DTE Energy Bills Become More User-Friendly

Feb. 10, 2010
Residential customers of DTE Energy subsidiaries Detroit Edison and MichCon will find something new in their mailboxes in February - a revamped utility bill that provides at-a-glance account and energy management information.

Residential customers of DTE Energy subsidiaries Detroit Edison and MichCon will find something new in their mailboxes in February - a revamped utility bill that provides at-a-glance account and energy management information.

"Our customers told us they wanted our bills to be easier to read and to provide more details on their energy usage. We listened," said Joyce Hayes-Giles, DTE Energy's senior vice president of customer service. "The new bill still provides all the account information customers need, but in clearer language and a less cluttered, more reader-friendly format."

The company has streamlined text included on the bill and the new design makes it easier for customers to determine whether their bills are based on an actual meter reading or on an estimate. The new bill also features a customized chart illustrating each customer's energy usage over a 13-month period and directs them to the company's Web site, dteenergy.com, for ways to bring down their energy costs.

The company spent months working on the redesign, conducting customer surveys and focus groups and reviewing other utilities' bill formats that had earned high marks from customers.

"We wanted to make sure we got it right," said Hayes-Giles. "We took what our customers had to say to heart, and it's reflected in this new design."

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