Customer Engagement Archives - Questline Digital

Is Your Utility Sending Too Many Emails?

Sending more emails doesn’t always lead to greater customer engagement.

Utility customers are inundated with messages every day. When communications aren’t relevant to their needs, interests or lifestyle, they can quickly become disengaged.

“Customers are receiving personalized experiences everywhere in their daily lives,” says Joe Pifher, Creative Director at Questline Digital. “These interactions are changing what they expect from their utility’s communications.”

This growing demand for personalized communications is changing the way utilities approach utility email marketing. Instead of one-size-fits-all messaging, utility communicators are increasingly leveraging segmentation, utility email personalization and customer data to deliver more meaningful customer experiences.

The Risk of a One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Today’s customers expect emails that are timely, relevant and tailored to their needs. In fact, research from McKinsey found that 71% of consumers expect personalized interactions, while 76% become frustrated when those expectations aren’t met.

When utilities rely on too many broad email campaigns, customers often begin ignoring emails, deleting messages without reading them or unsubscribing altogether.

“If you’re sending customers information they don’t need or want, you’re training them to ignore your emails,” Pifher says. “Eventually, the messages that do matter may go unseen.”

Improving utility email engagement begins with delivering communications customers actually want to receive. Research shows that email fatigue is an ongoing challenge for marketers. According to a recent study, 43% of consumers say the primary reason they unsubscribe from email lists is because they receive emails too often.

“Utilities often discover they don’t need to send more emails to improve engagement – they need to send more relevant emails,” Pifher says. “When customers consistently receive information that matters to them, engagement tends to follow.”

Utilities communicate about a wide range of topics, from financial assistance to electric rate plans. While these communications provide valuable information, not every message is relevant to every customer.

Before sending an email, utility communicators should ask, “Who will find this information most valuable?” This simple change in perspective helps them send smarter utility email marketing campaigns that are more likely to accomplish program goals and create a positive customer experience.

Reaching the Right Customers

Segmentation is one of the most effective strategies for improving utility email engagement. By organizing customers into groups based on shared characteristics, behaviors and interests, utilities can send fewer, more targeted emails.

“Segmentation doesn’t have to be complicated,” Pifher says. “It’s simply about making sure the people receiving a message are the people who will actually benefit from it.”

The impact of segmentation can be significant for companies. According to the Digital Marketing Association, 77% of email marketing ROI comes from segmented, targeted and triggered campaigns, demonstrating the value of delivering the right information to the right audience.

Examples of Utility Segmentation Strategies

For example, customers who consistently engage with energy efficiency content will likely be interested in additional program recommendations. Customers with high energy usage patterns could benefit from energy-saving tips, budget billing options or home energy assessments. New customers need educational resources that help them understand account management tools, billing options and available utility programs.

The value of segmentation extends beyond utility email engagement metrics — it can also drive measurable program participation and business outcomes.

A large Midwest energy utility wanted to increase participation in its Demand Response program among commercial and industrial customers. Rather than sending a single message to all customers, the utility used a segmentation strategy, tailoring emails to prospective participants and previous program enrollees.

Prospective customers received educational content focused on program benefits, including cost savings, compensation opportunities and community impact. Previous participants received targeted reminders highlighting enrollment deadlines.

Through the segmented campaign, the utility achieved its 180-megawatt Demand Response nomination goal, exceeded enrollment expectations and reached participation targets ahead of schedule. This utility email marketing campaign demonstrates how segmentation can help utilities deliver more relevant communications while driving measurable program results.

Ultimately, segmentation helps utilities communicate with greater precision and maximize the impact of every message.

Sending More Relevant Emails

Many marketers think of personalization as simply inserting a customer’s first name into an email. While that tactic can help, today’s customers expect much more. Effective utility email personalization uses customer data to tailor messages to their unique needs, interests and behaviors.

“The message should speak directly to the customer’s situation,” Pifher says. “You don’t have to reinvent the entire email — you just need to make sure the most important parts – like the subject line, headline and introduction – are relevant to the audience receiving it.”

Utility email personalization can improve both customer engagement and program participation. One study found that personalized emails generated an 81.5% increase in click-through rates compared to non-personalized sends.

Infographic of 5 examples of utility email personalization

For example, a customer who recently purchased an electric vehicle may benefit from information about EV rates and charging infrastructure. Likewise, a customer struggling with high bills may be interested in budget billing or payment assistance programs.

Utility email personalization can be especially valuable when utilities need to explain complex topics. PSEG Long Island partnered with Questline Digital to help customers better understand new Time-of-Day (TOD) rates. The utility used personalized bill explainer videos that incorporated each customer’s actual bill data and energy usage patterns.

The videos provided tailored energy-saving recommendations, simplified TOD rates through clear visual explanations and helped customers better understand their energy costs.

The results demonstrated the power of personalized communications to improve understanding, build trust and help customers make more informed decisions. Nearly 93% of customers said the videos clearly explained bill components, and 92% found the information more helpful because it used their actual billing data. Additionally, 82% of customers said the personalized tips provided valuable cost-saving opportunities.

The Foundation of Targeted Communications

Successful utility email marketing is built on customer data. Segmentation and personalization are only possible when utilities effectively leverage the customer information they already have. Fortunately, many utilities have access to valuable insights that can help create more impactful communications.

Graphic showing how Customer Data Powers Better Communication

“Utilities are sitting on a gold mine of customer data,” Pifher says. “The challenge isn’t collecting the information, it’s understanding how to use it to create more relevant customer experiences.”

One of the biggest misconceptions in utility email marketing is that increasing email sends automatically improves customer engagement. In reality, customers are more likely to engage when communications feel valuable to their unique situation.

When utilities combine segmentation, personalization and customer data, the result is a more strategic approach to customer communications – one that benefits both customers and the utility.

“Personalization works hand in hand with segmentation,” Pifher says. “It’s really about removing the noise and making sure customers only see what’s relevant to them.”

Delivering More Value with Every Message

Utilities that embrace segmentation, utility email personalization and customer data are better positioned to meet evolving customer expectations. By focusing on relevance versus volume, utility communicators can create communications that strengthen long-term customer relationships.

“The future of customer engagement isn’t about sending more emails,” Pifher explains. “It’s about creating communications that are timely, relevant and useful for each customer.”

Discover how Questline Digital’s customer engagement solutions help utilities improve utility email engagement through advanced segmentation, personalization and data-driven communications.

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5 Ways to Optimize Utility Emails for AI Inboxes

What if utility customers could understand the purpose of your email without ever reading the full message?

This scenario is becoming increasingly common as artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the inbox experience. Major email providers, including Gmail, Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook, now use AI to prioritize messages, generate summaries and help users quickly identify what matters most.

This shift is making AI email optimization for utilities increasingly important for message visibility and customer understanding.

How AI is Reshaping Inboxes

Gmail, Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook each approach AI differently. Understanding how these platforms work can help utility communicators adapt to the evolving inbox experience.

Gmail: AI summaries help customers quickly understand email content, but only after opening the message. This means subject lines and preview text remain critical for attracting attention and encouraging opens.

Apple Mail: AI-generated summaries can appear before customers open an email, giving Apple Intelligence greater influence over the first impression customers receive.

Microsoft Outlook: Copilot helps users navigate longer emails and conversations by summarizing content and identifying key actions.

What this means for utility communicators: Customers may consume email differently depending on their inbox provider, but clear messaging, strong organization and relevant content remain essential across every platform.

As AI in utility emails become more widespread, utility communicators must rethink how they structure email messages.

Here are five best practices for optimizing emails for AI-powered inboxes.

1. Send Fewer, More Relevant Emails

Emerging AI-powered inbox experiences are moving beyond simple inbox tabs and folders, using personalization and predicted relevance to help determine which messages receive visibility.

In a recent Validity webinar, State of Email Tactics, marketing leaders shared how messages that consistently align with customer interests and needs are more likely to be viewed as valuable.

Inbox providers are using AI to help users prioritize messages that are most relevant to them. For example, Gmail prompts users to unsubscribe from senders whose emails they rarely engage with, making it easier to reduce inbox clutter. Gmail has also introduced features that prioritize and reorder messages based on predicted relevance and importance.

These developments reinforce a new reality for utility communicators: Messages that consistently provide value are more likely to remain visible, while less engaging emails could receive less attention over time.

Relevant and timely communications include:

Outage updates sent only to affected customers
High-bill alerts or energy usage insights based on a customer’s data
Seasonal energy efficiency tips tailored to homeowners or renters
Electric vehicle rebate promotions targeted to EV owners
Financial assistance program reminders to eligible customers
Water conservation tips during peak summer usage
Welcome communications to new and moving customers

Utilities that continue relying on one-size-fits-all communications could struggle to stand out in increasingly personalized inbox environments. That’s why AI email optimization for utilities is more important than ever.

2. Think Like a Journalist

AI tools are designed to quickly identify and surface the most important information within an email. That’s why utility communicators should think like journalists in a newsroom. The message should begin with the most valuable information, following by supporting details.

Prioritize these elements near the top of a utility email:

The primary purpose of the communication
Key dates, deadlines or restoration timelines
Customer actions that need to be taken
Important program benefits for customers
Links to additional resources or next steps

For example, a promotional utility email should quickly explain the program, benefits and what actions a customer needs to take. Likewise, communications about Time-of-Use rate plans should immediately explain what’s changing, how customers will be affected and what steps they need to take to manage their energy usage.

By presenting the most important information upfront, utilities can help both customers and AI quickly understand the purpose of the message.

3. Avoid Technical Jargon

Utility communications often contain complex information, regulatory language and industry-specific acronyms. While these terms may be familiar to utility professionals, they can create barriers to understanding for both customers and AI in utility emails.

How utility communicators can improve readability:

Use simple, customer-friendly language
Keep sentences concise and focused
Explain technical terms and acronyms when necessary
Focus on customer benefits and impacts
Replace industry jargon with plain-language alternatives (when possible)

For example, an email about a demand response event should focus on what it means for customers and the actions they need to take. Similarly, communications about financial assistance programs or energy efficiency rebates should highlight key benefits, important deadlines and next steps rather than lengthy and complicated program descriptions.

When drafting emails, utility communicators should focus on clarity and simplicity. AI tools perform best when content is straightforward and easy to understand.

4. Make Your Emails Easy to Scan

Just as customers often scan emails instead of reading every word, AI uses headings, formatting and content hierarchy to quickly identify the most important information. As a result, email structure matters more than ever for AI in utility emails.

A poorly organized email can make it difficult for both customers and AI tools to quickly understand the purpose of the message. Long blocks of text, inconsistent formatting and multiple competing messages can obscure key information and reduce the effectiveness of AI-generated summaries.

It’s also important to avoid building emails entirely out of images. While image-heavy designs look polished, AI tools need readable HTML text to understand the message. If the most important copy is embedded only within a graphic, AI may not be able to interpret the copy.

Images can still enhance an email’s design, but essential details — such as program benefits, eligibility requirements and calls to action — should appear as readable text.

To make emails more scannable, consider using:

Descriptive headings that clearly identify each section
Short paragraphs focused on a single topic
Bullet points to highlight key information
Clear, action-oriented calls to action
Consistent formatting throughout the message
White space to improve readability and reduce visual clutter

For example, an outage communication might include separate sections for outage details, restoration timelines and customer resources. A program promotion could use headings to highlight benefits, eligibility requirements and step-by-step enrollment instructions.

Well-structured content helps improve readability for customers and AI email optimization for utilities.

5. Don’t Overlook the Subject Line & Preview Text

Subject lines play a powerful role in helping AI understand, categorize and prioritize email content. They provide immediate context about the purpose of an email and help determine whether a customer opens the message, ignores it or takes action.

A vague subject line such as “Important Information” or “Utility News” provides little context about the message itself. As a result, customers may overlook the email, and AI may have less information available when generating summaries.

Instead, utility communicators should use subject lines that clearly communicate the purpose of the message and set expectations for what customers will find inside. The best subject lines are specific, concise and customer focused.

Additionally, preview text deserves just as much attention as the subject line. Often displayed alongside the subject line, preview text can provide additional context and help AI in utility emails better understand the value of the message.

Effective subject lines + preview text examples:

Planned Water Service Interruption on Tuesday
Learn when service will be affected and how to prepare.

Enroll in Budget Billing Before Summer
Spread seasonal energy costs into predictable monthly payments.

New Time-of-Rate Plan Starts July 1
Understand off-peak pricing and opportunities for energy savings.

Outage Update: Estimated Restoration by 8:00 PM
View outage details, restoration progress and available resources.

New Rebate Available for EV Owners
See if you qualify and learn how to apply today.

Explore Summer Water Conservation Tips
Small changes can help reduce water use and lower costs.

Together, subject lines and preview text create the first impression that AI uses to evaluate an email.

The Inbox is Changing – Great Communication Isn’t

As inbox experiences continue to evolve, AI email optimization for utilities will be essential. Utilities that communicate clearly, prioritize critical information and structure messages for easy understanding will be better positioned to maintain visibility in email inboxes.

The future of email isn’t just about reaching the inbox — it’s about ensuring customers understand the message, even when AI helps deliver it.

Prepare for What’s Next

AI inboxes are just one example of how customer communications are evolving.

Questline Digital is here to help your team navigate emerging AI technologies, optimize utility emails and drive stronger engagement.

Powering Engagement Podcast: Episode Two Recap

Utility communicators face a common challenge: How do you increase customer engagement without sending more emails, adding complexity or overwhelming busy teams?

That’s the focus of Episode Two of Questline Digital’s Powering Engagement Podcast Series, Smarter Targeting & Optimization. Building on the fundamentals discussed in the first episode, the conversation explores how utilities can move beyond simply sending campaigns to create more intentional, data-driven communications.

Our team of experts explores how utilities can create more effective email campaigns that truly resonate with customers.

Smarter Targeting Starts with Segmentation

When thinking about sending a message to customers, utility communicators should first ask, “Who actually needs this email?”

According to Molly Dannaher, Questline Digital’s Applications Director, one of the most common communication challenges that utilities face is ensuring the right message reaches the right customer at the right time.

This is where segmentation becomes essential.

For some utilities, segmentation may be as simple as targeting newly enrolled customers with onboarding information. For others, it may involve more sophisticated audience criteria, such as identifying customers who recently opened an email, have overdue balances and live in zip codes that qualify for payment assistance programs.

While segmentation is often perceived as complex, Dannaher explains that the concept is actually quite simple: Deliver more relevant communications to the customers who need them most.

Without segmentation, utilities often send the same message to every customer, regardless of whether the information actually applies to them. Over time, this one-size-fits-all approach can lead to lower engagement and missed opportunities to connect with customers.

“Customers can experience message fatigue when messages don’t align with who they are and what’s important to them,” Dannaher explains.

Discussion of how utilities can use segmentation in email marketing

Segmentation is becoming increasingly important as customers have come to expect personalized experiences in nearly every aspect of their lives. When communications don’t feel relevant, customers are more likely to ignore them — or stop engaging altogether.

Fortunately, utilities don’t need complex strategies to get started.

Dannaher encourages utility communicators to look beyond basic demographic data and pay closer attention to customer behavior. Who is opening emails? Which topics generate engagement? Which customers consistently ignore messages?

Dannaher also recommends following up with customers who didn’t open an important email. In many cases, knowing who doesn’t engage can be just as valuable as knowing who does.

These insights can help utilities create more targeted communication strategies while supporting broader utility goals.

“When we segment, we see more engagement, less confusion, fewer questions and utility call centers often experience a reduction in customer calls,” Dannaher says. “Less customer confusion leads to better adoption of your programs and overall better customer engagement scores.”

Personalization Ensures Relevance

Once utilities identify the right audience, the next step is crafting a message that feels relevant to the person receiving it.

According to Joe Pifher, Questline Digital’s Creative Director, personalization is often misunderstood. Many marketers associate personalization with inserting a customer’s first name into an email. While that tactic has its place, Pifher notes that meaningful personalization goes much deeper.

“Personalization is removing all that noise,” he says. “You want to make sure that your customers only see what’s relevant to them.”

Discussion of improving personalization in utility emails

For utilities, personalization and segmentation work hand in hand. A customer already enrolled in a program doesn’t need the same message as someone considering enrollment for the first time. Likewise, customers who don’t qualify for a program shouldn’t receive an email about it.

Rather than creating dozens of different emails, Pifher encourages communicators to focus on tailoring the message to an audience’s specific needs and circumstances. “When you’re doing that well, the message is going to resonate with your customers,” he says.Unlike traditional marketing campaigns, utility communications often involve topics customers genuinely care about, including service reliability, financial assistance and energy savings. And these topics require a different approach to communications.

Instead of relying on marketing jargon or overly clever language, utility communicators should focus on providing straightforward information that helps customers make informed decisions.

“When you write from a place of being calm, clear and helpful, your customers are going to relax and you’re going to build trust,” Pifher says.

Clarity Beats Cleverness

The same principle also applies to email structure. Most customers aren’t reading every word of a message – they’re quickly scanning for the information that matters most to them.

According to Pifher, customers are typically looking for answers to three questions:

What is this?
Does it apply to me?
What do I need to do?

The faster an email answers those questions, the more effective it becomes. As AI-powered inboxes continue to evolve, clarity will become even more important for utility emails.

“Clarity beats cleverness,” Pifher says. “As a creative, I hate that because I would love to be clever in all my emails. But we’re finding that just being clear is more effective.”

When discussing best practices, Pifher offers one piece of advice utility communicators can apply immediately.

“My number one rule is one audience and one goal per email,” he says. “If everything’s important, nothing’s important.”

Utilities often attempt to include multiple announcements, programs and calls to action within a single communication. The result is a message that tries to accomplish too much – but ultimately accomplishes less.

Instead, Pifher recommends focusing on a single audience, objective and primary call to action. This approach creates clearer performance metrics and stronger engagement over time.

Drive Stronger Results With A/B Testing

Once utilities have defined their audience and crafted a relevant message, the last step is optimization.

Many utility communicators hear the term “A/B testing” and immediately think of additional work, complicated reporting or difficult-to-interpret results. However, Jeremy Harning, Questline Digital’s Vice President of Research & Development, encourages utility teams to think about testing differently.

At its core, A/B testing answers a simple question: What actually resonates with your audience?

“The way that I think about testing is that you’re always trying to move the needle toward perfection,” Harning says. “We know we can’t always get there, but we can make small improvements over time that help us get closer to the best results possible.”

Discussion of using AB testing to improve utility email communications

Rather than randomly changing elements from one campaign to the next, A/B testing allows utilities to make data-driven decisions based on customer behavior. Every email becomes an opportunity to learn something new and apply those insights to future communications.

When open rates are lower than expected, Harning recommends starting with the two factors that influence opens the most: sender name and subject line.

If customers are opening emails but not taking action, the focus then shifts to different elements within the message.

“If we’re getting good attention on our emails, but we’re not getting the action we want, that’s where we start looking at the CTA language, placement and the number of calls to action,” Harning explains.

Timing is another area where utilities frequently look for answers.

“There is no magic send time,” Harning says. “But there are things we can do to move the needle.”

According to Harning, utilities should avoid sending emails at the top of the hour, when countless marketing platforms are deploying messages simultaneously. Instead, consider scheduling communications at less conventional times to help your email stand out in a crowded inbox.

Most importantly, he encourages utilities to view testing as an ongoing process rather than a one-time exercise.

“It’s about consistency, documenting what happened and reusing what you’ve learned,” Harning says. “Every time we communicate, we should learn something from it and use that information to do better next time.”

Over time, those small insights become a valuable playbook that helps utilities continuously improve engagement, drive stronger results and create more effective communications.

Turn Insights into Action

One of the most valuable takeaways from Episode Two is that utilities don’t need to overhaul their communication programs to improve engagement.

Small adjustment, like segmenting audiences, leveraging behavioral data and simplifying messaging, can make a big difference.

Want to learn more about audience segmentation, personalization and optimization?

Watch Episode Two of the Powering Engagement Podcast Series to hear the full conversation and discover practical strategies your team can implement right away.

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The Power of Podcasts for Utility Customer Engagement

Utilities have no shortage of ways to communicate with customers. However, building strong customer relationships is becoming more challenging than ever. That’s where utility podcasts can make an impact.

Once considered a niche platform, podcasts are emerging as a powerful communication channel for utilities. In fact, podcasts can increase brand awareness by 24% to 79%, depending on the industry, significantly outperforming many traditional communications.

By combining education, conversation and storytelling, utility podcasts offer a unique opportunity to create more engaging customer experiences.

“Podcasts give utilities something other channels don’t offer – time and a chance to truly connect,” says Chris Loehrer, Questline Digital’s Digital Multimedia Events Manager. “With email or social media, you only have so much space. With a podcast, your audience has already decided to invest time to learn about a topic. That changes everything.”

From Transactions to Conversations

Many utility communications are inherently transactional – designed to inform customers about a program, bill or service update. While these messages are essential, they don’t typically foster an emotional connection.

Instead of one-way communication, utility podcasts create space for more meaningful engagement. Utility communicators can explore topics in greater depth, provide context and highlight the people behind the organization.

Podcasts for utility customer engagement are also less promotional than traditional channels like email, digital ads and bill inserts. The American Marketing Association acknowledges how podcasts can reinforce your marketing message without coming across as too sales minded. Rather than prompting immediate action, they focus on delivering value, giving customers the opportunity to learn without pressure.

“It’s a different mindset,” Loehrer says. “With a podcast, people are there to receive information, not to be asked to take action. That’s actually refreshing for them.”

Podcasts enable utilities to:

Build trust through transparency and in-depth conversations
Improve understanding of complex topics
Create more human, authentic connections
Reach customers in a flexible, on-demand format

Utility industry podcasting also offers a strong return on investment. A single episode can be repurposed across channels, extending reach and delivering ongoing value long after it’s published.

While podcasts are less promotional in nature, they can still introduce customers to products, programs and services they may not have discovered otherwise. In fact, according to Influencer MarketingHub, 60% of podcast listeners searched for a product after hearing about it during a podcast episode.

“Right now, podcasting is one of the lowest-investment, highest-return opportunities in a utility’s communication strategy,” Loehrer notes.

Meeting Customers Where They Are

Today’s consumers expect flexibility in how and when they engage with content.

Utility podcasts fit seamlessly into modern lifestyles, allowing residential and business customers to listen on their own time, whether commuting, relaxing at home or completing everyday tasks. This makes the experience feel less intrusive and more intentional.

“Podcasts meet customers where they already are,” Loehrer says. “They can tune in whenever it’s convenient, which makes it easier for utilities to stay connected without adding more noise to already crowded inboxes.”

Podcast listeners also tend to be highly engaged. They’ve made a conscious decision to invest time in a topic, which reinforces key messages without contributing to digital fatigue.

This creates an opportunity to integrate podcasts for utility customer engagement into a broader, multichannel strategy. A single episode can serve as the foundation for:

• Social media clips
• Email highlights and newsletter features
• Blog articles and web content
• Short-form videos and promotional teasers

Utility podcasts become a scalable content engine, helping utilities maintain a consistent presence without significantly increasing workload. “One conversation can fuel weeks of content,” Loehrer notes.

How Utility Podcasts Can Simplify Complex Topics

Utilities regularly communicate about complex topics, including rate plans, energy efficiency programs, grid modernization and emerging technologies. These topics can be difficult to explain in a short email or social media post.

Utility podcasts offer the time and flexibility to break down these topics in an easy-to-understand way. Through interviews, storytelling and real-world examples, podcasts make technical concepts more relatable to both business and residential customers.

“The utility space is a bit of a mystery to people,” Loehrer says. “A podcast allows you to take a complex, but logical, industry and explain it in layman’s terms. That helps reduce misunderstanding and even some of the emotional reactions that customers may have.”

This increased understanding has a direct impact on customer behavior. When customers feel informed, they are more likely to enroll in a program, adjust their usage habits or take advantage of new technologies.

Authentic and Transparent Conversations

For many customers, utilities can feel like large, faceless organizations. Utility industry podcasting shifts that perception by creating space for authentic, transparent conversations.

By featuring employees, customers and community partners, utilities can provide a more human view of their organization. These conversations help demystify how utilities operate and highlight the expertise that goes into serving the community.

Beyond internal voices, utility podcasts also open the door to a broader range of perspectives, including local legislators, regulators and government officials. Through conversations with key stakeholders, utilities can provide valuable context around policies, infrastructure investments and sustainability initiatives that directly impact customers.

“Podcasting creates a unique platform for thought leadership — giving utilities the opportunity to bring in legislators, regulators and community stakeholders for meaningful conversations,” Loehrer says. “It’s a chance to provide transparency, ask important questions and connect policy decisions to real customer impact.”

Connecting Utility Podcasts with Your Communications

For utilities, the key to success isn’t just launching a podcast, it’s integrating it into a broader communication strategy.

“A podcast can’t stand alone,” Loehrer explains. “It has to be part of your overall communication strategy — connected to your newsletters, your emails, your social channels. It’s another touchpoint, not a separate effort.”

When approached this way, podcasts for utility customer engagement become a natural extension of existing communications. In fact, some of the most valuable podcast topics are already hiding in plain sight.

Loehrer recommends starting with what you already know — your communication strategy and the questions customers are consistently asking. Common call center inquiries, recurring customer concerns and key campaign messages can all serve as strong foundations for utility podcast episodes.

Like any communication channel, success ultimately depends on clearly defined goals. Rather than focusing solely on downloads or views, utilities should evaluate how podcasts contribute to broader outcomes, like improved customer understanding, increased engagement or reduced call center inquiries.

“You have to determine your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) first,” Loehrer explains. “Are you trying to reduce call volume? Increase engagement? Improve understanding? Your podcast should be built to support those goals.”

Building Connections

As utilities continue to navigate evolving customer expectations, building strong relationships has never been more important. Utility industry podcasting can help utilities move beyond transactional messages and create a more customer-centered experience.

“Utilities have an incredible opportunity to connect with their customers in new ways,” Loehrer says. “Podcasting is one of the most effective ways to build that connection and turn everyday communication into something more impactful.”

You’re closer than you think to launching a successful utility podcast series.

Questline Digital can help you bring it to life — from strategy and content development to production and promotion.

Learn more about our Podcast Production Services exclusively for utilities.

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How to Use Customer Information to Improve Utility Communications

Utilities send millions of customer communications every year, from billing notifications and outage alerts to program promotions and educational newsletters. Yet many utility marketers still struggle to answer a critical question: Are these messages actually influencing customer behavior?

Measuring utility customer engagement goes beyond email open rates and webpage clicks. The ultimate goal is helping customers take action, whether enrolling in paperless billing, signing up for financial assistance or participating in energy efficiency or water conservation programs.

To truly improve participation, utilities must look beyond traditional marketing metrics and adopt a more data-driven approach — one that connects communications with the latest customer information.

“Utilities have more opportunities than ever to connect with customers,” says Brian Lindamood, Executive Vice President at Questline Digital. “The challenge isn’t just sending communications, it’s making sure those messages are actually relevant to customers’ needs and interests.”

Meeting Customer Expectations for Targeted Messages

Customer expectations for utility communications have evolved over the past several years. Today’s consumers interact daily with companies like Amazon, Apple and other leading brands that have set a new standard for personalized communications.

These companies use data to deliver highly targeted messages — from customized product recommendations to mobile notifications about order updates or rewards programs. As a result, consumers have grown accustomed to receiving information that reflects their preferences, behaviors and immediate needs.

The same expectations are increasingly shaping how customers engage with their utility providers.

“Customers today are accustomed to highly personalized communication from the brands they interact with every day,” says Mark Wilkinson, Executive Vice President at Advanced Utility Systems. “Modern brands have trained consumers to expect relevant information that reflects what they’re experiencing in the moment. Utilities have access to a tremendous amount of customer information. When that data is used effectively, it can power communications that are far more meaningful to the customer.”

While utilities operate differently than retail and technology companies, customers still expect communications that are timely, relevant and easy to act on. Generic, one-size-fits-all messages are becoming less effective as customers look for content that directly relates to their actual usage, billing situation and program eligibility.

Data-driven communications can help utilities meet these evolving expectations. By leveraging insights from billing systems, customer interactions and energy usage data, utilities can deliver messages that are better aligned with each customer’s unique situation. For example, utilities can use data to proactively share financial assistance resources with customers who may have fallen behind on their energy bill payments.

“Relevance is what drives engagement,” Lindamood explains. “When utilities communicate with customers at the right moment — whether it’s during a billing cycle, after a service interaction or when a program could help them — those messages become far more impactful.”

When utilities communicate with the same level of personalization that customers experience from other trusted brands, they create stronger engagement, build greater trust and help customers make more informed decisions.

Relevant Outreach Will Improve Utility Communications

Every department within a utility interacts with customers in different ways.

Billing teams monitor account activity, payment patterns and enrollment in programs like paperless billing and auto pay. Customer service teams interact directly with customers, answering questions about bills, programs and account management. Meanwhile, marketing teams develop campaigns designed to inform, educate and engage customers.

Individually, each team holds valuable information about customer behavior. But when these insights remain isolated within departments, utilities miss opportunities to improve utility communications with more effective messages.

For example, when a customer calls with questions about a high bill, customer service representatives have access to valuable information about their usage trends, payment history and whether they’re enrolled in specific programs or services. When representatives use that information to trigger helpful communications — such as energy efficiency tips or assistance programs — it creates a great customer experience.

“Billing and customer service teams interact with customers every day, and they often have insights that communications teams don’t see,” Wilkinson says. “When those insights are shared across departments, utilities can better align their communications with the needs of their customers.”

Turning Customer Data into Program Participation

Utilities across the country offer programs designed to help customers manage costs, improve efficiency and take advantage of digital account management tools. However, many utilities struggle to achieve a desired level of participation.

Data-driven communications can help utilities better understand the customer journey from receiving a marketing message to ultimately enrolling in a program.

For example, if a campaign promoting paperless billing generates strong open rates but low enrollment, the issue may not be the message itself. Instead, there may be friction in the enrollment process, confusion about benefits or the program may not be relevant to a particular customer.

“Customers are far more likely to engage with information that arrives at the moment they need it,” Wilkinson says. “When communications are timely and connected to what the customer is experiencing, open rates increase, trust grows and customers are more likely to act on the information.”

To help utilities improve engagement and program participation, Advanced Utility Systems and Questline Digital developed Customer IQ, a tool designed to bridge the gap between customer information and customer communications.

Through a centralized dashboard, utility teams can see program participation data and quickly identify opportunities to increase customer understanding and improve enrollment. From there, they can easily launch ready-to-deploy campaigns to educate customers and drive conversions.

“Customer IQ helps utilities connect communications with the customer data in their CIS,” Wilkinson explains. “Utilities can identify which customers would benefit from specific programs and deliver personalized communications that encourage action.”

Customer IQ also helps align teams across the organization. Billing, customer service and communications teams can access insights about customer behavior and program performance, making it easier to coordinate strategies and improve utility communications.

“Utilities already have a tremendous amount of data about their customers,” Wilkinson says. “The key is putting that data to work so communications are timely, relevant and connected to the actions customers are most likely to take.”

Communications Powered by Real Customer Insights

As utilities introduce new programs, services and digital tools, effective communication will play an increasingly important role in helping customers understand their options.

For continued success in the future, utilities must embrace a data-driven approach to customer engagement, connecting communications strategies with real customer insights.

“The utilities seeing the strongest engagement today are the ones using data to guide their communication strategies,” Lindamood says. “When communications are informed by customer information, they become far more effective at building relationships and encouraging participation in programs.”

See How Customer IQ Can Help Improve Utility Communications

Contact your Questline Digital account representative or reach out to our team today.

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