February 28, 2025
5 minute read
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Bill Pay is a critical journey for utilities due to its high transaction volume, frequency of engagement, and widespread customer impact. With every customer interacting with this process at least once within a billing cycle, it presents an opportunity to drive efficiency and shape customer perceptions. Even small improvements in the bill pay process can have a significant impact on utility customer satisfaction.
Leading utilities such as Salt River Project have seized this opportunity, leveraging a strong bill pay experience to differentiate themselves from the industry.
Efficiency Proves Critical to Utility Customer Satisfaction
As a recurring experience, customers expect a quick, low-effort, and confusion-free bill payment process. Any delays, unnecessary steps, or technical issues can cause frustration and negatively impact their perception of the company.
NPS Prism data highlights the critical importance of efficiency—when customers spend just five extra minutes on their payment (taking 5–10 minutes instead of under 5 minutes), Utilities experience an NPS drop of 28 points.
This data underscores the need for utilities to ensure a fast, intuitive payment journey to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Digital a Key Area for More CX Wins
As a common, recurring experience, bill payment offers a prime opportunity to bring customers into the digital ecosystem and help them pay their bill on time and with minimal effort.
Shifting customers to digital channels reduces operational costs and enhances customer experience, with digital interactions scoring 12 points higher in NPS compared to human-assisted channels.
Despite growing adoption, there is still significant room for utilities to increase their digital mix, with industry leaders setting the benchmark at 75% digital usage for this journey. By strategically prioritizing digital solutions, utilities can streamline payment processes, improving efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall engagement.
Pathways to Digital Bill Payment Adoption
23% of respondents opted for non-digital payment channels due to the perception that it is ‘easier to manage finances’. To address this concern, Utilities can educate customers on Budget Billing or Fixed Plans that provide predictable monthly payments and mitigate concerns over bill fluctuations when using autopay.
Incentives such as paperless billing discounts and auto-pay rewards can also encourage customers to adopt autopay, providing both financial benefits and a more seamless billing experience.
Looking for even more insights on how you can drive efficiency and customer satisfaction? Want to see where your CX stands in the utilities industry?
Request a personalized discovery session to explore the NPS Prism platform. You’ll gain never-before-seen NPS insights based on thousands of utility customers, with competitive analyses curated just for your business.
