In an increasingly globalized world, utilities are finding ways to connect with all customers in their service territory, including those across different cultures and languages. Connecting with multicultural customers not only enhances customer satisfaction, but ensures they aren’t missing critical utility communications, from outage alerts to beneficial programs.
When marketing to diverse groups, utilities should consider language, values and cultural norms. According to Brian Lindamood, Vice President of Marketing and Content Strategy at Questline Digital, creating inclusive marketing messages starts with a deep understanding of the many cultures within a community. This means focusing on customer needs, preferences and potential knowledge gaps.
“Building stronger customer relationships starts by speaking to customers in their preferred languages — both literally and figuratively,” Lindamood said. “Addressing a customer’s needs, including reaching them with non-English communications, demonstrates that you understand them and want to include them in your utility’s outreach.”
Breaking barriers
Language differences are one of the most significant barriers to effective communication between utilities and multicultural customers. Without clear understanding, customers can miss out on vital information regarding utility programs, services and resources. This can quickly lead to confusion, misinterpretation and customer dissatisfaction.
Utilities across the country are taking advantage of translation services for email campaigns, brochures, website content and other communication channels. Translation should be available for important messages, like outage alerts, My Account setup, payment/billing options and storm safety resources.
“Safety is our number-one priority in ensuring we connect with multicultural customers,” says Lottie Mitchell, Customer Services Director at Fremont Department of Utilities. “We want all of our customers to know the safety protocols regarding utilities and who to call with questions, concerns or when there is an emergency.”
According to Mitchell, the City of Fremont, Nebraska, translates its monthly utility newsletters to Spanish to reach this large group of customers. In fact, Hispanic residents make up 15% of Fremont’s population. The Customer Services Department also takes advantage of translation devices when speaking face-to-face and over the phone with customers. Additionally, service applications and termination forms will soon be available in Spanish.
For Seattle City Light, translation is vital to reach as many customers as possible. Currently, the utility translates materials into the 15 languages most prevalent in the Seattle area, including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Tagalog, Korean, Amharic, Russian, Japanese, Tigrinya, Arabic, Oromo, Hindi, French and Ukrainian. The utility uses both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping tools and community input to identify the language needs for specific communities.
“As a community-owned utility serving a multicultural city, it is important that Seattle City Light provides customers access to information, utility bill assistance and programs and services regardless of their background or proficiency in English,” says Jenny Levesque, External Communications Manager at Seattle City Light. “With over 20% of Seattle residents speaking languages other than English at home, we incorporate language access into our business practices to provide inclusive communications and equitable service delivery to the diverse communities we serve.”
To reduce barriers to access, Seattle City Light revises communications to include plain language messaging and continues to expand opportunities for community members to access information in their preferred language. This includes making translated content available via multiple channels, offering interpretation services and working with community liaisons to conduct targeted in-language outreach, notes Levesque.
Ensuring all customers are safe and informed
Translation is no longer a nice-to-have for utilities — it’s now an essential requirement to ensure customers receive critical resources during emergencies.
During wildfire events, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) required investor-owned utilities (IOUs) to reach out to communities with limited English proficiency in their preferred language. This new requirement ensures that customers at risk for wildfires are properly notified and equipped with critical information.
“It is important for utilities to analyze and deeply understand what languages are spoken across their service territories, and be prepared to outreach to these communities in-language in the case of an emergency,” said Marybel Batjer, President of the CPUC, in a news release. “These communities may be some of the most vulnerable in the event of a wildfire, and it is critical that utilities are fully equipped with information and relationships necessary to ensure all communities are well-informed and kept safe.”
Additionally, the CPCU requires IOUs to engage with disadvantaged communities about electric vehicles, solar, renewable energy, climate adaptation planning and other sustainability topics.
To accommodate this growing need for translation services, Questline Digital’s new Engage Global Translate feature gives utility customers the ability to translate webpage content and production emails into their preferred languages.
With this new enhancement, utilities can reach a more diverse audience and break down language barriers. Customers can choose from over 134 languages for translation, including Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic.
“Giving customers the choice to receive email messages and website content in their preferred language ensures that your critical communications reach the widest audience possible,” said Lindamood. “It also shows that you care about customers and respect their needs, which builds customer satisfaction in addition to the educational value of the messages.”
Addressing knowledge gaps
Translation is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to reaching diverse audiences. Multicultural customers may have different levels of understanding about their utility service. Addressing these knowledge gaps ensures that all customers can fully benefit from utility programs, services and resources.
Seattle City Light takes advantage of multicultural media channels, ensuring their messages resonate more effectively. The utility works with ethnic media publications to reach communities via their trusted source for news and information in their preferred language.
“We have run campaigns to provide customers with help on their utility bills, raise scam awareness and share information about how to reduce their electricity bills,” Levesque says. “We also provide translated materials to community-based organizations, community partners and business associations as well as distribute these materials at community centers and libraries across the city.”
Cultural norms can also influence how customers perceive and interact with utility communications. For instance, the concept of energy efficiency or conserving resources may vary greatly across cultures, impacting customer engagement in these messages.
For example, the U.S. Department of Energy finds that Hispanic customers are motivated by the environment and sustainability, but face a “median energy burden 24% higher than that of white households.” For utilities, this is an opportunity to provide education and energy efficiency resources to this group of customers, including DIY energy savings tips, home energy rebates and financial assistance programs.
Building stronger customer relationships
Communicating effectively with multicultural customers is not just about overcoming language barriers. It’s about bridging cultural divides and building stronger customer relationships. By adopting these best practices, utilities can ensure that their services are inclusive, respectful and responsive to the needs of all customers.
