How utilities are simplifying communications to improve service outcomes and achieve customer satisfaction
Utility communications are changing, driven by rising rates and higher usage, which are fueling affordability concerns.
Customers are paying more, and they want to understand why.
This year, customers will be paying even closer attention to their bills. They expect greater transparency in their rates and charges. Utilities are tasked with creating simplified communications that prioritize clarity and frictionless experiences.
Rising Costs: Raised Expectations
Infrastructure investment. Extreme weather. Increased energy usage during peak periods. These are all factors contributing to the grid strain that many regions experience today. And customers are feeling the effects on their wallets.
While price sensitivity will always be a concern, utilities can mitigate erosion of trust through swift and proactive communication. For example, the utility bill provides an opportunity to not only communicate payment due dates but also to educate customers about their individual energy use and upcoming rate changes.
It’s a built-in channel for informative, relevant content that can improve engagement and customer satisfaction.
5 Utility Customer Communications Trends for 2026
Utilities are under more pressure than ever to be proactive and consistent in their messaging. The following trends highlight how utilities must adapt their communications to meet customer expectations for clear, reliable messages that reduce confusion and restore confidence in providers.
1. Clear and Simplified Billing
You can’t talk about utility communications without talking about bills. For 2026, utilities will focus on simplifying customer bills to make it easier for customers to understand what they owe and why. This means using plain language, clearer layouts, and visuals that highlight usage, rate changes, and total charges.
Simplified billing reduces confusion and billing-related complaints while improving transparency. Working with a utility CCM platform that provides a complete, end-to-end billing and payment solution can help lay the groundwork for unified experiences between every customer touchpoint, from bills to payment reminders, as well as regulatory communications.
Once a utility has established a simplified approach to billing design, it can focus on unique ways to drive narratives that create transparency and build trust.
As investments in grid modernization sustainability increase, customers are looking to better understand how these efforts affect service delivery and, more pressing, their wallets. Using techniques such as integrating interactive video can contextualize service disruptions, explain usage trends, and clarify billing calculations.
Doxim: Your All-in-One Billing and Payment Provider. Contact us to learn more about our easy-to-use, omnichannel solution.
2. Proactive and Real-Time Messaging
In 2026, customers expect to be informed before problems escalate. This includes automated outage notifications, regular restoration updates, and alerts tied to weather or grid conditions. The goal is to reduce uncertainty and keep customers informed without requiring them to search for answers.
Proactive messaging helps set expectations. It reassures customers that their utility provider is aware of the issues and actively working to resolve them. It also reduces inbound calls during outages and service disruptions.
3. Self-Service, Two-Way Communication, and AI-Assisted Support
Customers appreciate the autonomy and control that digital tools offer. They don’t want to have to contact support by phone for simple tasks and inquiries.
In 2026, utilities are expanding self-service and two-way communication so customers can resolve issues directly through digital channels. This includes rescheduling service appointments, updating billing preferences, and getting quick answers to common questions without waiting for an agent.
AI-assisted tools, such as chatbots and virtual agents, support these interactions by handling routine requests and providing clear and timely communication. For example, if a meter issue requires a service visit, a customer can confirm, cancel, or change the appointment.
4. True Omnichannel Communication
Customers are used to living in an omnichannel world. They receive marketing promotions by email, keep paper records of important documents and bills, and make payments on their mobile phones.
Utilities must keep pace.
To maintain engagement, utilities must ensure their billing and payment methods reflect their customers’ unique and varied preferences. Not only will they need to coordinate communication across multiple channels, including print, email, and portals, but they must also integrate additional payment channels like PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, digital wallets, etc., to meet the customer where they want to interact.
A CCM provider can support utilities in their efforts to deliver true omnichannel experiences by creating and executing multifaceted communication ecosystems.
Using AI-powered solutions, messaging remains consistent regardless of channel, allowing utilities the time and effort to focus on more strategic communication objectives.
5. Hyper-Personalized Messaging
Utilities are starting to use customer data more intentionally in communications. This includes usage-based insights, targeted reminders, and relevant educational content.
For example, customers may receive alerts about unusually high usage, reminders tied to seasonal patterns, or information about programs they are eligible for, such as demand flexibility programs that incentivize customers to shift their usage patterns to off-peak hours.
The goal is relevance. Generic messages are easy to ignore. Communications that reflect a customer’s actual situation are more likely to be read, understood, and remembered.
Removing the Veil
In 2026, utilities will be focused on transparency and proactivity. They’re listening closely to their customers, anticipating their needs, and taking the lead on clear, timely communication.
As further grid investments are being made to adapt to customer needs, simplifying utility customer bills, proactive messaging, self-service tools, and integrated payment communications will help customers better understand their bills and feel more in control of their usage patterns.
Utilities that focus on clear, interconnected communications will be able to reduce friction in the customer journey and build trust in a period of ongoing, rapid change.
