Builders and developers initiating new gas and electric service installations with DTE faced a confusing and inefficient process that often led to rework and project delays. Dissatisfaction with the process led to nearly 50% of all customer complaints. DTE & Launch by NTT DATA applied design thinking practices to create a customer portal that would provide clear direction, real-time status updates, and easy access to support. Simultaneously, the firms worked collaboratively to implement change management processes that would bring uniformity across separate business lines (gas & electric), resulting in an easy-to-follow eight step process when initiating a new service request.

Importance of voice of customer

Design thinking is a human-centered framework that puts the voice of the customer (VOC) at the forefront of innovation, while understanding the possibilities of technology and the requirements for business success. It is used for more than creating products and services; it can be applied to systems, procedures, protocols, and customer experiences.

Customer research

VOC was paramount in ensuring that our solution fit the needs of the diverse user groups by working with DTE’s installation process, bridging communication gaps, and helping to solve real-world logistical obstacles. By combining insights from previously conducted industry research, qualitative interviews with internal DTE experts, testing design concepts with real users, and collecting feedback from an initial group of pilot users, we were able to create a solution that strengthens DTE’s relationships customers initiating new service.

Stakeholder activation

Consideration of employees’ needs and perspectives was a critical component of the effort, and as such internal DTE teams were tapped as equal contributors to the VOC process. Launch conducted structured qualitative interviews with DTE supervisors and employees who address service connection complaints to better understand their experiences and processes. To ensure a 360-degree view of the customer experience, we compared the perspectives of contractors and builders with that of the internal DTE stakeholders. These insights were distilled into a service blueprint, to capture key interaction points between employee and customer.

Alignment on a common path

We mapped current new connection processes for both electric and gas connections, detailing customer touchpoints and common problem areas for DTE employees and customers. We synthesized all insights into operational and experiential themes, and we defined foundational values to guide our decision-making, ensuring that customer concerns are prioritized in the end solution and all parties are aligned towards a common path.

Flexible UI design system

Recognizing that the CMC portal would serve a unique set of DTE customers, Launch incorporated a flexible design language that would complement current brand standards and design reflected in DTE’s corporate website and other digital properties, while also serving the unique needs of the portal.