Four Major Trends in Utility Customer Communications

New tools and strategies for communicating with utility customers continue to be a prime topic of discussion for utility companies, but what is behind the urgency of this topic? From the fallout following recent superstorms and other natural disasters to the influx of consumer technologies and a growing focus on energy‐efficiency programs, utilities are challenged to provide customers with more information through more channels than ever before.     

What Really Upsets Customers During Power Outages?

As consumers and businesses become more reliant on electricity, utilities are faced with greater pressure to improve not only their restoration efforts, but also how they communicate about the restoration process. When severe storms seem to frequently lead to multiday outages and customers have instant access to information sharing through social media, an individual customer's perception can play a key role in how utilities are perceived by customers and regulatory agencies. In this article, we'll review how customers are sharing their frustrations through social media and dive into the real reason customers are upset, so you can respond accordingly.     

Business Strategies: Increasing Brand Trust Among Utility Customers Lowers Costs and Turnover

Interactions between utilities and customers have evolved over time from those that were once largely transactional and service-based to those that are now initiative- and relationship-oriented. This migration makes it clear that new tools for measuring the full strength of a utility's bond with customers are needed. Accordingly, research recently completed by Market Strategies International indicates that in addition to delivering on traditional operational satisfaction and product experience, utilities must deliver on a third factor—brand trust—if they are to develop strong and engaged relationships with their customers.     

Economic and Rate-Design Considerations for Distributed Energy Resources

For the first time, a manufacturing sector—electric utilities—is attempting to differentiate customers based upon the reason that they are purchasing less of their product. Customers that use less because of their own generation are being asked (to put it kindly) to pay for the same utility equipment they would use if they weren't generating any energy themselves.     

Use Great Caution in Design of Residential Demand Charges

For decades, electricity prices for larger commercial and industrial customers have included demand charges, which recover a portion of the revenue requirement based on the customer's highest usage during the month. Data being collected through smart meters allows utilities to consider expanding the use of demand charges to residential consumers.     

Community Solar Is Potential Resolution for Distributed-Generation Challenges

Utilities around the country are experiencing booming interest from customers in distributed solar generation. With this increased interest, utilities are facing unprecedented challenges with distributed-generation integration and rate reform pressures. In 2015, nearly 1.5 gigawatts of new residential photovoltaic (PV) were installed during the first three-quarters of the year,¹ and Pacific Gas and Electric surpassed 175,000 distributed solar interconnections on its grid.²     

基于5GAP模型的润滑油技术服务研究

5GAP分析是一种直接有效的工具,它可以发现服务提供者与客户对服务观念存在的差距。明确这些差距是制定战略、战术以及保证期望质量和现实质量一致的理论基础。运用5GAP模型对润滑油技术服务进行研究,通过评价客户感知服务质量的五个基本方面:可靠性、响应性、安全性、移情形和有形性,研究润滑油技术服务质量的形成。通过客户感知服务质量的分析,研究润滑油技术服务的技术质量与功能质量,期望质量与经验质量。通过对5个差距的原因分析,提出提高润滑油技术服务质量的方法建议。     

体验式营销在加油站销售中的运用

针对加油站经营油品的同质性强,很难体现出油品本身特色的特点,根据现代销售理论,介绍了要吸引顾客做好加油站服务的体验式营销,即在顾客的感官、情感、思考、行动、关联等五个方面重新构想、设计营销,将加油过程更好地融进生活体验,使顾客从内心深处感受到强烈的震憾,提供能使顾客产生深刻印象的服务。从加油站体验式营销的主题、追求交易中细节的完美、轻松下的感情销售三个方面叙述了该方法的实际应用。     

4C理论在有机化工产品自营贸易中的应用

有机化工产品自营业务是化工销售分公司根据当前市场形势推出的新的业务方式。分析有机化工产品的营销特点。利用4C营销理论指导营销策略的制定,规范自营贸易业务,获取客户的实际需求,根据客户能够接受的最大成本确定价格,为客户提供便利,保证持续、有效的沟通和自营贸易业务的顺利开展。     

Five Tips for Building Strong and Enduring Customer Relationships

Contrary to what many pundits say about utilities' inability to provide service levels rivaling those of other types of providers, utility companies actually perform relatively well on standard metrics used to measure loyalty and satisfaction among consumers. However, while these metrics tend to reflect and reward strong operational performance, an area that has been the primary focus of utility companies for many years, these metrics do not necessarily capture the full essence of the relationship or the extent to which customers feel connected to and engaged with their local utility company.     

基于SOM神经网络聚类的用气客户全生命周期管理

为了提升市场竞争力,天然气销售企业必须从多个角度对用气客户进行全生命周期管理,以提升客户价值、增强客户忠诚度。决定用气客户全生命周期管理成效的关键就在于能否科学合理地对客户进行分类,而现有的分类方法则未能很好地体现客户价值的现状,不便于对客户进行有针对性的管理。为此,采用SOM神经网络聚类方法,针对天然气的产品特点,选取毛利额、用气时长、用气量增长率等3个指标,对中国西南地区某大型天然气生产企业的546家用气客户进行了实证分析。研究结果表明:(1)用气客户关系的全生命周期可划分为客户识别期、发展期、稳定期和衰退期4个阶段,进而有针对性地提出了识别期开发策略、发展期分级服务策略、稳定期价值提升策略和衰退期终止策略;(2)各个阶段具有不同的营销策略重点,因而能更好地识别和服务于重点及潜力客户,持续提升企业的市场竞争力。结论认为:所建立的方法能更有效、更准确地对用气客户群进行分类,科学合理地对用气客户进行全生命周期管理。     

Understanding Power Requirements,Energy Costs,and Incentives for Data Centers

More than any other industry, electric supply is the most important attribute necessary for siting and operating a data center or mission‐critical facility. The following article takes a look at how utilities can affect the location and operation of data centers by understanding specific power requirements and costs, and reviews incentives offered by utilities in each state for data centers.     

渣油沸腾床加氢裂化技术对炼油加工总流程的影响及经济性分析

以高硫中质原油加工为例,从对原油的适应性、全厂装置构成、公用工程消耗及能耗、产品结构及性质、环境保护、投资及经济效益分析等几个方面,全面分析了渣油沸腾床加氢裂化技术对炼油加工总流程的影响。通过与渣油固定床加氢处理技术的对比分析,表明渣油沸腾床加氢裂化方案在技术经济上是可行的。     

中国石化化工销售服务营销战略探析

随着经济全球化发展,我国的石化市场投资主体日渐多元化,中东等具有成本优势的石化企业加大向我国市场投放产品的力度,国内的化工产品销售市场面临激烈的竞争。中国石化化工销售分公司要应对激烈竞争,必须在实施服务营销战略方面有所作为,从建立以客户需求为导向的组织架构、形成服务营销文化、培养适应服务营销战略要求的人才队伍、加强客户管理等方面入手,建立与服务营销战略相适应的服务体系,通过优良的服务品质和高水平的客户满意度及忠诚度,提升企业的市场占有率和盈利能力。     

Lower Uncollectibles by Changing Focus on Debt Recovery

For many years, utilities have relied on third-party collection agencies to recover as much of their debt as possible.     

加油站客户关系管理

介绍了在加油站油品销售中实施客户关系管理的意义和重要内容：销售过程和结果、客户满意度、客户成本。指出在市场经济的条件下，谁赢得了客户，谁就赢得了市场。     

管网独立后我国储气库公司的经营策略探讨

随着我国油气管理体制改革的不断推进，原来捆绑经营的地下储气库（以下简称储气库）将与管道逐步实现业务分离、财务独立乃至产权独立，如何做好储气服务的经营，便成为储气库运营企业亟待思考并解决的问题。为此，以美国储气库运营企业为例，系统分析了其在天然气市场化改革前后管理体制、服务类型和经营策略的变化，进而结合我国储气库业务经营中的关键因素和现存问题，对我国储气库企业的经营提出了建议。结论认为：①美国天然气市场化改革之后，传统的储气服务商通过设立子公司的形式实现了管输与储气的财务分离和经营统一，新建储气库通过开放季的形式进行预售从而锁定客户，将注采能力作为经营重点加强管理，向老客户提供优先续约权从而兼顾公平与效益；②我国的储气库经营还面临着现行储转费测算方法难以反映储气库实际运行成本、对注采能力重要性的认识有待加强等储多问题；③我国储气库经营企业应建立新的储气服务费定价机制，加强对注采能力的管理和经营，将城市燃气企业作为重点用户加强管理并与之深入合作，在合同设计中对气质、注采能力分配等关键参数进行明确规定，进一步细化服务细则。     

加油站便利店配送中心问题探讨

随着国内加油站竞争的加剧,加油站便利店逐渐成为吸引顾客,增加加油站收益的一种服务方式。因此,加油站便利店的经营管理与配送中心的问题日益显现出来。目前,国内加油站便利店的经营分为租赁经营、单店经营、代理经营等形式。随着加油站便利店销售量的增加,便利店的收益在加油站的经营收入的比重逐步提高,加油站便利店逐步成为一个新的经济增长点。一些地方石油公司发现经营便利店的毛利率比经营加油站还高,于是产生了自己建立便利店配送中心的想法,这种想法值得商榷。     

丹尼尔：原油计量技术的先行者——访艾默生过程管理丹尼尔测量与控制公司亚太区总裁Jeff Householder

在国际石油装备行业,丹尼尔公司可以称得上是一家“老字号”。78年来丹尼尔一直为石油、天然气行业提供高质量的贸易交接设备,他同样有近50年为石油行业提供服务的辉煌历史。自1999年并入艾默生后,丹尼尔强化其全球竞争力,并扩展了技术能力,成为一个集新产品开发和提供更广泛、全面的技术公司。日前,本刊记者赶赴艾默生亚洲流量技术中心开幕庆典现场,对丹尼尔公司亚太区总裁Jeff Householder就有关问题进行了面对面的采访。     

终端营销是中国润滑油企业获取竞争优势地位的关键一环

随着市场经济的发展,我国润滑油企业面临着复杂多变的营销环境,许多企业已经开始实施营销战略的转变,更多地关注营销渠道的建设,尤其是营销终端的选择、建设和维护,以真正贴近消费者,了解市场需求,提高产品销量和市场占有率,获取竞争优势地位。