EV Charging is More about Customer Centricity than Hardware

Electric vehicles are the next big thing to happen to India. There are a lot of conversations around the benefits of EVs, how they will help mitigating the pollution scene in India and so on. The narrative is not whether, its only about how soon EVs become the mainstream option of mobility. As per estimates about 25% of the vehicles sold in India in 2024 will run on electric drivetrains. That’s very ambitious but our government is doing all it can to facilitate that. 

Similarly, there have been a lot of conversations about EV charging infrastructure in India to support the impending arrival of EVs. An optimal charging infrastructure would mean broadly, there has to be a charger for every 8-15 vehicles. These chargers could be in different combinations of slow and fast chargers. Do the math and one would know that we need hundreds and thousands of chargers of various denominations to drive the EV revolution in our country. Setting up a widespread public charging infrastructure apart from being capital intensive, requires a good amount of technical & project management expertise. Companies like Tata Power are doing it at a rapid pace to welcome EVs into the country.

However, setting up an EV infrastructure is not just about running a project to install chargers on the ground as one may be tempted to believe. It’s mainly about managing the customer experience and that’s where smaller myopic operators who may have joined the ‘proverbial’ gold rush, tend to falter. 

But what is customer centricity in the context of a Charge Point Operator? Few pointers: 

Ownership of Customer Experience:

• A Charge Point Operator is mean to act like a Chief Conductor of an orchestra. The other players in the orchestra are Charger hardware maker, Digital Platform interface, Power utility, communications service provider and even the EV maker. The customer is at the centre of this orchestra and expects all the elements of the orchestra to perform in unison each time he goes to the charger to get ‘juiced up’.

• The operator needs to listen to the EV owner through any channel that he chooses to connect on. A multi-modal customer support in the form of 24x7 contact center, an in-app chat, online web-support, SM channels and similar, are things customers look for - depending upon their profile and preference at the time. This is an assurance to the customer that she won’t be stranded at a time she needs to charge her vehicle.

• A good on-ground presence in multiple cities is necessary for effective and timely Customer response. This is also needed for routine preventive Operations and Maintenance, quick response for breakdowns of the charger hardware and supporting electrical infrastructure.

Platform as a Key Enabler

• The enabling platform holds the key to the operations of a Charger Point operator. The platform which is a confluence of multiple technologies not only enables automated workflows, it also offers MIS and analytics to improve operational efficiency of a Charge Point Operator. The platform dashboards act as a central monitoring console for the health of the chargers. There have been instances where chargers are installed but are dysfunctional. Not only is this a colossal waste of resources, but also a source of dissonance to the customer who is unable to benefit from that infrastructure if her car cannot get charged.

• The Platform in the form of a mobile application is an important tool which interacts with the car, the charger and customer’s handheld device. The platform has to be feature-rich, scalable, flexible, future proof, has to support multiple tariffing options, support for different segments of customers, loyalty programs and multiple payment options. Globally, the payment at the chargers is enabled through RFID cards or Credit cards, but in India clearly customers are far more comfortable with their handheld devices for making transactions. Hence it is important that all payment methods are enabled – credit cards, debit cards, net banking, UPI and so on. All of this with a friendly and intuitive UI. 

Communicate – Educate – Propagate

EVs and EV charging in India is currently at a nascent stage. While the EV makers are doing their bit to popularize the cars, socializing and educating about the EV ecosystem can be collaboratively done by the charge point operator. Educate  the customer about the basics of charging, tell her about slow chargers and fast chargers and the importance of home or workplace charging. Break the century old ‘ICE mindset’ that makes her believe that refueling has to be done in 5 minutes. Tell her about the benefits of ‘anywhere anytime charging’ that comes with EVs while the car is parked. Bring home the advantages of a ‘Home Charger’ – your personal refueling point. Propagate the fact that there are ‘xxx’ chargers in her town or city. Assuage her doubts about the ‘range anxiety’. This will help in giving confidence to the customer and encourage her to consider buying an EV, which eventually benefits the eco-system.

Delivering stellar customer service requires that the frontline is well informed, knowledgeable, empathetic and supportive. In the relatively unfamiliar domain of EVs and EV charging, a customer would generously reward anyone who offers a beacon of light.

Empower the Front End

Empower the agents with systems that provide data, real time information and tools that enable providing specific information resolution to the customer.

The last thing a peeved customer wants to be told is to complain ‘elsewhere’ or to be directed to the other elements in the ‘orchestra’. Take it upon yourself to resolve them and wherever possible, empower those touch-points to offer a spot resolution.

Customer experience is almost always a ‘deal-making’ differentiator in any product or service category. It requires apposite temperament and a modicum of compassion to make it work. And whenever that happens, unequivocal trust, loyalty and brand preference is sure to follow.

- Sandeep Bangia, Head – EV & Home Automation, Tata Power