For utilities, the phone is an essential tool in an omnichannel communication strategy. Many customers prefer text and email for routine communications, but phone calls are still the best way to alert customers to outages, provide emergency notifications, and prevent service disconnections.

But it’s hard to get customers on the phone. 98% of utilities report placing more than 100,000 outbound calls per month, but only one in ten calls is answered. For collections departments, the answer rate is even lower. 88% of customers say they’re more likely to answer a call when they know who is calling, but even calls from legitimate numbers can be labeled as “unknown” or “spam likely”.

Customer contact solutions can increase answer rates and boost RPCs. In this playbook, you’ll learn:

• How to prevent call mislabeling and net a higher customer response rate.
• How effective phone strategy positively impacts customer care and company KPIs.
• Five ways to improve phone communications with customers