Getting people to answer their phones is getting harder and harder. (How many calls do you screen at home?) And, yet, that WAS the primary way that CMC got customers scheduled for appointments to support the various energy efficiency programs we run for our utility partners. Did you know that on average CMC is leaving voicemails on approximately 80% of all calls. When was the last time you checked your voicemail?
Times change, though, and CMC is changing to ensure that we secure enough appointments to meet the ambitious energy-saving goals expected by most utility companies. That was the genesis of the creation of the Customer Acquisition Task Force in April, which was designed to help CMC determine the best practices for acquiring customers in 2023.
“The task force will nurture innovative thinking, cultivate and test new ideas, and develop processes for successfully recruiting customers,” said Kate Harron, director of marketing. “Improving our customer acquisition should generate more appointments, better and more cost-effective scheduling of our field team and greater profitability for CMC as a whole.”
Composed of 12 CMC employees from all areas and disciplines, the group was assembled to assess how CMC is currently generating customers, examine our internal and external customer-focused processes and identify ways to improve. The task force’s goals are to:
- Establish an understanding of customer acquisition and marketing best practices.
- Create an outlined pathway to implement recommended activities quickly.
- Utilize evolving channels and techniques that produce the most effective results.
- Develop a standard process for CMC to manage and optimize customer acquisition in support of program goals.
- Support the development and growth of an innovative marketing and sales culture at CMC.
- Cultivate ideas and develop go-to-market strategies for inclusion in winning contract renewals and new program proposals.
Although this effort seems like a gargantuan task, customer care and scheduling improvements are already being implemented in the PSE&G Home Weatherization program and the PPL WRAP program. In addition, employee referral programs (like those in Connecticut) are being expanded to other programs and locations.
Ultimately, CMC hopes to develop pathways to acquire customers that better align with where they are in their customer journey. But, this is an ever-changing process, which means there is no “end in sight” for this task force.
“Instead of ending, the task force will change, grow and evolve just as our customers’ needs change and evolve,” Harron said. “We will actively modify CMC’s offerings to meet customer needs and make sure that CMC teams, program leaders and customers are all speaking the same language.”