By Jenna Weinerman

Published Sep 15, 2020

Updated Dec 21, 2023

Updater is pleased to announce that we have joined the Utility Customer Research Consortium (UCRC), a blue-ribbon panel of utility industry executives working together to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation in customer service and care. The UCRC members represent large energy utilities (covering over 70M customers) and leading vendors from across North America. The UCRC is operated by the leading advisory firm, DEFG LLC.

Together, the group collaborates to publish cutting-edge research, conduct benchmarking studies, and lead strategic industry-wide discussions on customer strategy and operations in the sector. With technology playing an increasingly critical role in every aspect of the utility industry, we recognize that accelerating the development of industry-specific solutions will ensure that both movers and utilities receive more efficiency via digital solutions than ever before. Working as one team, utilities and vendors together can unlock the full potential of digital transformations for utility customers.

“We warmly welcome the Updater team as a member of the Utility Customer Research Consortium,” said Jamie Wimberly, CEO of DEFG LLC. “Updater’s mission, to extend the utility’s offering, improve the customer experience when moving, and increase customer adoption for utility programs, is a perfect fit with UCRC’s focus on customer transformation.”

To kick off the partnership, Wimberly recently joined Updater and American Water Resources on an Energy Central webinar titled, “How to Leverage Beyond the Meter Programs.” You can view the on-demand version here.

2020 Annual State of the Utility Customer Report

Each year, the UCRC publishes a state of customer report, testing the most basic assumptions underpinning customer strategies in the energy sector. In 2020, the consortium discovered the following:

• Most customers believe utilities provide good customer service.

• Most customers value their utility over other service providers.

• Assumptions around reliability, equity, and ownership may be outdated.

To read the full report for free, please click here.

“Strategic partnerships and shared knowledge are imperative to our growth as an industry,” said Dennis Donovan, VP of Energy & Warranty verticals at Updater. “Updater’s addition to the notable UCRC members creates an opportunity to better serve customers with offerings throughout the move lifecycle and digital solutions to solve real customer pain points.”

We look forward to working with all UCRC members and the utility industry to drive innovation for customers and movers nationwide.

To learn more about Updater’s solutions for utilities, please click here.

Jenna Weinerman

Jenna is Updater’s VP of Marketing and a published ReloTech expert. She’s an endless seeker of knowledge, a lover of craft brews, and a huge Philadelphia sports fan. Follow her on X here.