Why engage with our customers and communities?

An initiative of The Energy Charter Better Together Know Your Customers and Communities

1. Why do we listen to customers?

All energy businesses are here to serve our customers and communities. Put simply, without customers (whether they are residential, small & medium business, or large commercial & industrial) we would not have our business. To deliver our energy products and services in a way that meets our customer and community needs and expectations, we first need to understand: what are those needs and expectations?

That’s why engaging with our customers, consumers and communities is essential.

2. What’s this got to do with me?

Maybe you’re a network engineer, a planner or a marketing manager and you’re thinking, what’s this got to do with me? It’s easy to think that engaging with customers and communities is the job of those in our business who interact with them every day. Maybe you’ve even got a dedicated team of Stakeholder Relations or Community Relations folk.

Well, the good news is that the more people in our business that speak to our customers and communities, the better we will be. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to genuinely engage with our customers and community you will be surprised at what a rewarding experience it can be, and how it may help you do your job better!

That’s because speaking to customers and communities gives us all the opportunity to understand:

• Who is using our energy products and services and who else might benefit from them?
• Why are they using them and how and where they are being used?
• How can our energy products and services be improved?
• Do our energy products and services meet future needs and expectations?
• How is a community impacted by our activities and is there shared value for all?

3. Supporting you

There are people in our organisation that can share opportunities to engage with our customers and communities and support you in doing so. There’s also a Stakeholder Engagement Framework that can give you some tips.

We’d encourage you to contact the following people if you want more information:

Karyn Looby, Stakeholder Engagement Specialist

4. Finally… share the feedback!

Remember to share the insights across your organisation!

Often people are being asked similar questions from different people across our organisation, or information gained from a conversation in one area of our organisation can benefit someone else in another area.