Dominion Energy asked a dozen mobile service and design companies to submit big ideas for their first customer mobile app with a simple brief: “What If?” Shockoe turned the brief on its head, asking “What’s Next?”
Making The Best of a Bad Situation
We found that Dominion customers desired answers to four main questions during an outage:
– Am I prepared?
– Do I need to call?
– Who else is impacted?
– Where can I go?
I just want to know how big the problem is. If there are 1,000 people out, I know I’m probably in for it.
– Jack, Residential Customer
Am I Prepared?
Now that you’re out of power, do you know what to do? How long are you prepared to go without power in your home until you need more supplies?
Do I Need to Call?
The times of waiting on hold are over. Customers can now reach into their pockets and report an outage with just a few taps.
Who Else is Impacted?
Knowing how many people in your area are without power can help paint a picture of how long an outage will last.
Where Can I Go?
For the first time in a utility app, users can quickly find the nearest restaurants, gas stations, and lodging that still have power
“Getting updates would be nice. I don’t want a call. I don’t usually pick up numbers I don’t recognize anyway.”
– Amber, Residential Customer
Is My Power Restored?
When users report an outage, they have the option to receive notifications when their power is expected to be restored and/or when power is fully restored.
Did we have to blow up the back to build a beautiful front? Nope.
Dominion Energy made it clear that we had to rely on their current web services and architecture, and that wasn’t a problem. We used an array of tools to ensure seamless integration and an elegant user experience.
