The widespread adoption of distributed generation and electric mobility is transforming the traditional profile of energy users. As more customers incorporate solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, utilities face the challenge of managing consumers who not only demand electricity but also generate, store, and manage energy resources.
For Gustavo Casaforte , CEO of Widergy, this phenomenon forces a complete rethinking of the relationship between companies and their customers: “Distributed generation produces a change in behavior among mass users, because they become prosumers with a more complex management than just being consumers .”
The situation becomes even more relevant with the growth of electric mobility, as it ceases to be merely an additional burden on the grid and becomes an energy asset within the home.
According to the executive, this new scenario requires companies to provide more digital tools and information so that users can make decisions in increasingly dynamic markets.
“All these components generate a different business model; the consumer has to be much more informed and prepared to act in that market,” he said in an interview with Energía Estratégica.
Widergy observes that many Latin American utilities still maintain relationship schemes based on analog processes, which limits the ability to keep up with this transformation and generates operational inefficiencies.
Therefore, the company develops software and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms for utilities and currently works with more than 30 clients in eight countries in the region: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It is also moving forward with the launch of its first project in Spain.
One of the main benefits identified by the company is the digitization of interaction channels. According to Casaforte, some companies manage to increase their digital contact rate from 30% or 40% to nearly 90%.
“Likewise, when you don’t have the channels, you have dormant contactability, that is, there are customers who would contact you if you gave them more channels, who won’t go to an office or call on the phone,” he said.
“So, digitization leads to cost savings, improved customer satisfaction, and greater customer visibility, which can result in significant savings in terms of cost reduction and reduced delinquency. We're talking about savings of 50-70% in operational customer service costs,” he added.
Artificial intelligence to manage an increasingly complex user
For Widergy, artificial intelligence is the new revolution and it is key to continue deepening its implementation to improve customer service and management.
The company believes that the most advanced energy markets have historically prioritized regulatory aspects, infrastructure, and generation technologies, but have not always accompanied these changes with elements that allow the user to better understand and manage their participation in the system.
“It’s not just about implementing regulations and technology, but about how that technology truly becomes an asset for the client. That’s the key difference: how we provide the client with more information, minute by minute,” Casaforte emphasized.
In that context, Widergy is reinforcing and deepening its developments with new AI capabilities aimed at automating processes and improving the user experience of utilities.