ATLANTA, Oct. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When 91 percent of adults own mobile phones and more than half of those are smart phones (according to Pew Research Center), it makes sense that mobile apps and technologies should be front and center within a company's customer self-service strategy. "That includes electric and gas utilities," advises Brian Jackson, Web Services Manager for APOGEE Interactive, who will be presenting at the 2nd Annual Utility Self-Service Summit by Conferences Connect in Las Vegas Nov. 11 – 14.
"More than two-thirds of those adults use their phones to go online, and these percentages hold pretty steady across all income levels, too. This makes cell phones essential in any marketing plan," Jackson added.
But how does a company possibly manage and update their primary website, microsites and social media sites in a way that presents effectively on any cell phone regardless of the type? Responsive design and robust content management tools are just a few of the latest technologies Jackson will cover in the conference workshop the morning of Nov. 13 titled, "How to Deliver Great Self-Service."
Joe Polaski, Director of Business Development for APOGEE, will co-present with Jackson, covering the role of Interactive Voice Response, Interactive Text Response and billing-integrated applications and technologies. "Strides in the relevancy and quality of data that can be provided to customers in virtually real-time are astounding," Polaski added. "Utilities, by virtue of their smart grid systems, can deliver more usable and actionable information to their consumers."
Taking self service from grudge to great is possible today if you master the right tools, shift from traditional marketing viewpoints and harness new mobile enablement possibilities, said Jackson.
Utility marketing and communications professionals from more than 60 investor-owned, municipal and cooperative energy utilities are expected to attend the Self-Service Summit, which caps off the "Customer Experience Week" conference taking place Nov. 11 to Nov. 14 at Bally's Las Vegas and produced by Conferences Connect. APOGEE is a gold sponsor of this outstanding networking and learning opportunity for utilities. Interested professionals should register now as space is limited.
APOGEE Interactive, Inc. (www.apogee.net) is the leading provider of online energy analysis and customer engagement applications to 650 electric and gas utilities across the US, reaching more than 56 million customers. Founded in 1993, Apogee pioneered electronic applications designed to increase a utility's customer engagement and consumer energy efficiency. Today its predictive software consistently earns high marks for accuracy and ease of use. Clients include investor-owned, municipal and cooperative energy companies including Con Edison (ED), American Electric Power (AEP), Entergy (ETR), Southern Company (SO), NSTAR (NST), Salt River Project, Jackson EMC and Flint Energies.
Conferences Connect (www.conferencesconnect.com) is the leading provider of energy conferences, webinars and workshops. Founded in 2005, Conferences Connect produces and hosts conferences that feature a single focus topic critical to the energy industry. Conferences Connect features utility case study presentations and networking that ensures participants can effectively benchmark against each other and learn collaboratively.