PPLSolutions' Customer Acquisition System is a innovative system that is responding to the needs of retail energy suppliers and utilities navigating the shifting tides of deregulated markets throughout the U.S. It is fueled by the need for an industry-specific marketing and sales application.
Customized Marketing Campaigns
With PPLSolutions’ CAS, it is now easier than ever to enter a new retail energy market, target a new product or program to existing customer segments in the regulated market, or manage a campaign using a broad marketing mix and multiple sales channels.
Prospect or customer data such as a utility file can be easily uploaded to CAS, making sales or educational campaigns easy and effective. All prospect communication can also be managed within CAS.
Customer Acquisition
The key to a successful sales campaign is appropriately marketing to a given audience. PPLSolutions' CAS allows you to strategically market to prospects, gather information for direct sales and seamlessly move prospects through the sales channel to enrollment.
CAS
- Is a secure Web-based application that allows for the input of prospect or customer lists.
- Supports multiple marketing channels: direct sales, telemarketing, direct mail, e-mail campaigns and broker sales.
- Accurately controls pricing, products, offers and contracts.
- Allows multiple users or sales teams to guide prospects or customers from marketing campaign through enrollment.
- Successfully enrolls customers in utility programs or retail energy supply.
Capabilities
- Provides your customers with an outstanding experience while reducing the cost of acquisition and enrollment.
- This application can be used as part of a telemarketing initiative with PPLSolutions or as a support application for an existing call center.
- Can be designed to meet the exact specifications of a supplier's existing Web site so the transfer is seamless to prospective customers.
- Utilities or retail energy suppliers can market to prospects in various territories and then further narrow down their efforts by criteria such as ZIP code and promotion codes.
- Can be used by utilities to enroll customers in conservation programs or other demand-management or rate-based products.
- Has the capability to pre-load prospect or customer data, which can serve to narrow offers based on previously assigned promotion codes. Credit scoring can be completed prior to enrollment to help ensure a profitable contract is secured.
- Can forward very large, high-profile customers who require complex pricing to a specified sales group or gather information from prospects for upcoming sales initiatives.
Aggregate Management
Becoming the electric provider of choice for an aggregation is a positive business endeavor. However, it also highlights the need for an advanced and effective means to manage the communications among retail energy supplier, customers and utility.
PPLSolutions’ Customer Acquisition System (CAS) simplifies communication, approvals and opt-outs for retail energy suppliers serving aggregate energy customers. This dynamic application was developed specifically for the needs of retail
energy suppliers marketing to aggregations such as government, school districts and chambers of commerce. CAS can receive a file from the utility containing aggregation summary customer information and MWh. This information is fully searchable, and the results can be exported to a comma separated values (CSV) file or Microsoft Excel.
Mailing templates can be assigned to the aggregate members based on rate class and utility. Mail templates can be defined by the retail energy supplier to include opt-out notices, environmental labels, price disclosures and Terms and Conditions. Customers who are eligible for the aggregate category are queued to have opt-out mailing packages sent to them upon final approval by the retail energy supplier. This allows retail energy suppliers to accurately control mailings to various segments within the aggregation by using a shopping cart of rate codes and prices. Retail energy suppliers can manage and approve pricing changes. Upon expiration of the opt-out date, a list of enrollments is queued in the system for enrollment upon final approval by the retail energy supplier.
Communication and Product/Price History
A comprehensive communication history, which includes mailing and pricing, is also accessible in the CAS system. The pricing section is linked directly to PPLSolutions’ complex billing system reducing the potential for pricing
errors. All customer comments are logged providing additional information on any disapprovals or opt-outs throughout the process. From marketing communications to historical price offers, all information is easily accessible
and sales will have the necessary information to make competitive offers. Marketing will have all historical offer information during critical renewal periods. Utilities can view all energy products, programs and services that have
been marketed to customers. The Customer Acquisition System can position your energy company to expertly advance in new markets or increase customer satisfaction with new conservation programs.
Online Enrollment
Suppliers have full control over the offers to prospective customers. PPLSolutions' complex billing system will accurately maintain pricing modules required for billing after enrollment. System checks ensure that all required data
is collected and that all customers accept a legal contract.
Provides
- PPLSolutions' clients with a competitive edge in the retail energy market by creating a dynamic marketing and sales tool that allows prospects to view and select a plan from multiple offers and immediately enroll for service.
- The easy-to-use screens allow customers to navigate and accept the offer that provides benefits and savings for their residence or business. Once all information is complete, the new customer information will automatically
be enrolled into PPLSolutions' enrollment application for automatic communication with the utility.
- Utilities can benefit from increased customer satisfaction by providing their customers with the opportunity to enroll online in new products, programs or services.