that improves their experiences.”

About TXU Energy

TXU Energy is a market-leading competitive retail electricity provider, powering the lives of more Texans than any other retailer. TXU Energy offers a variety of innovative products and solutions, allowing both its residential and business customers to choose options that best meet their needs, including exceptional customer service, competitively priced electricity service plans, innovative energy efficiency options, renewable energy programs and other electricity-related products and services. Visit txu.com for more information about TXU Energy. REP #10004