Challenges 

A major power utility company faced significant challenges in managing delinquent customer accounts. The company was experiencing a growing number of disconnects due to customers failing to pay their bills on time. Disconnects were costly because of wasted cycles for field service to physically execute the disconnection, back-office scheduling, lost revenue, and potential damage to brand equity with customers. 

The field resources could not keep up with the number of disconnects, resulting in balances and potential bad debt continuing to increase. Additionally, compliance with regulatory requirements was a major concern for the company. 

Solutions 

To address these challenges, the company decided to improve its understanding of customers who were likely to become delinquent. So, we helped the company implement a solution to match customers with payment plans, promote more timely payments, and reduce the number of disconnects as required. By ensuring customers stayed on track with their payment arrangements, the company was able to reduce the volume of disconnects and unpaid balances. 

We worked with the company to help prioritize and reduce the number of disconnect orders, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. We deployed infrastructure and developed a model to match payment plans to individual customers. We helped the company provide recommendations integrated into the online payment system for generating payment arrangements. 

Results 

As a result of these initiatives, the company achieved significant improvements in managing delinquent customer accounts. We hosted a two-week training course for data scientists, further increasing their expertise in using data to drive business decisions. The solutions implemented by the utility company resulted in a significant reduction in the number of disconnects, leading to improved revenue and customer satisfaction.