In today’s rapidly evolving energy landscape, customer experience (CX) has become a defining factor for utilities seeking to differentiate, build loyalty, and drive operational efficiency. As regulatory pressures mount, consumer expectations shift, and the imperative to modernize infrastructure intensifies, digital engagement is no longer optional—it’s essential. The Global EnergyTech Awards, established by Publicis Sapient, have become a beacon for recognizing the startups and solutions that are revolutionizing the utility customer journey through digital platforms, AI, and data-driven personalization.
The ‘Best Customer Experience Solution’ category at the Global EnergyTech Awards celebrates organizations that are delighting customers with transformative digital solutions. These solutions go beyond reliable service, delivering seamless, personalized, and engaging experiences that foster loyalty and operational efficiency. Recent winners, such as Precision AI and Mina, exemplify the power of digital innovation to reshape the utility sector.
Precision AI, the 2023 winner, is on a mission to accelerate artificial intelligence-based practices in agriculture, leveraging advanced drones and custom-built AI technology to enable hyper-personalized crop management. While rooted in agriculture, the core principles—using data and AI to deliver tailored, actionable insights—are directly relevant to utilities. By integrating AI-driven decision-making into everyday processes, utilities can transform the customer journey, making it more responsive, efficient, and valuable. Precision AI’s approach demonstrates how digital platforms can empower customers with real-time insights, predictive recommendations, and self-service capabilities, all of which are increasingly expected by today’s energy consumers.
A previous award winner, Mina, developed a platform to simplify electric vehicle (EV) charging payments at home, work, and in public. By removing friction from the EV charging process, Mina enables fleets to transition to electric vehicles at scale, supporting both sustainability goals and customer convenience. This kind of seamless, integrated digital experience is a blueprint for utilities aiming to support new energy behaviors and technologies.
The innovations recognized by the Global EnergyTech Awards reveal several key trends that are transforming the utility customer experience:
Utilities are leveraging advanced analytics and AI to predict consumption patterns, offer tailored energy-saving tips, provide real-time outage notifications, and deliver personalized billing insights. Self-service platforms empower customers to manage accounts, access support, and make informed decisions about their energy use.
Gamification is being used to motivate customers to reduce energy usage, participate in demand response programs, and build long-term loyalty. By incorporating rewards, challenges, and progress tracking into digital platforms, utilities can foster positive, interactive experiences that drive sustainable behaviors.
Customers interact with utilities across web, mobile, call centers, and in-person channels. Leading utilities ensure a consistent, integrated experience across all touchpoints, making it easy for customers to get the information and support they need, when and how they want it.
AI-powered chatbots, virtual assistants, and automated workflows are streamlining customer service, reducing response times, and freeing up human agents for more complex issues. Utilities are also using AI to optimize asset performance, predict outages, and deliver more reliable service.
With over 30 years of experience in digital business transformation, Publicis Sapient partners with utilities to reimagine customer journeys and deliver measurable value. Our approach combines strategy, data analytics, technology, and experience design to:
Our track record includes industry recognition for excellence in digital engagement, as well as award-winning work with leading utilities and energy providers. By breaking down silos and building connections across the value chain, we help clients unlock new revenue streams, boost operational efficiency, and achieve their sustainability goals.
Utilities that embrace digital transformation and customer-centric innovation are seeing tangible benefits:
For example, integrated platforms developed in partnership with Publicis Sapient provide a single view of energy consumption and emissions data, empowering end-users with self-serve analytics and driving measurable improvements in efficiency and sustainability.
The Global EnergyTech Awards continue to inspire and recognize the innovators shaping the future of customer experience in utilities. As digital technologies evolve, the opportunities to engage, empower, and delight customers will only grow. Publicis Sapient remains committed to partnering with utilities to lead this transformation—delivering the strategies, platforms, and experiences that customers truly value.
Ready to modernize your digital engagement strategy? Connect with our experts to discover how Publicis Sapient can help you unlock the next wave of customer experience excellence in utilities.