Updater is pleased to announce that we have joined with Real Estate Business Services, LLC (REBS), the for-profit subsidiary of the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R), as a C.A.R. Business Products partner and that all C.A.R. members can now offer Updater’s moving concierge app to clients for free.  To claim your free Updater account, click “Access Updater” on Updater’s C.A.R. Business Products listing. C.A.R. Business Products is an elite group of real estate technology tools that act as a one-stop source to help REALTORS® across California get started and grow their businesses ..read more

Updater is laser-focused on making moving less stressful for our users. Setting up electric and gas service at a new home is one of the key tasks that nearly all our users need to complete. And, in states where users have a choice on energy, there is an important decision to make.  Therefore, we’re proud to announce a partnership and strategic investment in Wattbuy, a technology company that enables a transparent full-market view of energy and a seamless purchasing experience. Through our partnership, Wattbuy will enable Updater users nationwide to shop for and turn on electricity more ef ..read more

I recently had the privilege of attending Chartwell’s virtual EMACS Customer Experience Conference, a premier educational and networking opportunity for customer experience leaders in the utility industry. The week was filled with sharp panel conversations, wisdom on the COVID-19 impact, and case studies of projects and initiatives that were home runs throughout the year. Yet, one case study session, in particular, caught my eye as a substantial value-add for customers. PECO, Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility, hosted a session detailing how the customer experience team en ..read more

2020 has been, well… weird. If there’s anything we need, it’s a break from the work-from-home workday and an opportunity to network at a distance! This week, hundreds of customer experience leaders in the utility industry will virtually gather at Chartwell’s EMACS 2020, and we’re thrilled to participate. Pups are also welcome! Exclusively focused on electric, gas, and water utilities, EMACS is structured around providing actionable insights and collaborative problem-solving opportunities in the area of customer experience. One particular customer experience in the utility space that we’re pass ..read more

Updater is pleased to announce that we have joined the Utility Customer Research Consortium (UCRC), a blue-ribbon panel of utility industry executives working together to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation in customer service and care. The UCRC members represent large energy utilities (covering over 70M customers) and leading vendors from across North America. The UCRC is operated by the leading advisory firm, DEFG LLC.  Together, the group collaborates to publish cutting-edge research, conduct benchmarking studies, and lead strategic industry-wide discussions on custom ..read more

Utility providers of all shapes and sizes, we need to tell you something: “beyond the meter” programs can make you money and increase customer satisfaction. Seriously. Millions of dollars and exceptional Net Promoter Scores are on the line. Together with DEFG, American Water Resources, and Energy Central, we hosted a webinar focused on how you can leverage beyond the meter programming. Utilities generally score well on the customer satisfaction front when compared to other service providers. However, standardized scores don’t surface missed opportunities to make improvements, fix what’s broken ..read more

As utilities nationwide resist and embrace disruption in different ways, many companies are finding creative ways to build competitive advantages. One simple place to start is with your own customers – specifically, your moving customers. 16.9M households move annually, homeowners spend ~$9K when they move, and moving is the number one acquisition moment for utility programs and products. We believe that winning in a changing environment requires new ways of thinking about what your movers need, when, and how to become the trusted advisor for all things home. While we’re disappointed that CS W ..read more

Disruption of the power industry is upon us. As utilities across the country scramble to stay on top of driving trends in the industry, a meaningful number of companies are finding ways to build competitive advantages.  From our vantage point, it’s easy to see why customers on the move are an attractive place to start when building those advantages. Homeowners spend an average of ~$9K when they move and the United States is the most transient country in the world. Apply that cost to the 16.9 million households that move annually and voila! – we have a $150B industry. And opportunity.  ..read more

According to Deloitte, customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable compared to companies that are not focused on the customer. Why? Because customer-centric companies understand their customers and create value-added experiences to meet their needs—and exceed their expectations.  Consumer-facing companies have the opportunity to improve customer satisfaction and NPS, improve engagement, and increase revenue by adopting a customer-centric approach to business. In this video interview, we’ll hear from our own marketing team and a professor of marketing about why and how to start putt ..read more

Many of your customers move homes. Many of those customers who move will also need to handle other tasks besides electric or gas setup. They need to tackle tasks like setting up internet service, transferring insurance policies, booking a moving company or renting a truck, updating their address everywhere, forwarding mail, and more. Knowing that your customers need to tackle those moving tasks, why not help them before they even have to ask? In Japan, there’s a hospitality practice called omotenashi. At the heart of it, omotenashi is a philosophy of service that says: great businesses should ..read more