Ease of Doing Business and Amazon Dash

Customer satisfaction. Favorability. Net Promoter. Trusted Advisor.

 

We've all been chasing KPIs, for ourselves, for our clients. 

 

And lately, many of our clients have been talking about ease of doing business as a KPI that matters to them. And in the energy business, or in the b2b space, the idea of "ease of doing business" is particularly challenging. 

 

Enter Amazon.

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

At KSV, we've spent the last two years talking to residential, trade ally, and C&I customers, every month, about what matters most to them to gain a better understanding of their perceptions, barriers to entry, buying decisions and motivators. 

And what we've heard might surprise you. 

In our conversations and research, 83% of research participants correlate “energy efficiency” with a long and uncertain payback period. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

 At KSV, we're all happily settling into a holiday haze and enjoying a day of rest, and we hope you are too.

So much is made of the Black Friday consumer activity, but did you know that 2015 had the lowest Black Friday participation since 2011?

 

In fact, fewer people shopped on Black Friday, Thanksgiving itself (we're going to go ahead and say this is a good thing), and over the whole weekend last year.

 

But you know what has been steadily growing, year over year, resulting in 2.98 BILLION in sales last year? 

 

Cyber Monday.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

The energy efficiency industry is ripe with opportunities.

To connect with customers.

To create a message with one clear voice.

Yesterday we presented an E Source webinar with our partner Lori Acker from National Grid on why creative testing matters.

At KSV we know the only way to get customers to take action is to create seamless advertising across all programs that resonates with them.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

At KSV, we've got experience winning awards for our clients and the work we do together.

In fact, we've been honored over the past few years to have our work and our clients be recognized by Chartwell, The Bell Ringer Awards, The Webby Awards, the w3 Awards, and others.

 

 

We're honored and humbled to announce that our KSV POV Voice of the Customer Video Series is now our Award Winning Video Series. 

 

Our series was selected as a silver winner by the w3 awards for excellence in online video. And, even more important is that we've been honored to hear from many of you that you find the POV videos insightful, provocative, and helpful. 

 

 

For the past two years, we've hit the road all over the U.S. to talk to people about their homes, their businesses, energy, appliances, how they make decisions and prioritize investments, challenges to participating in energy efficiency, utility communications, and more.

 

In fact, we're about to hit the road for our next road trip (want to add a question to our conversations? Have a topic you're trying to tackle and need some insights? Get in touch, we're writing our discussion guides right now).

 

So for today, we're celebrating in all of KSVs offices, and we thought we'd share with you our top 5 most viewed KSV POV Voice of the Customer Videos.

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Last week we shared with you some of the biggest takeaways from our time at the BECC conference, this week we're highlighting some of the comments we heard during the KSV session on millennials and energy.

There is a revolution happening in the energy space.

And in addition to all the disruption and transformation that this new dawn is bringing, it also brings a new kind of customer. A younger customer. A customer who is increasingly aware there are choices and opportunities when it comes to their energy provider. 

It’s up to you, utilities, energy companies, and smart home providers, to make them comfortable, confident and educated in what you can or do provide them.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Last week at the BECC Conference in Baltimore, KSV had the great honor and privilege of being asked to speak on three different topics.

If you want to talk about millennials, marketing, or the voice of the customer, reach out and we'd be happy to share our decks with you. 

 

But of all the talks we saw, the opening keynote held so many takeaways and thought provoking moments, we just had to share three key opportunities that you can begin implementing into your marketing TODAY.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Hello from Baltimore! 

A contingent of KSVers have spent this week at the BECC Conference, learning about Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change and how we can utilize "nudges" to help people make better choices. 

 

And boy, do we have a lot of takeaways.

 

In fact, next weeks blog will be devoted to some of our key takeaways from the BECC Conference (you can also check out our twitter feed for some additional insights).

 

For today, we thought we'd share with you one of the videos we presented at BECC. We had the fun and honor of being asked to speak on THREE different topics, including our voice of the customer video series, personalization and segmentation, and a favorite, millennials and energy. This video was for a lightning round on marketing, and features residential, large c&i, small business, and trade allies, on energy efficiency, communications, connected products, priorities, and what matters most to them:

 

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

We're headed to BECC this week, with a trio of KSVers speaking on personalization in communications, the voice of the customer, what we've learned from 2 years of EnergyWire, and my talk on Millennials and why Smart Utilities are Engaging them.

(Are you headed to BECC? Get in touch! Can't go? Reach out and we'll send you a sneak preview of our presentations).

And to tee up a great week of thinking and learning, we had one of our very own millennials here at KSV write a special EnergyWire on demand response, and why it is a perfect fit for millennials.

Yeah, that's right, we've got millennials who are so into energy that they write us blogs on demand response. 

Meet Lindsey McCabe: She's a millennial. A Sr. Project Manager specializing in Trade Ally, C&I and Small Business Marketing. AND, she's newly fascinated with demand response. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Last week we introduced you to customers who were kind enough to talk to us about energy, their homes and businesses, efficiency and renewables, and communication in the first of a 2 part KSV POV Video Series.

And we've saved the best for last. 

(Well, not last really, we've saved the best for... SECOND!).

This week, we'll take a look at the second video and the last 2 of our Top 5 Takeaways from this KSV POV Video Series. (Miss the first video and takeaways? Check them out here.)

Worth noting: all of the customers featured in this video are customers of a single utility. 

Watch the video and hear from customers on the communications they get today, and what they actually WANT to hear from their utility: 

 

 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices