Household data is primarily used by home and utility companies to identify any homeowners who may be in a position to change their supplier. Companies from within the gas, electricity and more recently even the solar power industries, make use of telemarketers and home owner lists to help distribute their latest marketing campaigns to recruit new customers.
The top utilities brands are going one step further and taking advantage of the possibilities associated with detailed and fully compliant data. Many are now using consumer data providers to acquire personalised data, which takes into account the real needs and preferences of individuals to allow for even better customer targeting and ongoing customer service improvements.
Reinventing Utility Brands
It’s not very common to hear of consumers recommending their energy supplier. Many firms are considered to be providers of a costly necessity, and consumers often remain with the same supplier for many years to avoid the tedious task of reevaluating their utility contracts. In fact, studies have revealed that 40 per cent of the country has never switched supplier at all. However, some utility firms are beginning to tackle this approach, with the support of top data providers and fresh homeowner data.
First Utility has become a recent convert to a more targeted and personal approach, announcing at the beginning of 2016 that it hopes to “stand apart from rivals” and actively encourage consumers to switch supplier in order to reduce their bills. Addressing the reliance on lethargic consumer behaviour, the company is no longer focusing on the use of data exclusively as a means to acquire new customers. Instead, it hopes to reshape the industry to reflect the attitudes of other supply sectors, such as the mobile phone industry.
Fighting to build up legions of happy customers, many of the country’s largest mobile phone brands actively encourage customers to challenge their deals, while others offer additional benefits to ensure consumers receive value for money. This approach is mirrored in First Utility’s new stance on brand image and ongoing customer service, designed to improve customer loyalty and retention.
Nurturing Personal Relationships
The move by First Utility follows the rebranding of rival British Gas, which has spent recent years reestablishing itself as a brand based on customer service and understanding. Rather than continuing to deliver a faceless brand message reliant on historical presence, British Gas made use of consumer list rental and boiler data to identify where it was going wrong and where it could do more to help existing and new customers.
This new and improved image, just like that of First Utility, focuses on customer service and highlights how the use of data analytics can help companies to remain at the forefront of their industry. The brands currently leading the way in the utility sector are doing so with the help of fresh and accurate consumer data.
Seawave Media and other providers of fully compliant data are able to personalise data lists, providing utility companies with information on current and potential customers who are ideally suited to the firm’s latest deals and services.
By embracing this strategy, top utility organisations are not only building new customer bases, they’re also improving client retention – a win on both fronts. Get in touch today and find out how this strategy can help grow your business.