In early May we made our way to Fort Lauderdale to discuss social media for utilities with some of the leading social customer care teams in the energy, gas and water industry. A common theme throughout the conference was how to engage utility customers 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s pretty clear that these utility teams believe in thinking outside the box to look for content in unexpected places.

Keeping in contact with your utility customers is imperative and of course this should be integrated into your emergency preparedness plan. Sometimes engaging is actually worse because you can’t actually solve the issue. However, there are many situations that can be conveyed to tell a story to your customers in order to inform and educate them.

Do you have a female line worker? Show your audience that this isn’t just a man’s job. Has a customer called in with a big thanks for a job well done? Get the story on video. Is there a historical establishment in your territory using your amenities? Tell the story!

Any business can learn from this type of outreach. We are about to go purchase a Canon Rebel ourselves.