Summerhill has an unrivalled track record of delivering high-impact customer engagement campaigns demonstrated through our implementation of more than 4,300 retail and community events reaching over 650,000 Canadians in the past two years alone. At the root of that success has been our commitment to having the right team of Ambassadors in place to engage customers on our clients’ key messages.
We build trust with your customers by hiring local residents and deploying them in their communities to spread the word about energy efficiency. Through rigorous in-person and online training, we ensure staff are equipped with the necessary program and product knowledge, along with the skills to effectively engage a wide range of customer types. We pride ourselves on our ability to continually adapt our engagement strategies by incorporating new and innovative practices such as community based social marketing tactics. In light of this, we are adept at training staff to use the latest technologies and apps to improve customer engagement, like iPad apps and community-based social marketing tactics.
Read more about two of our longest-serving ambassadors, Denise and Jim:
Denise Andrea, Retail Team Lead from Halifax
Client Name: Efficiency Nova Scotia
- When did you start working at Summerhill and what is your role in energy efficiency engagement?
I started working in 2012 as a customer engagement representative. My job was to engage customers at the retailer locations about energy efficiency and educate them about different ways to save energy at their homes. In 2013, I became a Team Lead. As a Team Lead, I was able to build great relationships with our retail partners and engage them in energy efficiency programs that were delivered by Summerhill on behalf of Efficiency Nova Scotia. - Why do you think having customer engagement events and direct interaction with customers is so helpful to increase awareness?
These events put a face to our energy efficiency campaigns. The marketing works, but having someone knowledgeable and friendly in person is very important to represent our clients. By asking customers questions like, “What do you do currently at your home to save energy?”, we make customers stop and think about their behaviour. - Why Summerhill and why did you choose this role?
I chose Summerhill because I was looking for an environmentally focused company and I love the idea of investing on the environment and people. When I first started, I did not know much about the company, nor energy efficiency, but I quickly learnt through Summerhill’s training sessions. Summerhill is loyal to their staff and there are lots of us returning to do this job every year. What inspires me to do my job is getting out and working with all kinds of different people. I get to meet new people every day. You will love this job if you are a people person and you like being in the public and engaging customers. Energy efficiency is always evolving and changing and Summerhill knows the market very well over the years. You need to know your product in order to sell and Summerhill knows its product. - Do you have a story to share about your experience?
When I was a customer engagement rep at one of the retailers in Halifax, I missed a weekend of customer engagement due to sickness. When I came back a week later, the staff jokingly told me that I am not allowed to be sick again as customers were asking for the girl in green shirt (Efficiency Nova Scotia’s shirt). I was making it easier for customers to make choices that will help them save energy by just talking about the benefits of the products and also letting them know how easy it can be to save energy by making small changes.
Jim Gluftsis, Customer Engagement Representative from Toronto, Ontario
Client Name: Independent Electricity System Operator
- How many years have you been with Summerhill and how did you find about it?
I have been with the company for over 10 years. I was looking around for a part-time work on the weekends. I became very interested as soon as I noticed this is an environmental company. For a number of years, I have been “promoted” to encourage and mentor other staff and to ensure things worked well. Currently, I am a Compliance Rep for the Save on Energy promotion and I also supervise our engagement reps during the weekends. - Why do you think having customer engagement events and direct interaction with customers is so helpful to increase awareness?
The great thing about these events is that the only thing you sell is your knowledge. A few years ago, we were giving people free light bulbs for a program. It might seem overwhelming to just give away free products. But in reality, you are not only giving them a free product, you also share the knowledge you have with them about energy efficiency, and you use this opportunity to educate the public. Most people are usually not aware of the services and programs offered by utilities that are designed to help them save energy, and these events create a great opportunity to make that connection between the customers and the utilities through Summerhill’s knowledgeable reps. - Why Summerhill and why did you choose this role? What inspires you to do your job?
Summerhill is specialized to promote energy efficient products differently. We go to the stores specifically to spend the time to promote and educate customers on the benefits of these products and beyond. Our goal is to change customers’ behaviour by educating them. We host these events to give people a better understanding of energy efficiency and help them to see the big picture. Just to give you an example, we do not just tell customers to buy LED bulbs. We tell them why they should choose LED over incandescent bulbs. We tell them why they should choose ENERGY STAR LED bulbs. We show them different options and by understanding our customers’ needs we direct them towards wise choices. What makes this job enjoyable for me is my passion about the environment and educating customers. I keep coming back to work at Summerhill because, to me, this is a great hobby that gets me out of my house. I get to meet and talk to so many people, which I really enjoy. At Summerhill, we all believe we are working towards a greater good.