Our client in the energy sector set a primary objective: to obtain useful insights to develop a targeted strategy aimed at improving retention and attracting new customers. 

How to accurately understand what customers think, why they choose to leave and most importantly, how to retain them?

To tackle this challenge, we decided to deeply listen to three groups of customers: former customers, new customers and long-tenure existing customers. Before conducting interviews, we asked each participant to complete a small task designed to help them reflect on their past experiences, allowing emotions, memories and personal stories to surface. This approach meant that by the time we held the individual interviews, participants were ready to share a wealth of anecdotes and stories, crucial for understanding their perception of the providers.

This method enabled us to gather valuable insights that drove the development of a more effective and targeted communication strategy, with the aim of reducing customer churn and improving acquisition.

We discovered that, in most cases, it's not price increases that lead to customer churn. The real turning point occurs when the company responds with negligence or indifference to customer dissatisfaction. Managing requests with empathetic communication, showing a willingness to retain the customer and at the very least expressing regret over losing them are all best practices that help mitigate churn.