Chartwell’s Best Practices Awards

This award recognizes initiatives that have achieved transforming arrears management through enhanced credit and collection processes, reducing bad debt with the aid of technology and innovation while providing empathetic engagement with customers. Entries may include, but are not limited to, enhanced risk assessment, alternative credit scoring, proactive predictive analytics, propensity modeling, intelligent call routing, behavioral alerts, early intervention strategies, intelligent arrearage management plans, flexible billing, vulnerable customer protection, and third-party integration transitions.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Operational efficiencies
• Customer engagement and satisfaction
• Innovative usage of technology or analytics
• Clear objectives and measurable results

This award recognizes initiatives that have demonstrated outstanding innovation, efficiency and customer satisfaction in their billing and/or payment programs or processes. Entries may include, but are not limited to, bill redesign to improve clarity and customer understanding, multi-channel payment experiences (e.g., mobile, web, automated phone systems), leveraging data analytics for more personalized billing experiences and integration of new technologies such as AI, automation, or app-related payment services.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Increased adoption and/or usage of services or technologies
• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Operational efficiencies resulting in cost savings or improved productivity
• Measurable improvements in customer satisfaction

This award recognizes initiatives that elevate the overall customer journey by delivering seamless, personalized and impactful experiences across all touchpoints. Entries may include, but are not limited to, efforts related to training programs to enhance customer service skills, implementation of new systems or technologies to enhance experiences, proactive customer engagement strategies, frameworks or models, data-driven insights to improve customer interactions, service design improvements for a frictionless experience, customer journey optimization and personalization.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Increased adoption and/or usage of services or technologies
• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Operational efficiencies resulting in cost savings or improved productivity
• Measurable improvements in customer satisfaction

This award recognizes initiatives focused that enhance the digital customer journey by delivering seamless, intuitive, and engaging online experiences demonstrated through measurable improvements in web, mobile, or other digital platforms, leading to increased accessibility, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Increased adoption and/or usage of services or technologies
• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Operational efficiencies resulting in cost savings or improved productivity
• Measurable improvements in customer satisfaction

This award recognizes initiatives designed to enhance a utility’s brand image, educate customers, increase brand awareness, promote products and services, and effectively relay communicate corporate strategy.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Innovation and originality
• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Appeal or attractiveness of campaign or program materials
• Measured results in areas such as engagement tracking, brand awareness, customer education, and promotion of products and services

This award recognizes initiatives focused on serving customers experiencing vulnerability due to financial or social insecurity. Entries may include, but are not limited to, tools for identifying and serving at-risk customers, community outreach and engagement programs, leveraging data to improve service, and developing assistance programs.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Increased adoption and/or usage of services or technologies
• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Operational efficiencies resulting in cost savings or improved productivity
• Measurable improvements in customer satisfaction

This category recognizes initiatives, programs or processes that improve the business customer experience. Entries may include, but are not limited to customer segmentation and personalized service approaches, relationship management strategies, products and services, VOC research and strategy, internal organization and process optimization.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Increased adoption and/or usage of services or technologies
• Effectiveness of implementation and overall quality
• Operational efficiencies resulting in cost savings or improved productivity
• Measurable improvements in customer satisfaction

This category recognizes initiatives that realize transportation electrification benefits for the utility, its customers, and/or served communities. Entries may include, but are not limited to EV community engagement and marketing, charging infrastructure, fleet electrification, grid integration, multifamily support and inclusion.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Promoting the utility as the EV Trusted Advisor
• Innovative approach and/or solution
• Quality of effort and strategic partnerships
• Measured impact and how it aligns with the utility’s strategic objectives

This category recognizes outstanding creative achievement in short video marketing/communications efforts, such as TV spots or digital pre-roll. Chartwell judges will select the Top 3 entries, and the recipients of the People’s Choice Award will be chosen by EMACS attendees. Winners will receive their trophies at the conference.

Submitted videos should be no more than 1 minute long. Each utility can submit up to two videos. Videos must have been released between January 2025 and March 2026.

Chartwell’s award for Excellence in Customer Transformational Leadership recognizes a North American utility that has undertaken groundbreaking efforts to lead its customers and stakeholders toward the clean energy future, as well as the individuals in executive leadership positions who are driving those initiatives.

As this award is the highest Chartwell honor, there is only one award presented in this category each year.

Since we know a transformational effort takes a village, we request that the sponsoring executive from your utility accept the award on behalf of the utility team’s effort.

This category recognizes innovative communication initiatives designed to improve the customer experience before, during or after an outage event, regardless of size and scope. Entries may include, but are not limited to, efforts related to strategic planning, contact centers, web and mobile services, employee training, changes in messaging and streamlining of processes.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Improved service through innovation or technology
• Innovation or originality
• Quality of the effort
• Measured results in customer satisfaction related to outage communications
• Operational efficiency gains or savings

This category recognizes initiatives demonstrating excellence or innovation in outage operations practices and procedures that prevent customer outages and/or improve restoration efficiency. Entries may include, but are not limited to, efforts related to strategic planning, employee training, dispatch and coordination, improvements in damage assessment procedures or tools, distribution automation and other improvements in systems and technologies.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Improved service through innovation or technology
• Innovation or originality
• Quality of the effort
• Measured results in customer satisfaction related to outage duration
• Operational efficiency gains or savings

This category recognizes outstanding strategies and practices in emergency management, emphasizing comprehensive approaches to handling incidents like natural disasters, cybersecurity breaches, and equipment failures. Entrants should showcase unified communication, demonstrating “one voice” coordination with stakeholders, agencies, and regulators. Submissions should highlight successful incident command, response planning, and training, illustrating an organization’s resilience during heightened challenges.

Judges will evaluate the following criteria:

• Continuous performance improvement
• Response strategy effectiveness
• Brand protection
• Impact on customer confidence
• Proven organizational agility