Ask any utility exec: The key to accurate forecasting isn’t luck. It’s data. In fact, data might be more valuable than electrons these days.

Knowing what your customers think (and how they act) is a prerequisite for long-term utility success. So today on The Watt & Why, host Mike Smith welcomes Elizabeth Parks, president and CMO of Parks Associates, for an insightful conversation about how consumers are adapting to new technologies—and the real ways the power industry can better leverage data to get answers to big questions.

Mike and Elizabeth explore the utility’s role in communicating the massive benefits of grid tech to customers, the evolving relationship between consumers and power companies, and how utilities can improve everyday peoples’ perception of the work they do.

Building trust starts with knowing your customer. Today’s conversation is a crash course in doing just that.