Welcome Your New Expert Interview Series: Matt Williams, New Expert in the Digital Utility Group – [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Expert Interview]

Join us as we delve into Matt’s journey and expertise, offering a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of utility customer engagement and the innovative solutions driving this transformation. Read on to learn from Matt’s experiences and gain insights that can help pave the way for enhanced customer relationships and operational success in the digital utility community.

Matt Chester: Let’s start with the basics to help our community get to know you better. What is your role at ibex, what are your areas of expertise in the energy world, and how did you get here?

Matt Williams: My role at ibex is VP of Business Development, Utility Solutions, with an emphasis on expanding our services in the utility sector. 

Prior to ibex, I was the Director of Business Development for American Water Resources, now Oncourse. I led the Energy teams’ efforts in consulting with mid to enterprise size utility companies on how home service products could benefit them and their customer base.  So, my areas of expertise are centered around helping utilities implement programs that accomplish two things; elevating the utility’s customer experience and creating Beyond the Meter programs. 

How did I get here?  Great question.  I think it came down to creating genuine connections with others in your industry and taking the time to learn from them.  There is a wealth of knowledge in the utility industry, and you must take the time to seek out this knowledge. 

MC: Your background spans both sales strategy development and digital marketing leadership. How do you see these two areas converging, especially in the context of utility customer engagement solutions, and what role does digital marketing play in driving sales effectiveness?

MW: In general, digital marketing plays a crucial role in supporting and enhancing various aspects in developing a sales strategy, from lead generation and customer engagement to data analysis and conversion optimization.

In terms of utilities, they can leverage digital marketing to engage customers, promote energy conservation, and enhance the overall customer experience. Whether through personalized communications, educational content, or community outreach, digital marketing plays a crucial role in helping utilities build stronger relationships with their customers and achieve their goals for sustainability and customer satisfaction.

MC: Can you share some insights into the unique challenges and opportunities you’ve encountered in building and leading sales teams within the realm of SaaS, particularly in the energy and utilities sector?

MW: Building and leading a SaaS sales team in any industry comes with challenges, but with utilities it does have some unique challenges.  These unique challenges usually arise when you have executive leadership changes and philosophies might shift.  As a sales leader your responsibility is to keep your team on course, while explaining to new executives how pipeline development and sales cycles work in the utility industry.  The sales cycle is always longer than they want.  Also, not a challenge, but being aware of the initiatives of each utility and how your product or service relates to what they want to accomplish.

One thing I have learned over the years in building a SaaS team is to build a diverse sales team.  You need those different or opposing viewpoints in order to grow yourself as a leader and grow your company.

MC: You focus on solutions that extend beyond traditional metering and engage customers throughout their journey. How do you approach tailoring these solutions to meet the diverse needs of utility companies, and what trends do you foresee shaping the future of customer engagement in this sector?

MW: Tailoring solutions to meet the diverse needs of utility companies is one of our value statements that we deliver on every day.  We accomplish this by not being afraid to invest in technological solutions and to invest in our people.  When we partner with a utility, we bring a team of experts in their field to find the solution to the utility’s needs. 

The trend I see shaping the future of customer engagement is the more advanced development of AI products centered around the customer experience.  The leaps and bounds we are seeing in this area are truly remarkable.  Utilities will need to make sure they do their due diligence when reviewing AI solutions as this will be a large investment and impact their customers.

MC: What value do you hope to gain as you get involved with the Energy Central Community? And what do you hope your presence will bring to your fellow Energy Central members?

MW: Very simply, looking to engage with utility professionals and learn from them.  As far as my presence, I hope to lend some value and insight that they can use.

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Thanks to Matt for joining me for this interview and for providing a wealth of insights and expertise to the Energy Central Community. You can trust that Matt will be available for you to reach out and connect, ask questions, and more as an Energy Central member, so be sure to make him feel welcome when you see her across the platform.

The other expert interviews that we’ve completed in this series can be read here, and if you are interested in becoming an expert, you can reach out to me or you can apply here.