Most visitors to your website aren’t there to browse. They’re there to do something specific, fast, and without picking up the phone. Understanding what your customers want when they land on your site isn’t a mystery.
They want to pay their bill and move on
No surprise here: bill pay consistently tops the list of reasons customers visit utility websites. What might surprise you is how quickly visitors abandon the process if it isn’t simple. Too many clicks, a confusing login, or a page that doesn’t load well on a phone, and customers don’t try again. They call your office instead. A streamlined experience doesn’t just improve customer satisfaction. It directly reduces call volume. That’s a win for your customers and your staff.
They want to know what’s happening with their service
Outage information is the second major driver of utility website traffic, and it spikes dramatically during storm events. When the lights go out, customers reach for their phones. They want to know: Is this just my house? How widespread is the outage? When will service be restored?
An outage map that’s accurate and updates in real time answers those questions without a single phone call. Utilities that have implemented strong outage communication tools consistently report reduced call center volume during storms, exactly when staff capacity is most strained.
They’re almost certainly using a mobile device
This one still catches some utilities off guard: mobile traffic now accounts for most website visits. A site that works beautifully on a desktop but frustrates mobile users isn’t really serving your customers. Core functions need to work as well on a phone screen as on a monitor.
What it means for your utility
Utilities seeing the best results online aren’t necessarily the ones with the most sophisticated technology. They’re the ones that have taken a clear-eyed look at what their customers want most and made sure those things are easy to find and easy to use. Your website is often the first interaction a customer has with your utility. Make it one that reflects the same reliability and care your team delivers every day.
Article provided by Donald Moore, President, Moore Tech Solutions, Inc. Moore Tech Solutions provides website design, SEO, and digital marketing services for utilities, including CSA and several customer utilities.