Utility companies face many expectations from their customers. Bills are especially problematic because customers pay after using the product, and the amount owed can vary greatly from month to month. The billing experience is a critical part of the customer lifecycle and has a major influence on satisfaction and churn. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When customers identify high bills or have experienced an exorbitant bill, the vast majority of them wonder about the root cause of the increase. Some thoughts from a customer shocked by Bill are: Why do I owe so much? Why is my bill so high? What are these prorated charges and why do I have them? Help me understand my bill. How do I sign up for automatic payments? How do I switch to electronic invoicing? Where is the contact information? Why do I need to look for the answers? This not only leaves confused customers frustrated, but floods utility provider call centers with the same types of questions, over and over again, reducing the productivity of call center representatives. Problems came when the amount billed far exceeds what was expected and there is a lack of information about what they are being charged for and why. Of course, it wouldn't make business sense to simply reduce the bill to keep customers happy, but it would make sense for the utility company to better interact with its customers by alerting them and helping them control these high bills. Most utilities would undoubtedly accept that they have a responsibility to educate customers about what impacts usage and how to employ conservation measures that then help manage expectations about future billing amounts. Utilities have the opportunity to leverage communications channels to alert customers well in advance. Offer an exceptional billing experience and keep your customers informed and loyal. This can be immediately avoided by taking a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to billing. Engaging customers through smart technology is certainly a key way in which customers can gain greater knowledge and control of their consumption levels before the bill is issued. This not only produces a strong relationship between you and the customer, but also dramatically reduces the volume of angry bill shock calls that utility provider call centers have to respond to, so they can dedicate their time and effort to something more productive. FCI Interactive Bills anticipates questions that potentially shocked customers have and can answer them before they are asked. Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers right away. Get a custom essay This simple, automated and proactive approach to Customer communications gives families visibility during every step of the billing journey, from before bills arrive to after they act on them: utilities can deliver a deeper, more satisfying billing experience that's proven to create trust and reduce costs by preventing their call centers from being bogged down by billing questions.