E.ON sharpens digital strategy to gain customer-focused edge
E.ON is working to offer billpayers more targeted online experiences, one of several moves being made to build a stronger customer-focused strategy around personalisation.
Future customers should be able to visit the company site and browse content tailored to their energy consumption habits, which could then be replicated on mobile devices, E.ON claims. Additionally, homeowners ringing customer care lines or call centres will receive a more responsive service due to their data being more readily accessible.
A social media strategy is also being prepped that will shift Facebook and Twitter from being secondary customer care channels to communities where advocates can advise others on fuel efficiency and answer product queries. Plans to drive mobile traffic though better optimisation and portable services similar to its energy price comparison are also being developed.
The energy firm, like its rivals, is under pressure from the industry regulator to treat customers fairer and replace price-based marketing models with more value-driven services. E.ON’s upcoming efforts aim address both issues by centering on personalisation and optimising campaigns at an individual customer level.
Anthony Ainsworth, marketing director at E.ON, says the efforts are underlined by an “evolving infrastructure” spanning data analytics engines and its IT offering. The company has spent the last 18 months building out both to improve the customer journey, a process it claims has delivered a 50 per cent increase in quarterly web traffic over the last year as well as “significant uplifts in customers registering accounts online.
Ainsworth adds: “Whether someone is paying for a renewal or looking to open an account, we’re concentrated on how we build out our data to provide them with personal experiences whatever channel they’re using. We’ve seen from our initial efforts that customers really value that experience because we’re able to provide much better comparisons on their energy uses. Potentially, we could use that information to inform different tariffs and pricing structures.”
Digital agency Engine has been hired to ease the transition into the next phase, advising on user experience, best practice guidelines, campaign planning and execution.
E.ON’s efforts bear similarities to British Gas’ moves to pull marketing closer to other parts of the business as it tries to boost conversion rates across multiple touchpoints.
