When Infosys asked about 100 executives from the utility industry to name the most impactful trends in their business through 2020, the list included consumer analytics and omnichannel customer engagement. This signaled that a sector, which was mainly concerned with running operations efficiently, was now turning its attention to the customer, smart meters, and customer choice.
In the last few years, utilities have shed their reputation as technology laggards to transform their operations with a variety of digital technologies. The bulk of these transformation initiatives have been around improving productivity and lowering cost. Providers have used smart meters for real-time two-way communication, gather consumer usage data, provide different tariffs, and reduce field operations cost. Solar and net metering have increased the use of renewable energy and enabled small producers to save money. Consumers are now being recognized more as ‘prosumers’ in that they are designing and customizing products to their specific needs. Companies are also investing in open platforms and technologies to create marketplaces and ecosystems for energy trading.