The platform uses unique social media, gamification and other features to drive engagement, uses automatic rebate submissions, vendor marketplaces and other features to make taking action easy, and has functionality to cover the full breadth of utility engagement programs (web portals, out-bound messaging, field staff ops., reporting, etc.).
Engaging with Consumers
Rory Jones | PlanetEcosystems
Who is PlanetEcosystems?
What does PlanetEcosystems offer, and to whom?
As utility markets become more competitive, PEI provides turnkey services that bring utility relationships with consumers to a much more meaningful level; using engaging web portals, out-bound communications/messaging and consumer program management. Notably, PEI has proprietary tools and capabilities that are particularly effective in persuading consumers to reduce their demand for utility services – whether electricity, gas or water. These techniques go far beyond the normative-comparative technique offered by existing market players, and includes the P-ECOSYS consumer engagement web platform, which helps consumers quickly and easily manage their utility systems and mitigate their utility spending – often saving consumers tens of thousands of dollars in net cumulative savings.
What challenge(s) in the market does PlanetEcosystems resolve with its consumer engagement platform?
PlanetEcosystems’ P-ECOSYS platform resolves two increasingly urgent challenges for utilities; achieving deep reductions in energy and water demand, and fostering substantive and positive relationships with consumers.
How does it work?
The platform is entirely oriented around the consumer’s perspective; it seeks to maximize the consumers upside, while simultaneously minimizing any consumer effort and outlay. The platform uses the consumer’s own wants and needs to motivate action (maximize savings, minimize carbon footprint, improve living conditions, etc.) using a proprietary optimization technology (“USO” - utility system optimization). The platform uses unique social media, gamification and other features to drive engagement, uses automatic rebate submissions, vendor marketplaces and other features to make taking action easy, and has functionality to cover the full breadth of utility engagement programs (web portals, out-bound messaging, field staff ops., reporting, etc.).
What does it look like from the eyes of a typical energy consumer?
This is a win-win-win. The consumer gets an optimized utility system (again, often worth tens of thousands of dollars in net cumulative savings – or optimized to some other want/need), the utility gets to make substantial advancement to their mandated demand reduction targets, and the local government sees increased economic activity and advancement to its own demand reduction mandates.
What does the utility see and how much effort is required on their part to implement the platform?
The platform is plug-and-play, taking 60 days to install.
What are the new upgrades to PlanetEcosystems’ platform, and how does the platform compare to competing solutions?
The new version of PlanetEcosystems’ plug-and-play solution addresses several features in one comprehensive platform (features listed below). In addition, the breadth of the consumer engagement activities supported by the company’s platform far exceeds the capabilities of competing solutions, resulting in much happier consumers.
- Providing single, and now multi-family, residential consumers with easy-to-use optimization tools that can save tens of thousands of dollars in net cumulative savings
- Expanded optimization tool functionality; providing answers to other highly-compelling consumer motivations such as minimizing carbon footprints, and improving health and comfort conditions
- Powerful and engaging social media capabilities, proven to enhance the consumer relationship and drive engagement
- Extensive capabilities supporting effective field operations, including tools for energy advisors (phone and in-person), canvassers, auditors, installers and others
- Automated rebate submissions and administrative processing; dramatically reducing errors while increasing consumer participation and engagement
- Efficient contractor and vendor coordination portal for opt-in information sharing and scheduling
- Mass-customized outbound outreach messaging, including engagement mailers, bill presentation, energy reports, and call-center support
Rory Jones, CEO and co-founder of PlanetEcosystems
Rory co-founded PlanetEcosystems after two decades leading business services organizations. This includes leading Business Value Associates, a premier tech sector strategy consulting firm, serving as SVP, Business Development with Nextera, a publicly traded technology services provider, and leading the US Shareholder Value consulting practice as a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a leading global consultancy. Previously, Rory held senior executive positions at Thomson Electronics in Europe. Rory earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, a BSc in Engineering from the City University in London, and is a thought leader in technology, markets and finance; his book, Boosting Cash Flow & Shareholder Value, is published by John Wiley & Co.
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag
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