As utilities look for ways to manage accelerating electrification and rising customer expectations, Australian energy network operator AusNet’s latest transformation indicates how energy providers are moving beyond static service models toward dynamic, connected customer journeys.
The company has launched a unified customer connections platform developed with IBM Consulting and Salesforce, to replace fragmented manual workflows with a single digital environment for customers, electricians and internal teams.
The platform allows users to submit, track and manage customers’ connection requests through one portal, while giving AusNet a unified operational view across metering, solar, supply applications, retailer updates and contact center interactions.
The move comes as utilities in Australia and elsewhere face growing pressure from rooftop solar adoption, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, home electrification and other distributed energy resources. Energy providers are faced with managing higher volumes of more complex customer requests without adding friction, delays or service failures.
The Australian energy industry is changing, with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) reporting that the market saw record distributed rooftop solar output and a surge in grid‑scale battery projects in the pipeline during the first quarter.
From Fragmented Processes to a Single Connection Journey
AusNet is Australia’s largest diversified energy network business, managing electricity distribution and transmission systems as well as gas distribution. Before the rollout of the new customer platform, AusNet’s connections process relied on multiple systems, manual handoffs and separate operational touchpoints. That created complexity for customers and electricians, while limiting AusNet’s ability to manage applications consistently.
The platform centralizes data and automates key stages of the connection lifecycle, including service-order creation, validation checks, pricing estimates and supply-availability assessments.
In practice, that means customers and electricians can use one digital front door to manage requests, while AusNet teams can see the status of applications across the wider service journey.
AusNet said around 51 percent of customer applications are now processed end-to-end automatically, while validation times have been reduced by more than 80 percent. The company also reported fewer guaranteed service level infringements since the system went live.
Those metrics are significant in a sector where connection delays can affect solar installations, new developments, electrification upgrades and broader customer confidence in the energy transition.
Why Connections Are Becoming a Strategic CX Issue
Utilities have traditionally treated customer connections as operational transactions. But the rise of distributed energy resources is changing that model.
A standard connection request may now sit alongside rooftop solar, battery storage, EV charger installation, commercial electrification or more complex supply requirements. Each adds technical, regulatory and customer communication demands, making connection management a customer experience priority as much as an infrastructure issue.
Australian energy bodies, including the Australian Energy Market Operator, have repeatedly pointed to the growing operational complexity created by distributed energy resources. Meanwhile, regulatory expectations around service levels and customer outcomes continue to place pressure on networks to improve speed, transparency and reliability.
Within that context, AusNet’s customer connections platform reflects a wider shift among utilities moving from static service models toward connected, data-driven customer journeys.
Stephen Thompson, General Manager Customer & Community at AusNet, said:
“As the energy transition accelerates, we needed a system that could scale with demand while giving customers and electricians clarity, speed and transparency.”
“The new platform streamlines the entire customer-connection journey, improves accuracy and resilience, and establishes a future-ready digital foundation for the rising grid demand we expect over the next decade.”
Salesforce and IBM Target the Utility Transformation Opportunity
The project also reflects the growing role of industry-specific cloud platforms and consulting-led transformation programs in the utility sector.
Salesforce has been expanding its energy and utilities capabilities as providers look to unify customer data, service workflows and field operations. For networks like AusNet, the value lies in connecting customer-facing channels with the operational systems that determine whether a request can be validated, priced and progressed.
Jeremy Smith, SVP and Head of Enterprise ANZ at Salesforce, said that simplifying the connection process was central to the transformation.
“By bringing the connection process together through a single Salesforce-powered experience, AusNet now has a unified view of its customers and the ability to automate previously manual steps—preparing the organization for tomorrow’s electrification surge.”
IBM Consulting’s role also points to another challenge for utilities. Digital transformation in the sector often requires workflow redesign, legacy system integration, data model consolidation and change management across operational teams, in addition to adding a new front-end portal.
For IBM Consulting, the project demonstrates how essential infrastructure providers are rethinking service delivery as decarbonization and grid complexity increase.
“Australia’s energy transition requires distributors to rethink how they operate, and AusNet is setting a benchmark for how essential infrastructure providers can modernize for the decade ahead,” said Juhi McClelland, Managing Partner at IBM Consulting APAC.
AusNet now plans to work with IBM and Salesforce to expand the platform’s capabilities further. Future roadmap items include intelligent contact center functions, broader stakeholder management tools and deeper integration with field operations and asset planning systems.
While digital portals can improve visibility and automate parts of the customer journey, many utility service experiences still depend on what happens behind the scenes, from field scheduling, network constraints and asset planning to coordination between multiple stakeholders.
Utilities are moving beyond processing connection requests to building digital operating models that can manage dynamic, high-volume, end-to-end customer journeys in real time.
