Fresh eyes on CRM transformation in utilities

What surprised me most about CRM transformation in utilities 

Having spent the last decade delivering Salesforce transformations across different industries, I thought I had a reasonable idea of what to expect when I joined the utilities sector as a Solution Architect at Gentrack. I expected to learn a new market, new terminology and new processes. What I didn’t expect was how often a seemingly simple question would turn into a much bigger conversation. 

Looking back on my first few months in the industry, a few themes stand out.

The best answers are rarely simple 

One thing that has stood out during my first few months in utilities is how interconnected everything is. In previous projects, a discussion about a customer process would usually stay within a fairly predictable group of stakeholders. In utilities, I’ve found that a seemingly straightforward requirement can quickly expand into conversations around:

• operational processes 
• market obligations
• billing impacts 
• technical constraints 
• regulatory requirements 
   

Part of the reason is that utilities operates within a wider ecosystem. In many CRM programmes, if a process doesn’t work as intended, the impact is largely contained within a single organisation. In utilities, market participants rely on accurate data and well-defined processes to operate effectively, which means the consequences of getting things wrong can extend well beyond the organisation making the change.

One thing that has impressed me since joining Gentrack is the depth of industry expertise across the business. Some of the people I work with have 10, 15, even 25 years of experience in the utilities sector. Coming from the Salesforce ecosystem, that level of industry-specific experience isn’t something I’d encountered very often. 

The more time I’ve spent in the sector, the more I’ve realised how much experience sits behind what can appear to be a simple answer. Understanding not just the technology, but the history of the market, regulatory obligations, operational processes, and customer impacts takes years to build. The willingness of colleagues across Gentrack to share that knowledge has played a huge part in helping me get up to speed. 

More familiar than I expected 

While utilities has its own complexities, many of the underlying transformation challenges are familiar. Legacy processes, data quality concerns, competing priorities, and change management are common across industries, and many of the lessons from previous transformations still apply. 

The value of curiosity 

One unexpected benefit of being new to an industry is that you look at things differently. When you’ve worked in a sector for a long time, certain processes, assumptions and ways of working become second nature.

Coming into utilities from outside the sector, I’ve found myself asking what probably sound like very basic questions. 

• Why do we do it this way? 
• What problem are we trying to solve? 
• If we were designing this process today, would we build it the same way? 

Sometimes the answer is a market rule or regulatory requirement that I simply wasn’t aware of. Other times, those conversations have led to useful discussions about customer experience, process design, or lessons learned from other industries. 

I’ve come to appreciate that the strongest teams tend to have a mix of perspectives. Deep industry expertise is critical, but so is diversity of experience. While utilities has its own constraints, many of the challenges organisations face today have parallels in other sectors, creating opportunities to learn from ideas that have already been tested elsewhere. 

Why partnership matters 

One thing I’ve come to appreciate very quickly is how much successful transformation relies on partnership. 
Clients understand their customers and business processes. Product teams understand the platform and roadmap. Delivery teams understand how to turn requirements into working solutions. 

The strongest outcomes come from bringing those viewpoints together early and often. 

I’ve seen workshops where the most valuable outcome wasn’t the answer itself, but the discussion that got us there. Those discussions are often where the real value is created. 

It gets easier 

One of the reassuring things I’ve noticed is that the complexity becomes easier to navigate over time. In my first few weeks, every meeting seemed to introduce a new acronym. Every answer appeared to come with caveats. Every discussion uncovered another dependency I hadn’t considered. 

A few months later, many of those same conversations feel much more straightforward. The teams involved have since developed a shared understanding and people start speaking the same language. Context builds, relationships strengthen and decisions become easier because everyone has a clearer understanding of the wider picture. 

The human side of transformation 

One final observation that has stayed with me throughout my first few months in the industry is the passion people bring to their work.  

One of the things I always appreciated about the Salesforce ecosystem was that people genuinely cared about delivering the right outcome. I’ve found that same mindset in utilities. Whether it’s product teams, delivery teams, industry specialists or clients, I’ve been struck by how much people care about getting things right. Given the impact these systems and processes can have on customers, that’s perhaps not surprising. But it’s something I’ve come to value and respect enormously. 

For all the complexity, regulations, and market processes, it’s the people behind them that have left the biggest impression on me. 

Final thoughts 

Looking at utilities with fresh eyes, I’ve been struck by the complexity of the industry, the depth of expertise within it , and the willingness of people to share that expertise with others. For all the discussions around technology, processes, and transformation, it’s the people behind them that have left the biggest impression on me. 

If you’re in the utilities sector and looking to transform your CRM, I’d be happy to discuss the challenges you’re facing and share some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way.  

If you’re new to the utilities sector yourself, I’d love to compare notes. My fresh eyes won’t stay fresh forever, but for now I’m enjoying the opportunity to learn from some incredibly knowledgeable people while bringing a different perspective to the conversation.