In today’s world, customers expect utilities to offer the same amount of communication as other companies with whom they do business.
Duke Energy has been adapting to this and has a number of communications programs underway. Two popular programs have been available to all customers since late 2015.
Customers can get the latest power outage information on their personal mobile devices by signing up for phone or email alerts without having to first report the outage.
Duke Energy notifies customers enrolled in the program by text, email or voice message when there is a planned or unplanned outage in their area. Key status updates are also provided throughout the outage to notify customers of estimated restoration times, crew status, cause of outage, number of customers impacted and when power has been restored.
About 1.6 million customers have enrolled in the program.
Customers are notified when weather may cause their bill to be higher than the previous month. These alerts are sent half-way through the customer’s billing cycle, allowing them to take steps to adjust their usage before their bill arrives.
Duke Energy notifies customers if their bill is projected to be higher than usual by 30 percent or more, based on their historical usage and whether temperatures are predicted to be much different than the previous month. The alerts include energy-saving tips to help customers alter their behavior to reduce energy usage.
Eligible customers are automatically enrolled into the program and the unsubscribe rate is very low. About 1.1 million alerts have been sent to customers to help prepare them and to provide money-saving advice.
Customers are notified when weather may
cause their bill to be higher than the previous
month. These alerts are sent half-way through
the customer's billing cycle, allowing them
to take steps to adjust their usage before
their bill arrives.
