Marketing & Account Services
Special Board Retreat
May 22, 2023
2 Agenda
● People and Roles
● Examples of MAS Functionality
● Overview by Division
○ Account Services
○ Public Engagement
○ Brand
○ Energy Services Marketing
○ Programs Marketing
Marketing & Account Services Team
3 ● Account Services
○ Call Center Oversight
○ Rates & Billing Operations
○ Key Account management
● Public Engagement
○ CAC, stakeholder, and local staff liaison
○ New territory inclusion
● Brand
○ Position
○ Visual identity
● Energy Services Marketing
○ Social media
○ Events and outreach
○ Compliance communications
● Programs Marketing
○ Lead generation
○ Customer education
https://ebce.org/who-we-are/
4 NOT PICTURED Theresa McDermit Cody Vaughn
Head of Brand Account Services
Coordinator
Functionality - Initial Enrollment
5 New Territory Interest
Public Engagement
responds to interested
parties and facilitates
the passage of local
ordinance and joining
JPA.
Planning
Public Engagement
completes regulatory
requirements.
Marketing begins
identifying local
outreach channels.
Account Services
receives customer
data.
Enrollment
Marketing implements
robust marketing,
education, and
outreach program in
coordination with local
staff, including
customer notifications
Account Services
oversees transactions
with PG&E to enroll
customers on EBCE
service.
On-going
Public Engagement
helps add new
member to Community
Advisory Committee
and MuniPals.
Marketing
incorporates new area
into on-going
campaigns and add
new events within
area.
Account Services
works with local key
accounts and
customer support.
Service Starts
Marketing continues
MEO campaign and
notifications.
Account Services has
prepared call center
for new territory
service, oversees
billing of new
customers, and
troubleshoots any
issues.
Functionality - Default Product Changes
6 Jurisdiction expresses
interest
Public Engagement
responds to interested
jurisdiction, informs
them of our policy and
timeline.
Approvals
Public Engagement
supports local staff in
the passage of a local
resolution and then
brings the request for
default product
change before the
Board for approval.
Customer
Notification
Marketing creates a
jurisdiction-specific
webpage, creates a
local outreach
campaign, and sends
two customers
notifications.
On-going
Account Services
tracks the number of
customers that opt to
return to PG&E or
remain on the
discounted product.
Product
Change
Account Services
works with our back-end billing provider to
transition customers
onto new product and
ensure new customers
start on new default
product.
7 Public Engagement
Public Engagement
8 Local government relations and community affairs
● Coordinate w/local government staff + convene monthly interagency meetings w/cities (MuniPals)
● Staff liaison for support re Board and CAC engagement ● New community inclusion & service area expansion
● Interdepartmental support (e.g., outreach/engagement for EBCE’s Programs and Policy teams)
● Special engagement with public: new business development, emergencies, key stakeholders
Public Engagement - Key Activity
9 Expansion of EBCE service to the City of Stockton and inclusion of new member-jurisdictions (cities & counties)
● Stockton: Ongoing staff/Board engagement + community outreach coordination
● CAC support: create seat for Stockton; adjust structure in anticipation of new community inclusion and service area expansion
● New community inclusion: City of Lathrop + San Joaquin County; other interested jurisdictions (e.g., Tuolumne County)
10 C&I Support and Development
Customer support for those who would
● benefit by returning to EBCE service
● looking to site business within EBCE service territory ○ IRA has created scenario that is driving business such as green hydrogen to seek out service providers that can offer a “green tariff”
Public Engagement - Key Activity
11 Default Product Transition
● Several cities have opted to transition their
customers from Bright Choice to
Renewable 100
● EBCE policy requires jurisdictions to bring
requests to board by April and September
for implementation 6 months later
(October and March)
● Provide support for staff and presentation
to councils
● 8 cities currently default to Renewable 100
○ https://ebce.org/transition-to-renewable-energy/
Public Engagement - Key Activity
12 Account Services
Account Services
13 ● Coordination with SMUD and PG&E for customer billing and customer care ○ SMUD and PG&E prepare and send 30,000 bills daily - many opportunities for errors! ○ Develop requirements for customer interaction points via web forms and interactive voice response message
○ Implement PG&E and EBCE rate updates
● Manage enhancements for service changes
○ Updating our value proposition and rates
○ Enrolling and billing customers on special discounts, like EBCE Solar Discount and Percent of Income Payment Plan (PIPP)
● Develop relationships and manage inquiries from commercial and industrial customers ○ Usage and billing inquiries
○ Analysis of Bright Choice and Renewable 100 service plans ○ Respond to general EBCE and energy inquiries
Customer Experience
14 I wanted to let you all know how extraordinary
Miranda (Customer Service Representative) is!
She took the time to walk me through my
statement and explained everything so clearly!
She was patient, had great tone, and is
extremely knowledgeable, I can’t say enough
about how extraordinary my experience was.
Gary was so knowledgeable! I tried to
review the NEM information online but
had a difficult time understanding the
difference between monthly and annual
true-up, but Gary quickly explained it all
very clearly! I was not expecting to be
able to understand this and get it
resolved in 10 minutes, I’m so happy he
was available for support!
My recent PG&E bill came in and I was shocked at
how high it was. I called your customer service rep at East Bay Community Energy (Erik) to basically cancel my
service with your company.
I got to say it was the best experience I have had
with a customer service rep. From the start his attitude is what all CS reps should have. His initial comment of "I'm not here to convince you to stay with East Bay, I'm here to answer all your questions" was a breath of fresh air. It calmed me down right away and convinced me that he
was going to educate me on why my bill was high and why he feels I should stay with EBCE. He spent time working through my bill and energy usage and gave me great
detail where I should be looking to reduce my energy.
I work for a very large Fortune 500 company as a
Director and I can safely say I'd hire him in a heartbeat to run our CS dept. I do hope this email makes it to his
supervisor as I want them to know what a great job he is doing and how he convinced me to remain a customer.
Account Services - FY 2022-2023 Key Activities
15 ● C&I
○ Brought a large industrial customer back from direct access to EBCE’s service ● Rates
○ Began offering a new NEM true-up timing option based on customer input ○ Updated EBCE’s value proposition and provided bill credits to CARE and FERA customers ○ Implemented four rate changes
● Payment assistance
○ Enrolled eligible customers into a lottery for PIPP, reaching program capacity in less than one month
○ Validated second round of California Arrearage Payment Program credits applied to customer bills in February 2023
● Team
○ Worked with SMUD to hire CSRs that live in EBCE’s (future) service territory ○ Added three new team members to EBCE staff
Account Services - Look Ahead FY 2023-2024
16 Hot topics for 2023-2024
1. Implementation of Real Time Pricing rates
2. Focused commercial outreach to get customers back from PG&E and Direct Access
3. Analysis of Arrearage Management Plan and PIPP progress
4. Provide additional language(s) for webform transactions
5. Partnering with the Local Programs team
a. To keep our CSRs informed on new mass market programs b. Assist with the new commercial energy efficiency offering 17 Brand
Brand @ EBCE
Analyze & Align (Research & Insights)
● Track brand perception
● Measure campaign effectiveness
● Conduct constituent insight studies
● Adjust/align activities as needed
Articulate & Enable (Strategy)
● Articulate brand strategy
● Align brand and business strategy
● Create tools, training, communications
to enable stakeholders to apply/live the
brand
Promote & Protect (Execution)
● Help translate brand strategy into plans / campaigns
● Drive content creation
● Support thought leadership platform
● Ensure adherence to brand identity guidelines
Brand @ EBCE
Brand Naming Process
Status: Naming Exploration
We are here
Preparing to Vote on Our Name
21 May 22
Special Board
Retreat
Lay the groundwork for a
naming decision in June
MuniPals
Alignment
Regroup with MuniPals
to gather input on
implementation needs
and hear overall input
May 25
Ad Hoc Committee
Alignment
If requested by Ad Hoc
Committees, regroup in
preparation for public
discussion of proposed
name
TBD; if
needed
Exec Comm
Present our
recommended name;
seek support
June 7
MRL
Present our
recommended name;
seek support
June 16
(tentative)
CAC Meeting
Review of BOD item
if requested
June 19
BOD Meeting
June 21
Present our
recommended
name; vote to
approve
Implementing our Evolved Brand (tentative schedule)
Plan, Prepare, Build
● Catalog / update all
branded assets
● Build launch plan x
audience
● Create toolkits x
audience (e.g. logo,
guidelines, FAQ,
messaging, social
posts, newsletter
content)
Now - Aug
Stakeholder
Enablement
September
Soft Launch
● Notice customers
● Reskin website
● Apply brand to
external touchpoints
● Social media
campaign
● Outreach at events
Oct - Dec
Robust Comms
● Integrated campaign to
inform and build
excitement among our
constituents (e.g.
radio, buses, BART,
OOH)
● Launch evolved
website
● Measure awareness
Jan - Mar
Transition to
Steady State*
● Begin messaging shift
from introduction to
steady state
● Continue elevated level
of outreach with
programs focus
● Integrate tracking data
and stakeholder input
to drive additional
activities
Apr - Jun
● Communications and
training for internal
and external
stakeholders (e.g. all
employees, MuniPals,
sponsored entities,
program partners)
* Timing influenced by results of tracking survey
23 Energy Services Marketing
Energy Services Marketing Key Functions
24 • Brand Marketing
• Outreach
• Outbound Customer Communications
• Public Relations & Media
General Awareness Marketing
25 ● Website
○ Maintain in 3 languages (English, Spanish, Chinese), public meeting details, programs enrollment forms ● Social media
○ Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter at @poweredbyEBCE ● Advertising
○ Ongoing digital display, Comcast, print, social media, etc. This month on KQED! ● Print collateral
○ Brochures, one-pagers, notification letters, etc.
● Promotional videos
○ General info, explainer videos about billing and NEM, features about our sponsorship recipients, co-branded with Oakland Roots
● Swag
○ Handouts for events, branded clothing for staff and Board, etc.
Outreach
26 ● Event sponsorship and attendance
○ Large events include Alameda County Fair, Solano Stroll, Dublin St. Patrick’s Day, Hayward Juneteenth, Bike to Work Day, San Leandro Cherry Festival, Bill Pickett Rodeo ● Local sponsorships
○ See upcoming slide with details
● Providing monthly content to local CBOs, cities, and
Chambers of Commerce
○ Our team provides a monthly toolkit with prepared social media content and graphics Outbound Customer Communications:
27 ● Newsletters (monthly general newsletter and CEO’s Desk blogs)
○ Please sign up on our website on the Contact Us page
● Compliance notifications (JRM, PCL, new enrollment)
○ Upcoming slide on Power Content Label
○ Joint Rate Mailer is an annual price comparison co-branded with PG&E ○ Every new customer gets hard copy mail and email (if email address is on file) ● New Customer Rate Programs or Product changes
○ PIPP enrollment, Renewable 100 customer notifications ● Alerts (Flex Alert, PSPS)
○ Encouraging our customers to reduce energy use at critical times Public Relations
28 ● Press releases
○ You can sign up to receive these
● Press events
○ E.g. ribbon-cutting at our wind farm,
signing of important contacts
● Award applications
○ Two more award announcements
coming soon!
29 Power Content Label ● California Energy Commission
requirement
● Sent to all customers annually by
October 1
● Must include “nutritional label” or
power mix and emissions
● Comparison to state data ● Can include additional info, so it serves as a mini annual report
● We send it by email to customers who
have an email address on file,
otherwise we send it by mail
Energy Services Marketing – PCL
Energy Services Marketing – sponsorships
30 Local Sponsorships
● Three times per year, EBCE issues
sponsorships of up to $2,500 each to
dozens of local organizations to help
make our community shine.
● The application process is simple
● Recipients are asked to share info by
social media, with a banner, etc.
● EBCE has issued over 100 local
sponsorships since 2019
● Example recipients: youth sports
teams, community orchestras,
humane societies, food security orgs
Major Sponsorships
EBCE has several large sponsorships
including:
• Oakland Roots Sports Club
• Booths at home games
• Ads on televised games
• Social media mentions
• Climate Night featured game
• Habitat for Humanity
• Battery storage at 3 homes in San Leandro
• Upcoming 10-home all-electric project in
Hayward
31 Programs Marketing
Programs Marketing
32 EBCE’s Local Development Programs
EBCE reinvests a portion of our earnings back into the community to create local green energy jobs, local programs, and clean power projects.
Our clean energy programs:
● help customers save energy and energy
● make clean energy more accessible and more affordable ● improve the health of our customers
● provide incentives to encourage customers to switch to clean energy Programs Marketing, cont’d
33 Programs Marketing Team
Create awareness of EBCE’s clean energy programs and encourage participation. ● Customer education
○ Teach customers about programs and services provided by EBCE ○ Position EBCE as subject matter expert on clean energy ● Lead generation for customer programs
○ Drive participation by offering incentives
○ Develop multi-channel campaigns appropriate to the audience ● Improve the customer experience
○ Monitor campaign performance and customer feedback
○ Understand the audience, their needs and challenges
○ Present programs and services in a relatable manner
○ Keep it simple
34 Medical Baseline Program
Website Update
BEFORE.
Program content hosted on 3 separate
pages:
● ebce.org/MB-rebate
● ebce.org/MB-giveaway
● ebce.org/Medical-Baseline
35 Medical Baseline Program (cont’d)
AFTER
Program content on one page,
ebce.org/Medical-Baseline
● Minimize # of linkouts
● Complete production information
● Position EBCE as subject matter
expert
Other changes:
● Light, positive images
● Application updated and simplified
to improve customer experience
● Added video testimonials from
customers who participated in
rebate program
Website Update
36 Medical Baseline Program (cont’d)
Video Testimonials
Ibrahim Yusef
Relies on an electric ventilator and
power wheelchair. He’s concerned
about resiliency during a power outage.
One of 50 recipients of the Goal Zero
Yeti 3000X backup power system.
● Pre-interview was successful
● The video interview took place on
May 3rd
● We will have rough cut video and
stills for review week of May 16th
Edward Duong
Actively retired. He has sleep apnea. Ed
was concerned about medical resiliency
during power outages.
He received an email about the MB
Backup Battery rebate and responded
immediately.
● Pre-interview was successful
● Video interview to be scheduled
● B-roll footage to show scenes
from his active life as an aqua
fitness instructor
37 Resilient Home Campaign
CHALLENGE ● Applications to the Resilient
Home program were below
expectations.
SOLUTION ● Update web page to highlight
product features
● Refresh copy to explain benefits
of having a Solar + Battery
storage solution
● Create multi-media campaign
including email, digital ads,
local newspapers, and social
media
38 Resilient Home Campaign, cont’d
From September 15th to December 31st, the Resilient Home program resulted in 239 applications!!!
● Deployed 362,000 emails to 131,000
customers
● Digital ads in English, Spanish and
Chinese for a combined 3,817,034
impressions
● Print ads weekly in 9 publications
with a combined circulation of
234,000
● Organic and paid social media -
Twitter, Facebook & Instagram
39 Resilient Home - Email
Email Performance Summary
9/15 - 12/31/22
● Click Thru Rate: 1.89%
● Click to Open Rate: 1.15%
● Applications: 239
Complete email results here
Processed Delivered Opens Unique Opens Clicks Unique Clicks Campaign
Total 362473 256654 70.81% 168773 65.76% 114672 44.68% 4860 1.89% 1317 0.51% 40 Resilient Home Campaign - social media
iPad
Refrigerator
Verbs ad
Power Through
No Power?
41 Resilient Home Campaign - Meta
Meta Ads
● Total Impressions: 196,182
● Total Clicks: 2,015
● Total ad spend, Meta: $1,769.46
42 Resilient Home Campaign - Twitter
Twitter Ads
● Total Impressions: 66,039
● Total Clicks: 17,011
● Total ad spend, Twitter:
$574.37
43 Resilient Home Campaign - Digital
Digital
44 Resilient Home Campaign - Print
Print
45 Resilient Home Campaign - Print, cont’d
$15,455
Circulation Total Spend
234,000
Print
19 Total Clicks
46 Induction Cooktop Lending Program
Our initiative on clean power
appliances drove the creation of the
induction program.
What began as a simple web page explaining
the benefits of induction cooking and
induction technology , grew into a series of
interconnected web pages.
47 Induction Cooktop Lending Program, cont’d
Free Induction Lending Program
Borrow an Induction Cooking Kits for 2
weeks - FREE! Kits include a portable
induction cooktop or wok, compatible
pan, operating instructions, recipes and
a carrying bag.
11 lending locations in EBCE’s footprint
and more to come.
48 Induction Cooktop Lending Program, cont’d
Social media cooking contest
designed to incent customers to
try induction
New contest theme each month.
Participants are encouraged to create a
recipe and post a photo or video on
social media using the hashtag
#CleanCookingEBCE and tagging EBCE
in the post. Winners receive their
choice of standard or wok induction
cooktop.
49 Induction Cooktop Lending Program, cont’d
Online resources designed to
make the transition to induction
cooking easier
● tips for cooking on induction
● easy-to-prepare recipes
● recipes and cooking videos from
top local chefs
● how-to instructional videos for
standard and wok induction
cooktops
● downloadable induction
resource kit
50 Induction Cooktop Lending Program, cont’d
Calendar of Events
Cooking classes and online workshops
for induction. The event calendar
features local events sponsored by
EBCE and local partners.
51 Induction Cooktop Lending Program, cont’d
Rebate for purchase or induction
range or cooktop
EBCE customers can get a rebate of
$750 when they replace their existing
natural gas stove. The rebate program
is sponsored by our partner BayREN.
52 Thank you!