DTE recognized for service to Michigan’s deaf community
DETROIT—When a deaf customer reached out to DTE Energy several years ago for a home energy consultation, the situation became the impetus for a now award-winning program.
“I realized then that we weren’t able to provide an [American Sign Language] interpreter on short notice,” David Delind, DTE’s principal marketing specialist for Energy Waste Reduction Residential Programs, told American Gas. “We were able to help them, but it took longer than we’d have liked.”
Michigan’s Alliance for Deaf Services worked with DTE to more effectively serve its deaf customers. The result is a new outreach program, and DTE has been given an award from the Association of Energy Services Professionals for outstanding achievement in customer engagement for its innovative outreach to the deaf community. According to the utility, it is the first energy company in the nation to drive outreach and marketing specifically to serve deaf customers.
During a typical home energy consultation, a DTE energy specialist visits a customer’s home and assesses the home’s energy efficiency. “We check a range of things: air filtration, windows, furnace. Then we do a direct install of some really nice measures, [including] programmable thermostats,” Denise Allard, DTE’s marketing program manager for Energy Waste Reduction Residential Programs, told American Gas. “At the end of the visit, the customer receives a printout of what was installed in their home, directions for the programmable equipment, suggestions for additional efficiency steps they can take, and what to do next.”
The process is exactly the same for deaf customers. The difference now is that energy specialists come equipped with Remote Video Interpretation. RVI provides immediate access to an ASL interpreter through a tablet-based connection to an off-site call center of licensed interpreters.
The program has now served over 375 deaf households, and DTE has expanded its deaf outreach to include some of its web-based and school programs.
“Having this technology removes a huge communication barrier,” Delind said. “It has a lot of ramifications for how technology can be used in the field to deliver better customer service.” —Bob Bittner