Crowdtesting in the energy and utilities industry

Our client, a leading German energy provider, has developed an innovative online portal with a plethora of new features that allows customers to review their plans, submit meter readings, adjust contact details, order wallboxes, and receive support through an online chatbot.

Everything had to look good and work seamlessly, from its user-friendliness to information architecture, as well as feel fresh, modern, and intuitive. To ensure these standards are met, our Crowdtesters did what they do best: thoroughly test every aspect of the portal.

To capture immediate and genuine feedback, we conducted remote interviews to observe how testers interacted with the service in real-time. Initial tests focused on the portal’s usability and user experience, including navigation, color schemes, and the way information is presented. Further tests concentrated on the portal’s chatbot functionality, where testers manually entered their electricity meter readings and used the chatbot to send the reading through.

Our final test simulated the process of ordering a wallbox, involving three unique groups of testers. Each group tackled four use cases and responded to over 20 open-ended questions. This approach particularly highlighted the need for greater personalization in both the portal and the services offered.

Thanks to this comprehensive and thorough testing process, we helped our client refine the portal’s updates, ensuring that millions of users could benefit from the new features. And we were able to advise on how to better implement certain processes, like providing customers bespoke advice according to their individual needs during OCC setup. This not only led to increased usage of the service app, but also minimized the probability of abandonment and significantly enhanced customer satisfaction.

We believe in making it easier for people to reduce their carbon footprint. Our client, one of the largest electricity companies in Germany, shares this vision as they aimed to offer two top-tier apps tailored for their environmentally conscious users.

Our first challenge was to tackle their app which helps locate the nearest charging station for owners of fully electric or hybrid cars. After all, when you’re out and about in your e-car, the last thing you should worry about is finding a charging station. To ensure the app’s effectiveness, we leveraged our diverse pool of Crowdtesters to evaluate its performance in realistic scenarios. Hailing from bustling cities to remote towns and using a variety of devices, our testers assessed the app’s functionality during station searches, charging processes, and tariff registrations. In total, eight unique test cases were conducted, covering aspects like tariff information, charging costs, and in-app support.

Our second challenge similarly focused on the usability of an app that facilitates the integration of solar panel charging with the users’ homes and electric vehicles. To see if it worked correctly in real-world conditions, we sourced from among our Crowdtesters and performed several one-hour-long interviews. Each tester had to use the app to simulate the activation of their solar charging, to cancel the service, as well as provide feedback. And each step of the way, any issues, problems, or obstacles were identified and discussed in great detail. Was the information logical, clear, and easy to find?

In both cases, thanks to real-world feedback and recommendations from our qualified testers, we pinpointed exactly where the product needed refinement and offered a range of improvement suggestions, ensuring the final version is well-received by all users. This also meant long-term increase in app user numbers, better conversion, minimizing the risk of abandonment in the set-up process, as well as reduction in customer service workload.

As the e-Mobility industry works to provide seamless and efficient customer experiences, the challenge of integrating multiple vendors, external partners, and open protocols remains significant for operators and manufacturers alike. This is only made more complex by the rapidly growing market for e-cars manufactured in China, which are becoming increasingly popular in Europe.

It’s due to this intricate network of interactions that our client reached out to us to test the software of their charging stations, which are located throughout Europe, along with the accompanying app. Our QA, UX, and Usability testing aimed to ensure that every component of the charging ecosystem worked together smoothly, providing a reliable and user-friendly experience.

By simulating real-world scenarios, we put overall tester behaviors under the microscope, from start to finish, and were able to identify any pain points in the charging process, the ease of use of the charging app, and check for any usage barriers (ranging from findability to correct status displays and beyond!).

What’s more, we ensured that every interaction in the customer journey – from the charging stations to the payment systems, whether at home or on the go, using the app or the website – was thoroughly tested and proven to work harmoniously.

Like a domino effect, any disruption in this chain can result in a negative user experience. Thus, all the data we collected from our crowdtesters provided our client with the essential information and tools to ensure that their digital products are smoothly adopted by users.