When operating in a regulated environment, trust is everything. A strong brand identity can be a critical component of building and maintaining that trust across your stakeholder groups.
Surveys and reports, such as those from J.D. Power, help utilities gauge their standing with customers. Increasingly, they are seeing a greater correlation between a strong brand and favorable sentiment. In fact, in a recent release, they spoke directly to the importance of brand appeal and how it impacts customer engagement.
“Brand appeal has become a critical marker of a well-managed utility because it shows that the utility is going above and beyond to engage and connect with customers and, importantly, that their communications are aligning with the brand traits customers most value,” said Chris Oberle, managing director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “The best utilities recognize that there is far more to building a strong reputation in their communities than simply providing reliable service. From leading on industry innovation, service quality and proactive customer interactions to being engaged in the communities they serve, utilities that cultivate a strong brand presence in their customers’ lives are rewarded in several important ways.”
A well-executed brand identity paired with a strategic customer communication plan goes a long way in increasing brand appeal and trust.
Building Trust & Reputation for Quality
Your customers (and in turn regulators) rely on your company to provide one of the most essential services: power. They expect transparency, reliability, and consistency. When your brand appears messy or inconsistent, it can create concerns. It’s similar to when a brand you trust has a typo in their email – it leaves you wondering, “if they are making mistakes on something that small, what mistakes might they make on something larger.”
A well-crafted and consistent brand builds trust and credibility in subtle ways with all your audiences. They come to expect quality from you in everything from the social media post they see, to the app they interact with to the way you will service and maintain the services you are providing to them.
Recognition in Crisis
In times of crisis, clear and recognizable communication is essential. Customers need to be able to immediately recognize your brand and discern this is information they can trust. They are relying on your company to keep them safe, tell them about their power, and provide important updates. Especially in times of crisis, you can build or you can erode trust. For consumers, any crisis is emotional and they will seek stability/consistency from you.
Customer Satisfaction and Regulatory Perception
Customer satisfaction scores can play a vital role in regulatory perception and decision-making. According to J.D. Power, “Customers with strong brand appeal for their utility have an average overall satisfaction score that is more than 200 points higher (on a 1,000-point scale) than those with weak brand appeal.”
Building and maintaining a strong and consistent brand can be one of the most challenging parts of a Utility’s Customer Communications team. In our next blog, we explore best practices for managing brand consistency.
Interested in learning more about how we help utilities build and maintain strong brand identities?
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