{"id":624371,"date":"2025-12-20T09:37:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T17:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/blog\/post\/future-proofing-utilities-with-ai-innovations-and-cloud"},"modified":"2026-04-30T09:44:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:44:30","slug":"future-proofing-utilities-with-ai-innovations-and-cloud","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/blog\/post\/future-proofing-utilities-with-ai-innovations-and-cloud","title":{"rendered":"Future-Proofing Utilities with AI Innovations and Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]As utilities companies face mounting pressure to modernise, reduce carbon emissions<\/a> and navigate a rapidly retiring workforce, the opportunity to evolve through artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based technologies has never been more urgent or more rewarding.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

The Pressure to Modernise: A Pivotal Moment for Utilities<\/span><\/h2>\n

Global energy transition goals, regulatory shifts and rising consumer expectations are creating a pivotal moment in customer service for utilities. If these providers can\u2019t rise to current challenges, they risk losing niche knowledge within their organisation with the attrition of employees. They could also see increased operational and compliance costs as well as customer churn.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> IEA Net Zero Roadmap<\/span><\/a> shows that if the globe is to reach net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, a transformation of the energy systems and an expansion of the electricity sector is needed. Network digitalisation is noted as a main consideration in achieving the transformation. According to the \u201c<\/span>Future of Energy<\/span><\/a>\u201d report from EY, 93% of power and utilities executives plan to invest in digital technologies over the next five years. And 40% of those surveyed believe that such technologies represent the single largest positive factor in shaping their organisation over the next five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers also expect more: Respondents to the EY global consumer energy survey say they want flexible, transparent, digitally enabled interactions \u2014 and real\u2011time visibility into energy use and options. This aligns with \u201cThe State of Customer Experience<\/a>\u201d report from Genesys, which shows that organisations surveyed are now competing with any given customer\u2019s best-ever experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this: What if your organisation could reduce the time to make IVR changes from hours \u2014 or even days \u2014 to just minutes? What if you could automate dozens of call flows, simplify your tech stack to cut down technical debt, and align these innovations with your carbon neutrality goals? That\u2019s what<\/span> Eesti Energia<\/span><\/a> accomplished by moving to the Genesys Cloud<\/a><\/span>\u2122<\/span>\u00a0platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

The energy company created a greener service model with the move from on-premises to cloud, reducing their technology stack and enabling remote work. It also saw increased agent engagement and motivation \u2014 a critical benefit as employee retention continues to be an industry-wide challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn consolidating all our contact centres on one Genesys platform, we created an environmentally friendly resource that countries could share to improve service and motivate advisors,\u201d said Kaido Kabral, Customer Service Solution Expert at Eesti Energia. \u201cNow, many are hybrid workers \u2014 lowering carbon dioxide through reduced power consumption and commuting to work. And we\u2019ve retired at least five legacy systems, with more to follow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the benefits Eesti realised, CX leaders can also leverage AI-powered self-service capabilities to evolve from a traditional IVR to large language model<\/a> (LLM)-powered virtual agents, allowing them to future-proof their customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Companies that leverage these capabilities can also reduce the number of interactions flowing through to live agents. This allows CX teams to focus on the types of intents that require a human touch or yield the highest value, for example, providing an automated status update on a routine maintenance-related outage for a caller in an impacted postal code. And this all happens while sending an existing customer with multiple properties who’s inquiring about new services to an agent most likely to convert the inquiry into a sale.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Knowledge at Risk: The Rapidly Changing Workforce<\/span><\/h2>\n

As the energy and utilities industry faces a wave of retirements across critical roles, including field experts and system operators, there\u2019s a tangible risk of losing decades of institutional knowledge right when energy transition work is at its peak. According to<\/span> McKinsey<\/span><\/a>, the surge in demand for new energy infrastructure and clean\u2011tech projects is coinciding with the planned retirement of many experienced employees. In the US alone, some 400,000 energy sector workers are expected to retire in the next 10 years, creating a talent gap in specialised roles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Utilities must act now to capture and transfer critical knowledge while modernising systems to attract next-generation talent, highlights Deloitte in its<\/span> report on the energy workforce transformation<\/span><\/a>. The report states that utilities with a proactive plan to address skills gaps will be best equipped to manage the transition. The following skills are just some of those being lost:<\/span><\/p>\n