Brandpie Energy - Issue 05

Building EX-to-CX capability for energy’s pivotal moments

They judge it by what happens when they need help. And what determines that experience is rarely frontline intent alone. It’s the employee experience (EX) sitting behind it. Your brand is whatever a customer experiences at 2 AM during a storm. Not what you publish at 2 PM on a website. The hidden cause: employee friction Many CX breakdowns aren’t caused by a lack of intent. They’re caused by internal friction that makes great service hard to deliver in a regulated environment: fragmented data across billing, outages, and programs; legacy tools that force swivel-chair work; unclear handoffs; and incentives that reward activity over outcomes. Under event pressure, these frictions compound. Employees feel they can’t help because the system doesn’t: no single view, unclear guidance, limited authority. Trust erodes. This is the truth of EX-to-CX: your brand makes promises and it’s your people that either keep them or break them. When they can’t access information, take action, or explain the “why,” it’s your business that gets the blame. Drivers that enable better service from EX • Simplification through digital and proactive communication: invest in self-service and proactive updates, plus agent tools and automation, to cut repeat contact and free humans for high-empathy cases. • Resilience maturity that improves “explainability”: build hazard playbooks and real-time updates that translate into frontline prompts, so teams can explain “what’s happening/ what’s next” with confidence.

• Operating models aligned to outcomes: align technology, people, and process to resolution and customer outcomes – not handle time – so teams solve issues end- to-end, not just route them. The dilemmas leadership must navigate • Affordability vs. investment: bills are sensitive, yet resilience and modernization demand capital. • Prioritize “work-twice” investments that cut cost-to-serve and empower staff: single customer view, clear eligibility flags, simple payment-plan guardrails, and authority to resolve at first contact. • Safety vs. speed and certainty: wildfire and extreme weather events can slow restoration or require proactive shutoffs. Equip teams with real-time situational updates, scripted “what we know” language, and clear escalation paths for vulnerable customers to sustain trust under uncertainty. • Digitization vs. inclusion: a digital-first mindset can widen experience gaps. Give staff tools to assist digitally (such as submitting on behalf of customer, or co-browsing), plus language support and seamless channel-switching without restarting journeys. • Standardization vs. local reality: consistency matters, but disruption is local. Standardize policy and tone, then empower local teams with decision rights and playbooks. Where trust is built The uncomfortable truth is also the most liberating: you can’t design your way out of customer experience problems without addressing EX first. In energy, trust compounds interaction by interaction. It’s built when employees have clarity, context, and confidence. When systems support judgment rather than constrain it.

The friction customers feel Affordability and bill shock Customers want clarity and predictability – understandable bills, transparent changes, and quick access to support. Reliability and safety trade-offs More disruption means higher expectations for early warnings, frequent updates, and consistent care for vulnerable customers. Transition complexity EV tariffs, interconnection, rebates, and time-varying rates can feel like paperwork, waiting, and “not-my- department” handoffs. Fairness and scrutiny Disconnections, arrears, and eligibility decisions are under brighter regulatory and community attention – raising the bar for empathy and consistency.

The brands that perform best in pivotal moments focus on the basics that scale: fewer handoffs, guidance for complex rules, aligned incentives, and leaders who coach judgment as much as compliance. In a sector facing higher bill pressure, greater disruption risk, and increased scrutiny, the path to better customer experience doesn’t start with messaging. It starts inside the organization, by designing an employee experience that makes the promise easy to deliver. That’s where trust is really built.

Trust compounds interaction by interaction. It’s built when employees have clarity, context, and confidence.

Brandpie Energy - Issue 05

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