first published week of: 03/21/2016
Utilities are going mobile, with all large electric and most large natural gas utilities now providing a mobile-enabled website or app; however, many utilities still struggle with website design and functionality, failing to provide content that is easy to access via mobile, according to the J.D. Power 2016 Utility Website Evaluation StudySM (UWES).
The study, now in its fifth year, is based on a combined ranking of evaluations collected across mobile websites/apps and desktop/laptop/tablet (desktop) devices. The study explores how easy it is to use a utility’s website by examining 12 tasks based on the type of utility: set up an online account; account log in; view consumption history; review account information; make a payment; research energy saving information; update service; report outages; view outages; locate contact information; perform account and profile maintenance; and locate gas leak information.
The study finds that the percentage of large utilities offering a mobile channel for their customers either through a mobile-enabled website or mobile app has increased dramatically to 92% in 2016 from 72% in 2014, and satisfaction with ease of use has improved to 409 ( on a 500-point scale) from 405. Of the 65 U.S. electric and natural gas utilities included in the study, 59 of them currently offer a mobile solution. While many of the utilities have adapted to responsive design for their website—one where the Web content adjusts to various screen sizes—customers are experiencing problems accessing content due to design and functionality challenges with the site.
“Many utilities have deployed responsive design technology on their mobile websites to deliver content that automatically fits on the various screen sizes of mobile devices,” said Andrew Heath, senior director of the utility and infrastructure practice at J.D. Power. “However, it’s not enough to just implement responsive design without also designing the website content customers will ultimately experience on their mobile device.”
Following are some of the key findings of the 2016 study:
For more information about the 2016 Utility Website Evaluation Study (UWES), visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-utility-website-evaluation-study