2NEW ENERGY CONSUMERNEW PATHS TO OPERATING AGILITY INTRODUCTION PEOPLE AT THE WHEELPUTTING DIGITAL TO WORK TALENT TRANSFORMED DIGITAL DECONSTRUCTED FIND FRIENDS TRACKING TRANSFORMATION MOVE AHEAD WITH NO REGRETS THE NEW ENERGY CONSUMER RESEARCH 3 7 19 20 24 28 32 37 39 3NEW ENERGY CONSUMERNEW PATHS TO OPERATING AGILITY VOLATILE MARKETS, CHANGING REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS AND GREATER CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT ARE SHAPING AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX ENERGY ECOSYSTEM. Over the past eight years,Accenture has collectedenergy consumer insightsfrom questionnaire-ledinterviews with more than80,000 consumers aroundthe world. Our goal: tohelp energy providersunderstand emergingneeds and preferences,identify new challenges andopportunities, and bringfocus to the competenciesessential for success inthe changing energymarketplace. The terrain is challenging. But it’s also fullof opportunities for growth through newmarkets, new ventures and new valuecreation. These shifts are nothing new— Accenture has said all this before. Butwhat has changed now is that the utilitiesindustry is reaching a point of no return. Long-standing business models arebeing actively disrupted. Solar, storage,microgrids and other distributed energyresources (DERs) are combining withthe rapidly falling costs of disruptivetechnology, the proliferation ofautomation and artificial intelligence,and the increased adoption of energy- eficiency products and services. At thesame time, consumer expectations arenow liquid, flowing from one experienceto the next and challenging energyproviders to keep pace with standardsset in other industries. In this era ofthe digitalization of everything, andof hyper-relevant personalization, arelentless obsession with customers isno longer an option. It’s a must. In the face of these game-changingshifts, successful energy providersare pivoting to a new decentralized,decarbonized and digital world. Theyare developing future-forward strategiesand building new capabilities thatenable them to seize opportunitiesand scale quickly. In the previousreport, New Energy Consumer:Thriving in the Energy Ecosystem,Accenture identified four consumertrends: instant everything, hyperrelevant, meaningful experiences andcollective consumption. Through ourresearch program, we have continuedto track these trends under theongoing influence of disruptive digitaltechnologies and the market realities ofthe new energy ecosystem. To ofer aforward-looking view of the implicationsfor customer operating models, thetrends focus on the latest customerattitudes and behaviors. Our “Maythe bots be with you” report captures,for example, the way robotic processautomation and artificial intelligenceare facilitating new consumer insights,customer engagement personalizationand are taking instant everything to anew level (see Figure 1). 4NEW ENERGY CONSUMERNEW PATHS TO OPERATING AGILITY FIGURE 1. CHANGING CONSUMER BEHAVIORS AND PREFERENCESARE IMPACTING ENERGY PROVIDERS AND DRIVING THEIR DIGITALOPERATING MODELS FORWARD. When it comes to digital, there is a wide spectrum of possible engagements, with digital activeusers at one end and the unengaged status quo at the other. To date, most energy providershave led with a technology approach to digital, leading to disappointed customers andproviders. It’s time to rethink that approach. TOTALLY DIGITAL MAYBE NOT Providers are no longer on their own in the quest to keep pace with consumers’ “instanteverything” expectations. Artificial intelligence is quickly changing the customer serviceparadigm. Now is the time to make investments and use bots to delight customers—and deliveragainst key goals. MAY THE BOTS BE WITH YOU The way to keep consumers engaged, loyal and satisfied is through relationships that aremeaningful and individualized – moving from touchpoints to trustpoints. Successful energyproviders are ofering personalized experiences and relevant products and services, where andwhen customers want them. THIS TIME IT GETS PERSONAL Energy providers are on the edge of a major shift from commodity provider to orchestrator ofan innovative, fluid ecosystem. The winners will form diverse partnerships, collaborations andalliances to spur innovation, drive product and service development, accelerate culture changeand capture new opportunities. PARTNER OR PERISH Transient consumers are nothing new. But their dynamics are accelerating due to marketshifts, disruptive technologies and regulatory changes. More than ever, providers need deeperinsights so they can understand, act on—and profit from—individual consumer preferences andbehaviors. Switchers matter. SWITCH THE SWITCHERS。。。。。。