PSE&G recently announced, in addition to Amazon Alexa, it has created a custom action that works through Google Assistant (voice-activated technology) to its list of customer service tools. With Google Assistant, customers can make payments, ask billing questions, report outages, get safety and savings tips — all just by using their own voice.
On an Android device, customers can say 'talk to PSE&G' to use the Google Assistant PSE&G action. On other devices, customers can download the Google Assistant app and say 'talk to PSE&G.' Once customers link their PSE&G My Account to Google Assistant, they will be able to start managing their accounts using Google Assistant's voice technology with the PSE&G action.
"The world in which we live is driven by technology. Today, customers expect companies to do everything they can to make it easier and more convenient to do business," said Fred Daum, PSE&G's executive director, customer operations. "Having information available with a simple voice command, and other technology, is a way of life for an increasing number of our customers. They expect us to keep pace, anticipate their needs, and provide innovative solutions."
The following PSE&G features are available through the Google Assistant PSE&G action:
- Get meter reading and usage information (gas and electric)
- Get safety and savings tips
- Report and track a power outage
- Schedule appliance service appointments
PSE&G plans to add other features to the Google Assistant PSE&G action, including the ability to enroll in automatic payment withdrawals and schedule future payments. PSE&G is also using technology in the following other ways to make it easier for customers to interact with the company:
- Mobile app and web chat: A new mobile app for Android and Apple devices and a web chat feature gives customers the ability to chat live with a customer service representative for assistance to perform tasks such as reporting an outage, paying a bill, signing up for MyAlerts, and scheduling service appointments from their mobile device.
- Enhanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system: This improved phone system understands a customer's reason for calling and transfers the customer quickly to the proper self-service category or live agent.
- Text and email notifications: Customers can sign-up for MyAlerts, a free service that allows customers to receive outage information, account balance, and payment information via text or email.
- Outage map: Customers can visit PSE&G's online outage map on pseg.com to get outage information by county or municipality, as well as estimated time of restoration.
For more information about PSE&G's voice assistant portfolio, visit here.
