What is the best way to alert all your customers about a power outage? Whether it's a scheduled or unscheduled outage, letting everyone know right away is the best strategy for avoiding frustration and dissatisfaction. Using an automated notification system, you can create a power outage notification template and send out notifications to all your customers in minutes. With an all-in-one utility communication solution, all you have to do is click a button. Your power outage notification sends immediately over multiple channels at once.
How to use an automated notification system
With SimplyCast 360, our all-in-one solution, all you do is drag and drop in the elements you need. The solution is designed to be easy to use even if you're not a technical person. Set up an automated notification campaign in minutes when you learn of a power outage. Even better, set up your campaign in advance using a power outage notice template so all you have to do is click send when the time comes. Your messages are automatically sent out to all customers or to specific lists of customers that you select (for example, based on their location if they are in an affected outage area).
Emails
Even when the power is out, people still check their emails on their phones. In fact, the majority of people now prefer to check emails on their phones than on their computer. A power outage email notification is simple and effective. Include your own utility branding on the email to keep it brand consistent. You can even provide helpful links to a page on your website where customers can find more information on the power outage and when you expect it to be fixed. You can create a power outage notice template from scratch to make notification faster when the time comes. We also have professionally designed customizable email templates to get you started. Send your power outage email sample around the office and collect feedback from coworkers. Once a power outage notification template is created, all you'll have to do is fill in a few blanks with key details for that specific outage.
Text messages
People take their mobile phones with them everywhere they go. In fact, text messages are almost always opened within five minutes after being received. This makes text message a very effective medium for alerting your customers of an outage quickly. You only have 140 characters to work with, so keep it simple and to the point. The easiest way to do this is to write out the text message for your power outage notification template in advance that you can repurpose for power outage notifications; include spaces for key information, like helpful links or additional contact information, and you can even use merge tags to personalize each text message to the individual recipient.
Voicemail
Automated voicemails are often used by utility companies to provide instant information about power outages. Before a scheduled power outage, send out automated voicemail notifications to your customers on their mobile phones and landlines. During an unscheduled power outage, you can still send power outage notifications via voicemail to customers' mobile phones. You can upload your own recorded message or use our text-to-speech feature to create a voicemail message in seconds. For recorded messages especially, it helps a lot to write a script in advance to ensure you haven't missed any key information. Reading from a script also makes it easier for you to speak clearly and confidently, making sure the message in your voicemail is heard loud and clear.
Social Media
People are always on social media. When a power outage occurs, customers visit your website and your social media pages to get updates on the situation. With one click, automatically post notifications to Twitter and Facebook. Update these frequently as the outage is being resolved, to keep customers up to date and increase satisfaction.
What else can automated notifications be used for?
Automated notification systems are very useful for utility companies. A lot of your communication with customers is day-to-day reminders and simple messages, so why not automate them? Sending notifications over multiple channels ensures that you reach every customer in the way that is most convenient for them.
Use automated notifications for bill payment reminders, online survey invitations, customer information updates ("Have you moved recently? If so, click here to update your profile."), scheduled service messages, and much more.
Create a power outage notification template!
If you just want more information about our system, feel free to contact the SimplyCast SalesTeam! Click the button below to request a demo of the SimplyCast solution to see how our automated notification system that uses multiple communication channels can improve your customer relationships and increase efficiency.