News Releases

CPS ENERGY RANKED IN TOP QUARTILE IN ENERGY UTILITY IVR BENCHMARK REPORT

100 Automated Phone Systems Evaluated by IVR Doctors in the 15th Annual IVR Benchmark Report

CPS Energy is ranked in the Top Quartile in the 15th Annual Energy Utility Benchmark Report by IVR Doctors on Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. The 2019 Report compares 100 energy utility automated telephone systems in the U.S. and Canada, and rates and ranks their systems based on proven, best-in-class design criteria.

“What distinguishes this report from others is its simultaneous views of an automated phone system from two perspectives: a caller’s experience using it and a company’s experience managing it. Our clients prove that success in both areas is not mutually exclusive,” said Peter Brandt, IVR Doctors’ co-founder.

In FY2019, CPS Energy’s IVR handled 1,550,630 calls out of the 3,473,529 the utility received. “Being ranked in the top quartile is exciting, and a testament to the work our team has done to improve our customers’ experience,” said DeAnna Hardwick, CPS Energy Interim Vice President, Customer Success. “Last year alone, we assisted over 1.5 million customers through our IVR, and have served more than 800,000 customers this year. In keeping with our strategy toward improving operational performance, ease of doing business and customer satisfaction, we will continue to implement effective techniques and strategies with our customers in mind.”  The utility has already handled 1,719,497 total customer calls this year alone.

The report identifies automated telephone systems that successfully balance company objectives and customer preferences in three key rating categories: functionality, usability, and aesthetics, the major drivers of customer satisfaction and system use.

“Over the years, in clients’ public presentations, we have seen a strong correlation between overall Top Quartile performance, and both positive operational metrics and strong caller satisfaction,” said Mark Camack, IVR Doctors’ co-founder. 

The 100 phone systems evaluated in the 2019 Report were rated using standards which IVR Doctors can apply to any other company interested in inclusion in the Benchmark. No other consistent set of IVR design characteristics have been in place or proven effective in utility industry automated telephone systems over the 15 years of this Benchmark Report. 

CPS Energy serves more than 840,750 electric and 352,585 natural gas customers 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Along with our IVR, we offer a variety of customer service options in person and online at cpsenergy.com. CPS Energy is answering more calls faster to save customers time and to serve them better.

###

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *