Customer Engagement

As customer expectations evolve, utilities are reimagining engagement through digital platforms, personalized communications, energy programs, and equity-focused solutions. This track highlights how utilities build trust, improve satisfaction, and deliver value while addressing the diverse needs of customers. Learn how data, technology, and human-centered design strengthen utility-customer relationships.

Core Concepts

  • Customer-centric utility model
  • Energy equity and access
  • Personalization of services
  • Proactive outage communication
  • Community trust building
  • Engagement in clean energy programs
  • Education on energy efficiency and electrification
  • Digital-first customer experiences
  • Multi-channel communications strategy
  • Behavioral energy insights
Session

Customer Engagement educational opportunities

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8:45 AM
  1. Opening Panel: Cultivating Public Trust as an Essential Affordability Strategy
    Grand Ballroom A&B
    45 mins
    Since 2020, New England electricity prices have climbed at three times the national average, transforming the utility bill into the primary flashpoint between the energy industry and the public. How c …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Jeremy McDiarmid
    Jeremy McDiarmid, Commission Chair - Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities
    Speaker image for Greg Cornett
    Greg Cornett, President - Rhode Island Energy
    Speaker image for Martha Davis
    Martha Davis, Managing Consultant - Atrium Economics
    Speaker image for Douglas Foley
    Douglas Foley, President, Electric Operations, Massachusetts - Eversource
2:30 PM
  1. Redefining the Utility-Customer Value Exchange
    Grand Ballroom C&D
    45 mins
    Today’s utility customers expect the same real-time transparency they get from modern retail experiences. To meet these rising expectations, utilities must move past merely explaining power delivery a …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Nick Watson
    Nick Watson, Director of Flexible Resource Engineering - National Grid

Other Customer Engagement News

Visit Our Official Media Partner, Factor This, for more Customer Engagement News

Insights from the Wildfire & Weather Emergency Response Summit at DTECH Reliability & Resilience

The severity and frequency of recent wildfires highlight the fact that conventional utility approaches to these challenges are no longer sufficient.
September 18, 2026
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Winter storms Fern and Gianna tested the US power grid; 2027 could bring a bigger reliability challenge

Generators performed better and winterization paid off, but a multi-day cold event exposed fuel and supply chain strains that rising demand will only intensify.
September 17, 2026
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How dank are your weeds? Inside a Portland utility’s novel wildfire prevention plan

Portland General Electric is launching a "first of its kind" wildfire research program that involves measuring the moisture levels in live plants to learn how vegetation conditions can influence wildfire risk.
September 11, 2026
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How autonomous BVLOS drones and physical AI are transforming grid reliability with Trevor Perrott

How are autonomous, long-range drone platforms and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations transforming grid monitoring across massive service territories? And what does it actually take to deploy and scale these capabilities?
August 31, 2026
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