Customer Engagement Archives - Page 17 of 20

Our Story: A Look Back at Questline Digital Over the Years

For over 30 years, Questline Digital has been dedicated to helping energy utilities connect with their customers. Before changing our name to Questline and then Questline Digital, the company that started as “Tech Resources Inc.” was engaging energy utility customers through the latest technology at the time: the fax machine.

While technology has certainly changed over the years, our mission has remained steadfast: to build long-lasting relationships between energy utilities and their customers. Read on for a look back in time at Questline Digital’s humble beginnings and how our company has transformed over the years.

Timeline showing the history of Questline utility customer engagement

The early years of Questline Digital

Questline Digital was officially born in 1990. Dr. Bob Hines, a Battelle employee in Columbus, Ohio, was training an energy utility client on economic development software he developed. The energy utility client asked Hines if there were any Battelle technologies in which their parent company, Dominion Power, might be interested in as an investment. This led to the creation of a 10-person spin-off company, Tech Resources Inc., owned by Battelle and Dominion Power to commercialize technologies at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL).

Over the next four years, Tech Resources’ primary service was industrial energy audits and operating an Electric Power Research Institute hotline called Metaline for utility clients. While Metaline originally covered metallurgical-type inquiries, it soon expanded to cover almost any industrial operations issue. A fee was charged for each inquiry.

Dave Reim (now Questline Digital’s president and CEO) and engineer Jose Antommarchi were hired to answer these calls and conduct audits. After the Department of Energy (DOE) began providing industrial energy audits, this part of the business evaporated almost overnight.

Growing pains and new leadership

Ultimately, leadership at Dominion Power and Battelle believed that Tech Resources would not survive, so they offered to sell the company to the remaining employees. In 1994, seven employees bought the company. A new business model offered utilities an annual subscription to answer unlimited customer inquiries; the service was called Questline (Question Line), our company’s namesake.

To promote Questline, Reim had an idea to support utility account managers by developing a fax newsletter to send to their customers. Tech Resources sent out thousands of faxes per month with illustrations hand-drawn by Hines. This allowed the company to expand as a value-added informational service. After several years of moderate growth, the company added some research librarians, including Scott Miller (now Questline Digital’s content director), to help answer inquires.

A new millennium, a new focus

In 2001, Hines became president of Tech Resources. By 2003, utility newsletters had become the main focus of the company. Tech Resources started sending newsletters by email, which led to the growth of an electronically accessible library of Questline articles. The company soon developed the IntraQuest and RelationshipBuilder platforms for content creation and email delivery and tracking.

Throughout this decade, the company appeared every year in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America. With Questline newsletters taking center stage, many energy utility clients began to refer to Tech Resources only as “Questline.” In response, the company formally changed its name.

A leader in content marketing

In 2013, Reim was elevated to president of Questline. Hines, who served an essential role in the start of Questline, retired in 2015.

The original RelationshipBuilder platform was also redeveloped into our proprietary Engage platform to give energy utility clients access to powerful content marketing capabilities, including deployment and reporting tools. Through Engage, the original content library was transformed into a catalog of 4,500 articles, videos, infographics, interactive quizzes and social media posts.

Today, Questline Digital works with hundreds of energy utility clients across the United States. The company’s focus is helping energy utilities transform their digital marketing strategy to achieve program results and increase customer engagement. Questline Digital’s content marketing, custom creative and technology solutions are designed specifically with energy utilities in mind.

The company has also become a leader in performance metrics for the energy utility industry. In 2014, Questline launched the Annual Energy Utility Benchmarks Report to share our robust data and insights with our clients and the industry. This valuable report has helped shape the marketing strategy and optimize campaign results for hundreds of energy utilities.

No matter how many years go by, the Questline Digital team remains focused on energy utilities and their customers. As our history demonstrates, our team continues to reinvent itself, adapt to new technologies and think of innovative ways to connect energy utilities with their customers.

We are proud of our track record of successful customer engagement and technological innovation over the years — and we’re just as excited about the next 30 years and what’s to come for our energy utility partners.

Learn how Questline Digital’s expertise in customer engagement can help your energy utility build long-term digital relationships.

Learn More

Natural Gas Utilities: Trends to Watch in 2021

What important energy trends should your natural gas customers be aware of in 2021? As their trusted resource, your energy utility should be prepared to answer customer questions and provide information that helps customers get up-to-speed on innovations and new technologies. To get started, here are five energy trends for natural gas consumption and end-use equipment for 2021 and beyond.

1. Natural Gas Consumption

While natural gas consumption in the U.S. dropped somewhat due to the pandemic, the share of natural gas for power generation has grown significantly. Natural gas-fired generators accounted for 43% of operating U.S. electricity generating capacity (GW) in 2019. These natural gas-fired generators also provided 39% of electricity generation (GWh) in 2019, more than any other source. McKinsey’s North American gas model shows that U.S. demand will continue to grow from 95 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) to 125 bcfd by 2035.

2. Natural Gas-Fueled Heat Pumps

Combined heat and power (CHP) may have to soon be renamed cooling, heat and power. These three outputs from natural gas are now available all in one box. A natural gas-fueled internal combustion engine (ICE) drives a heat pump, which produces both heat and cooling. The ICE also drives an alternator producing power (6 to 10 kW) that can be stored in its on-board batteries.

The number of manufacturers offering engine-driven natural gas-fueled heat pumps is growing. Higher performance gas-fired absorption heat pumps and heat pump water heaters and Vuilleumier cycle thermodynamic heat pumps are under development.

3. Condensing Boilers

New developments are improving condensing boiler performance. In a dual return system, two return ports, one above the other, receive return water, with each return port separated from the other by a baffle in the tube bundle. The cooler water enhances condensing before it is blended with higher-temperature return water on the other side of the baffle.

An advanced forced-air condensing natural gas-fired tankless water heater combi system can achieve 30% to 50% energy savings relative to separate best-in-class condensing furnaces and water heaters. These developments will drive faster market penetration of condensing boilers and more energy savings.

4. Boiler Control

Integrated support for BACnet, LONworks and ModBus connectivity facilitates many boiler control functions.

Remote control and diagnostics
Boiler-to-boiler communications
Burner modulation
Lead-lag rotation
Integration with building automation systems (BAS)

Boiler connectivity reduces maintenance response time and costs, improves visibility of operations and allows multiple boiler systems to work better together.

5. Boiler Modularity

Greater efficiency is shrinking the size of boilers. Manufacturers are allowing several smaller units to be (literally) bolted together to increase capacity. This allows replacing larger legacy boilers that are in otherwise inaccessible locations.

Natural gas trends for the new year

Is your utility’s customer engagement strategy ready for 2021? Keeping these emerging trends in mind will help your energy utility put its best foot forward in the new year, and help you better advise natural gas customers.

Educate your natural gas business customers about energy trends with a Questline Digital eNewsletter.

Learn More

5 Trends to Watch for Electric Utilities in 2021

The new year is here — and that means new trends for electric utilities to watch in the months ahead. It’s important to stay ahead of these innovations so your energy utility stand out as a trusted resource to customers. To help start the new year right, here are five energy trends for electricity consumption and end-use electric equipment for 2021 and beyond.

1. Electricity Consumption

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts electricity generation from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, will rise from 17% in 2019 to 22% in 2021. The EIA also forecasts that total U.S. electricity consumed in 2021 will be similar to 2020 consumption. Further, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast of fewer cooling degree days in 2021 will offset an increased demand for space heating.

2. Beneficial Electrification

U.S. renewable energy consumption recently surpassed coal for the first time in over 130 years. Replacing direct fossil fuel use (propane, heating oil, gasoline) with electricity is saving customers money while benefiting the environment. For example, even as beneficial electrification has become more popular, carbon dioxide emissions per MWh from electric power generation has decreased 28% from 2005 to 2018.

Beneficial electrification applications in transportation, space heating, cooking and water heating is improving consumer quality of life and increasing grid resilience. Comparatively, propane and heating oil are twice as expensive as a fuel for space and water heating. Electric vehicles are also saving consumers about $1,000 per year on fuel costs while offering lower maintenance costs, decreased emissions and better acceleration.

3. Lighting Functionality

Fixture efficacy in the range of 200 lumens per watt is becoming more common. With energy efficiency of LED lighting reaching a plateau, the relationship between light and health is receiving even greater emphasis. As a result, the quality of light is replacing efficacy as a major discriminator for lighting specifiers.

The DesignLights Consortium’s (DLC) Networked Lighting Controls program is supporting a major shift toward interconnectivity. Lighting is also serving multiple functions from sound deadening to asset management to wireless internet connectivity to sanitation. Platforms like DALI-2 and PoE++ are enabling software-defined connected lighting that is more flexible and scalable. Lighting as a Service (LaaS) is allowing companies to better focus on their core competencies, rather than on energy infrastructure.

4. Indoor Air Quality

Building owners are realizing the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) on employee health and productivity. Electric device manufacturers are answering the call. Ultraviolet (UV) light is being used to sanitize and disinfect spaces and mass transit vehicles. Fiber-based air filters are now built with an electrostatic charge and integrated UV lights to achieve better filtration from impingement, charge attraction and UV disinfection.

Plasma generators produce a stream of ions in supply ducts that make microscopic particles clump together and fall out of the air. These ions also enter the conditioned space to kill bacteria and germs before dissipating. Humidity is being removed by desiccant wheels or added using steam, ultrasonic or high-pressure misting systems.

5. Battery Energy Storage

The U.S. energy storage market is set to grow from 1.2 GW in 2020 to nearly 7 GW in 2025, representing sixfold growth. Front-of-the-meter battery storage is helping utilities with frequency regulation, voltage support and black start. Behind-the-meter battery storage is enabling time-of-use bill management, demand charge reduction, increased PV solar self-consumption and backup power resiliency.

Lithium-ion (Li-On) batteries provide higher-capacity storage, longer rated life and lower maintenance costs. Standards like NFPA 855 Installation of Stationary Storage Systems and the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC), Section 1206, have given users guidelines for safer operation of batteries.

Electric utilities: New trends for the new year

Now is the time to prepare for the trends your electric utility’s customers should be focused on in 2021 and beyond. Forecasts about electricity consumption and beneficial electrification can help your utility plan how to market your programs in the new year. Plus, understanding the changes in lighting and indoor air quality is especially important in helping customers push through the coronavirus pandemic and return to a “new normal.” A lot is in store for electric energy use this year — is your energy utility ready?

Want to keep your customers informed of new trends in energy technology? Add a Questline Digital eNewsletter to your engagement strategy.

Learn More

Webinar: Diversity and Inclusion Strategies for Energy Utilities

Concerns about racial justice, diversity and inclusion have taken on renewed importance this year with a national dialogue that was long overdue. For energy utilities this issue is critical, not just as large employers, but as institutions in your communities and in the way you serve and represent your customers.

In Questline Digital’s Plugged In webinar, “Diversity & Inclusion: Strategies for Energy Utilities,” industry experts from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, Heidrick & Struggles and Duquesne Light Company shared their insights and tactics for creating a more inclusive energy utility workplace and community.

Improving workplace diversity and inclusion at energy utilities

Patty Durand, president and CEO of SECC, started the webinar by discussing ways that energy utilities and clean tech companies can increase diversity within their workforces. She emphasized that the energy efficiency sector is the largest employer in the clean energy economy. However, not everyone is benefiting from this economic powerhouse.

For example, Hispanic, Black and women employees represent a smaller share of the energy efficiency workforce than the national workforce. That’s why it’s vital to expand energy efficiency job opportunities to low-income or marginalized communities.

Durand shared the results of a recent ACEEE report highlighting exemplary programs operated by utilities, state agencies and community-based organizations to increase diversity and inclusion. To engage underrepresented workers, ACEEE identified the following strategies:

Engage people from underrepresented groups with training and internship programs. To increase the pipeline of workers from underrepresented groups, stakeholders can offer training programs to contracting firms.
Focus on supplier diversity and inclusive procurement. Utilities can choose to work with minority, women, disabled and veteran-owned businesses to design, administer and implement their programs.

How diversity and inclusion can transform energy utilities

The world is changing fast, resulting in fundamental differences in today’s global markets and talent pools. Grappling with these changes, every company has their own unique diversity, equity and inclusion journey. Kay Fuhrman, partner and leader with Heidrick & Struggles, shared eye-opening statistics showcasing workforce inequalities and why companies need to take steps to improve diversity, equity and inclusion.

According to Heidrick & Struggles data, people of color will soon account for 120% of total net workforce growth, representing the largest share of U.S. workforce growth. But today, they only make up 13% of U.S. and U.K. executive leadership. Similar inequalities exist for women who make up 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions, but only make up 25% of C-level executives at the top 1,000 U.S. companies.

Fuhrman shared that companies who make diversity a core part of their culture experience these benefits for inclusion:

17% increase in team performance
20% increase in decision-making quality
Two times more likely to meet or exceed organizational targets
Six times more likely to be innovative and agile as an organization

All organizations are located on a continuum of diversity and inclusion, Fuhrman explained. Over the past three to five years, the majority of companies fall between “supportive” and “engaged.”

Supportive companies are focused on recruiting and hiring from underrepresented groups. With engaged companies, the concept of DE&I is embedded in their core values. At the top of the continuum are companies that are considered change agents. These leaders in DE&I have a deep understanding of what it takes to make change happen and leverage diversity.

To help energy utilities start making positive change in their workforces and culture, Fuhrman shared the ABCs of key diversity best practices:

Accelerate DE&I impact and results by aligning and preparing leaders
Build visual representation by attracting external talent
Create an inclusive culture with leadership advocacy

A commitment to being a DE&I change agent

For energy utilities, the workplace should reflect the communities they serve. Sarah Oliver Carter, Chief Diversity Officer at Duquesne Light Company, shared how a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is the foundation of the Pittsburgh-based energy utility’s workplace and mission.

To deliver on a commitment to attract and retain highly skilled talent from underrepresented communities, this year Duquesne Light Company launched a full DE&I strategy that will span the next three to five years. The utility also created a supplier diversity program to support local minority-owned businesses.

According to Carter, a commitment to DE&I started with leadership and cascaded down to other parts of the organization. The first step was aligning diversity, equity and inclusion with company strategy, then inviting employees to get involved and determine what equity means to them. The utility’s DE&I guiding principles were broken down to five main pillars:

Workforce Talent: Identify as an employer of choice. Attract, develop, retain and mentor a workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve. Enhance our employer brand to ensure that DLC is recognized as a trusted and inclusive organization.
Workforce Culture: Lead in driving and sustaining “Culture Growth.”Cultivate an environment of workplace inclusion where voices are heard, respected, valued and engaged, resulting in a workforce that sparks new and bright ideas for business success.
Customer: Support procurement in efforts to mainstream supplier diversity.
Community: Strive for excellence in customer service. Support and suggest innovative customer and business solutions through alignment with company strategy and framework.
Supplier Diversity: Lead in community impact by focusing on sustainable workforce initiatives and investing locally in the success of diverse small businesses.

As these insights illustrate, a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion needs to be an ongoing effort. Equipped with this knowledge, your energy utility can take steps to create opportunities for underrepresented populations — and create positive change in your workplace and community.

Share your energy utility’s community efforts with a customer engagement strategy from Questline Digital.

Learn More

How to Put a Friendly Face on Your Energy Utility Brand

When customers think of energy utilities, their first thoughts aren’t always the friendliest. They might be mad about a late payment fee or frustrated that their power isn’t restored yet. Often, they forget that there are real people behind the energy utility. As marketers, it’s important to remind customers that their utility is part of the community, and its employees are their friends and neighbors.

That’s why humanizing your energy utility’s brand is so important. The more you share the personal side of what matters to your energy utility, the more people see that it isn’t just a corporation. It’s made up of living, breathing people working toward helping others.

Connect with community programs

Many energy utilities have a special mission to give back to their communities. For example, AEP Ohio supported a “Math Camp-In” to help students learn and understand math in an entertaining way. This program quickly had to adapt to virtual learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, and AEP Ohio was there to ensure students could access the Math Camp-In virtually with no hassles.

AEP Ohio also helps customers facing financial hardship with the Neighbor to Neighbor assistance program, which is especially needed during these troubling times. The program helps customers maintain or restore their energy service by allowing other customers to donate through their AEP Ohio bill. AEP Ohio then matches every donation and 100% of the proceeds helps a family in need.

Eversource Energy has a similar program called the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund. In partnership with six community action agencies, the program helps customers who are not able to pay their utility bill due to a crisis, such as the pandemic. Eversource helps customers make a one-time or continuous donation contribution through their monthly bill.

Mississippi Power’s Project SHARE is a way for customers to help elderly or medically disabled customers. For as little as a dollar a month, customers can add a donation to their utility bill payment. Since its creation, Project SHARE has received more than $900,000 in donations from both customers and employees of Mississippi Power.

Each of these examples focuses on helping customers in financial need, but it also shows a connection to the community. Your energy utility is not just an electric service for customers; it’s also a part of the community. Programs like this show that your energy utility cares about customers in difficult times with tangible programs and services.

If your energy utility does not currently have a program like any above, strongly consider implementing one to make a difference in your community and customers’ lives.

Sustainability matters to your customers

Your customers’ concerns go beyond finances. For example, many customers are looking toward a greener future — more renewable energy and less carbon emissions. What is your energy utility doing to work toward this goal?

Dominion Energy has a plan in place to cut net carbon and methane emissions to zero by 2050 and it’s currently building the largest offshore wind farm in the United States. The energy utility is also committed to creating as little waste as possible and recycled 46 tons of equipment in 2019 alone. Additionally, Dominion Energy is focused on implementing building and program designs that avoid impact to wildlife and habitats around their facilities.

Avista is also committed to addressing the issues of climate change and transitioning to a lower carbon future with plans to integrate renewable energy, influence climate policies and lead with energy efficiency and conservation.

It’s no longer enough to talk about working toward a better future. Your energy utility needs to take action. And it’s important to share these plans with your customers. This is especially important as the Millennial and Gen Z generations become more influential.

“Long gone are the days when big brands could hide behind clever marketing campaigns that made it seem like they stood for something important,” according to a Forbes. “Today’s younger generations are smarter than that and take pride in knowing which brands aren’t just talking the talk but are walking the walk. Companies are being forced to change their approach when it comes to marketing to Millennials and Generation Z consumers.”

Show your utility’s personal side

If we didn’t have people working for energy utilities, the world would be a dark place (pun intended). Your employees are a vital part of the community — consider showcasing their work to your customers. Customers often forget the people behind the screen answering their questions or the lineworkers restoring their power during a storm. Fortunately, there are many ways to share the great work your employees are doing.

On National Lineman Appreciation Day, Hawaiian Electric took to social media to share a video to recognize their lineworkers. Many other energy utilities followed suit, but you don’t have to wait for one day a year to share your appreciation. Profile your lineworkers in a blog post on your website or in a video in your newsletter.

For Employee Appreciation Day, National Grid created a video to “recognize and highlight the hardworking men and women” that make up the energy utility. The video was filmed across three different states. Customers want to learn more about the people that help them every step of the way, from starting their service to keeping it on.

A human brand for human customers

Customers want to get to know your energy utility past the bills and power outages. So, let them. There are moments when you need to show your corporate side, but there are also many times to show your human side. For example, empathy in times of crisis goes a long way and being active in your community is essential to building customer relationships. Know when to humanize your energy utility, and you’ll be able to better understand your customers as well.

Learn how a custom digital marketing campaign from Questline Digital can help your energy utility connect with customers.

Learn More