Waiting in line for three days to get an iPhone 10

November 13, 2017 | Blog

Alexa… Why is my bill so high?

Waiting in line for three days to get an iPhone 10…Can you imagine anyone standing in line for days to get a new utility device from the power company?

You must be shaking your head in disbelief that people line up to be first to get these iPhone 10 phones … and paying full price for them as well.  There is something to be learned here, if we are willing to really think about it.

First of all, this is not the mainstream reaction.  It is that early adopter fringe we all know and love.  That represents 1 to 2% of the US population … still a big number, but not a large segment.

We in the energy utility sector are aware of this segment. They are the first to sign up for almost anything and everything we offer that is “techy” … but they are also hard to please, so we have a “love-hate” relationship with them.  That my friends is why we miss the key opportunity to learn from this segment because they give us great feedback.

So, we offer them smart grid data and they use it once or twice … what do we do?  We assume they want prettier graphs or alerts and alarms … we do that … they try that … then they bail out of the relationship.

What is wrong here?  We don’t listen.  We don’t study what they do like.

Please compare your reactions and pace of change with Amazon on the Echo’s capabilities.  If you are thinking about the future of digital engagement, stop thinking of your perspectives and consider what the Echo is offering.

You are competing against this type of thinking … and it is moving very quickly.

And, if you need to see what we are doing in response to this, check out the latest technology from Apogee demonstrated in this video.

About The Author

Joel Gilbert, P.E. Chief Software Architect and Co-Founder of Apogee Interactive, Inc.

As Chief Software Architect and Co-Founder of APOGEE Interactive, Inc. Mr. Gilbert personally directs the design and development of energy analysis applications utilizing the highest standards in building science, engineering, operational patterns, weather data and pricing to ensure analytical integrity. directs the design and development of energy analysis applications utilizing the highest standards in building science, engineering, operational patterns, weather data and pricing to ensure analytical integrity.