• 75 Speakers
• 65 Exhibitors
• 20 Sponsors
• 425 Attendees

Instructions:

• Mix well at Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Yield:

• 425 energized utility customer service leaders prepared to take on the challenges of our day, equipped and enthusiastic!

Thanks to the generous hospitality of our host utility, We Energies, we started this year’s conference with a cookie and cookie book.  For many years, We Energies has cared for and endeared itself to its customers through the provision of this holiday cookie book. So this warm, heartfelt gesture was the perfect way to begin three days of customer service education and networking.

Our first series of general sessions focused on the outcome of the federal stimulus package.  We heard updates from the federal, state, and local levels.  We also had updates on natural gas vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and the smart grid.  The next day focused on how utilities and other service industries are successfully using social media to interact with and serve their customers.  Finally, we wrapped up with sessions on employee engagement, operational excellence and customer loyalty.  Throughout the conference there were topical sessions on a variety of issued related to utility customer service.

In addition to the educational programming we had times for attendees to meet with industry partners and learn of new products and services to enhance the delivery of utility customer service.  The exhibit hall included 65 partners offering such solutions.  Plus we enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Milwaukee Ale House at the end of the conference to allow attendees and partners to share a meal and further develop industry connections in a less formal environment.

I’ve included some photos from the conference here. You can view more over at our flickr channel.

We’re planning to serve this recipe next year in Kansas City in April with many of the same ingredients plus a few new ones to spice things up a bit.  One of the missing ingredients is you.  We hope you’ll put this on your calendar and plan to join us.

Related posts:

1. Working Hard in the Big Easy
2. AGA Honors AGA Distinguished Service Award Winner Niel C. Ellerbrook
3. Essential Utility Customer Service

Each year customer service committee members gather to plan a conference of essential content for their peers.  In 2010, the AGA/EEI Customer Service Conference and Exposition will be held April 11-14 in Milwaukee, home to We Energies, Integrys, Alliant Energy, Xcel and others.  As with every conference, we have quite a line-up of programs and activities.

General sessions will be held in the mornings and geared toward broad utility customer service issues.  This year we will have a review of the federal stimulus (ARRA) package from the federal (DOE), state (NASEO) and local perspectives.  We will also discuss alternative transportation and smart grid (both gas and electric) and spend an entire morning on social media success in utilities and similar industries.  The general sessions will wrap up with a morning on sensational customer service featuring Barbara Burke, author of The Napkin, The Melon and The Monkey on the topic of employee engagement.  Check out the complete agenda and run down on the more than 20 breakout sessions where attendees can dig deep into functional area discussions.

Customer Service Executives (defined as vice president or equivalent) will enjoy an afternoon designed specifically for the executive level.  These sessions are invitation only.  Contact me directly for more information.

The conference prides itself on being held in a relevant exhibition hall where attendees can interact with companies providing the very latest customer service products and services.  The exhibit hall is a great venue for networking and discussing sessions as they occur as well as shared experiences.  The conference will culminate in a Tuesday evening social event at the Milwaukee Ale House.

If you are an AGA or EEI member and have never attended the Customer Service Conference, make this year your first.  If you have joined us in the past don’t miss this year – the content is too rich to pass up.  For those who join us every year, we cannot wait to see you in Milwaukee in April!

And, if you are a utility customer service partner, take a close look at the exhibitor and sponsor prospectus and join us for this event.

Related posts:

1. Working Hard in the Big Easy
2. AGA Honors AGA Distinguished Service Award Winner Niel C. Ellerbrook
3. Recipe for Utility Customer Service Success

Commissioner Katrina McMurrian, Florida Public Service Commission, at the podium during the Economic Crisis and its Impact on Customer Service panel. Also included in the panel were: John Caldwell, director, Economics EEI; Thomas Graham, president, Pepco Region; J.R. Kelly, Office of Public Counsel, Florida and member of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates; and Tracey Parker, director, Government Relations, EEI.

AGA Chairman, Thomas E. Skains, shared the CEO perspective on the importance of good customer service and clearly articulated the need for a customer service mindset – especially in economically challenging times like the one we face today.

John Caldwell, an EEI economist, provided his perspective on how our economy reached the point it is at today and shared some thoughts on how long our present situation may last.

Throughout the conference, from breakout sessions to general sessions to informal networking, the buzz was on how to engage customers who are newly in danger of being unable to pay their utility bills. The final session profiled We Energies, Integrys and Kansas City Power and Light and their efforts to work with customers in order to keep their energy needs met while providing a means for the customer to cover their financial obligations through payment programs, grants, fuel funds and other creative programs.

The proceedings from the conference are available to attendees (you’ll need your login information) at www.eei.org/meetings-cs. Leave a comment below if you’d like to learn more about the event, or were actually there and want to share your thoughts on the experience.

Related posts:

1. For Memphis Light, Gas and Water, How “Tweet” It Is!
2. Recipe for Utility Customer Service Success
3. Essential Utility Customer Service