Published On: 04.07.14 | 

By: Ike Pigott

Social service with a smile

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Many customers are changing their preferences in how they expect to do business, and Alabama Power is adapting.

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Alabama Power on Twitter

Social media channels like Facebook and Twitter offer instant messaging to millions in Alabama, and an estimated 54% of Alabama Power customers have a Facebook profile. As customers get more comfortable doing business with companies and retailers through social channels, there will be a rising expectation that they will want to do so with their utility.

Utilities are moving quickly to catch up. According to a recent E-Source survey, 92 percent of electric utilities in the United States and Canada have active Twitter accounts, and 86 percent are now on Facebook. That is up from just three years ago, when a little over half were on either of those social networks. But a much smaller percentage is actually helping customers through those sites.

Alabama Power’s Online Service and Support team (OSS) currently has five employees with call center experience. This team spends spends the majority of its time on email inquiries, with a goal of turning those questions around within a day. In between emails, that team is also responsible for responding to notifications that come in from Alabama Power’s social media accounts. OSS team members address those questions and comments in a more immediate, but not quite real-time manner.

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Alabama Power on Facebook

“Our goal is to respond to our online customers, regardless if their request comes through our website or a social media channel like Facebook or Twitter,” said OSS supervisor Paul Lumpkin.  “Many customers choose our online options because it is a form of multitasking and it fits well with their schedule.”

Currently, the OSS and other customer care employees have social media covered from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekends.

The big value the team provides revolves around customer satisfaction. Utilities who have been engaging with customers in social media report a noticeable bump in their J.D. Power favorability ratings.

“That’s really the bottom line for us. Being where our customers expect us to be, and providing them with superior service where it makes sense,” said Wesley Higgins, supervisor of Alabama Power’s technology support group. “We want to be available in whatever channel the customer chooses to interact with us.  Whether it is face to face in a local office, or talking to them over the phone 24×7, or through social media tweets and posts, we are here to serve and satisfy our customers.”