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Consumer Survey Reveals Best Methods for Smart Grid Education

^{Published on 2010-05-26 07:05:28 - Market Wire}
 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ CSG Systems International, Inc. ][ (NASDAQ:CSGS) ], a leading provider of customer interaction management and billing solutions, today announced the results of a consumer survey, designed to uncover the best ways to educate consumers on smart grid initiatives.

"The utilities industry is in the midst of an evolution, one in which customer satisfaction, efficiency and communications are essential"

CSG partnered with industry analyst firm [ Frost & Sullivan ] to complete the research, which surveyed 260 consumers nationwide between the ages of 24 and 49 in April 2010. Survey results indicate that communication across a variety of channels such as mail, email, online and through the call center, will be a key factor in smart grid education success.

Consumers pointed to several communications channels they rely on to receive information from their service provider. Today, consumers receive communication most often through the mail; however, nearly 10% of mail recipients would prefer to use email communication. 43% of all consumers chose email as their preferred method of communication. When it comes to interacting with a service provider for service disruptions and outages, billing inquiries, service changes and other types of inquiries, the vast majority of consumers interact with their providers over the phone, followed by online, email and mail.

In addition, SMS text messaging is an emerging method that 4% of consumers reported as a preferred learning channel and up to nearly 20% of consumers would leverage social media sites to share good and bad service experiences with friends and family.

aAs utility service providers continue to build out a variety of communications channels, the next critical step will be to deliver key messages to consumers according to individual preference,a said Dan Colquhoun, vice president of customer research, Frost & Sullivan. aBy taking consumer communication preferences into the equation, utility service providers greatly increase their chances of helping consumers not only understand smart grid concepts, but also to make better energy use choices and become more proactive about energy consumption.a

In addition to sharing detailed survey results, CSG Systems will feature its Customer Interaction Suite for Utilities solutions designed to meet the current and future needs of municipal and private utilities during the CS Week show, May 25-28 in Nashville, Tenn.

CSGa™s Utility Suite of solutions enables utility service providers to address key industry challenges such as:

• Managing an expanding universe of support systems required for a service provider to effectively deliver smart grid initiatives to residences and businesses;
• Managing the quality and method of consumer interactions;
• Reducing operating expenses associated with customer care service ordering and fulfillment;
• Improving customer service and communication;
• Supporting multiple consumption service and pricing options;
• Personalizing support using data analytics to customize communications and treatment paths.

aThe utilities industry is in the midst of an evolution, one in which customer satisfaction, efficiency and communications are essential,a said Bob Guy, executive director, Utilities, CSG Systems. aWith the advent of the smart grid, utilities will need to engage in an unprecedented level of interaction with their customers. The data from our survey clearly shows that utilities will need to embrace multiple communications channels to successfully bring consumers along in the smart grid revolution.a

CSGa™s Utility Suite includes solutions in several key categories, including Customer Service, Bill Payments, Collections, Customer Data Analytics, Interactive Messaging and statement Output Solutions For more information, attendees to the CS Week conference can visit CSG Systems at Booth #227.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit [ http://www.frost.com ].

About CSG Systems

Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGS) is a customer interaction management company that provides software- and services-based solutions that help clients engage and transact with their customers. With a 25-year heritage in providing customer management and billing solutions to North American cable and direct broadcast satellite companies, CSG has broadened its customer interaction management capabilities to proudly serve this client base as well as new, highly competitive industries including financial services, healthcare, utilities and more. Today, CSG's solutions reach more than half of all US households each month and manage over $36 billion in transactions annually on its clients' behalf. For more information, visit our website at [ www.csgutilities.com ].