Victory Electric Co-Op: Transforming Member Communication
3X
industry average CTR
30%
above benchmark open rate for mid-cycle alert emails
77%
open rate for welcome series
TL;DR
Victory Electric boosted engagement, improved bill clarity, and strengthened member relationships.
Before
- Few communication resources
- Difficult to provide education to customers
- Limited member access
After
- Fewer call center inquiries
- Deeper community connection
- 24/7 member engagement
The Challenge
Victory Electric is committed to keeping its members informed delivering clear, timely communication about rates, services, member benefits, and other important updates that impact the community. Four years ago, they were looking for additional resources to streamline this process. Many members were focused on lowering their bills, and with a highly transient population, it was difficult to build lasting connections or deliver consistent energy education.
“Our Member Service Representatives spoke with members on the phone to set up new service and answer questions,” explained Chanda Schulte, VP of Communications at Victory Electric. However, their availability was limited to business hours between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., leaving many working members without access to help when they needed it.
Victory primarily used social media and articles to share information with their members, but algorithms prevented many people from seeing this important information. “We had looked at doing our own email campaign, but we lacked the capacity to be able to do it successfully,” Schulte noted. New members received a welcome packet when they first signed up for service, but it was not robust enough to fully educate them about Victory, the benefits of belonging to a co-op, or how their bills worked. Additionally, when members called with high bill concerns, techs would check their meters but did not provide personalized energy use reduction education.
After seeing another cooperative’s success with Brillion, Victory Electric wanted to explore their solutions to bridge their communication gaps and better fulfill their promise to their community.
The Solution
Victory Electric implemented a digital engagement platform with Brillion to connect with members through personalized, proactive communications, including a three-part welcome series, detailed monthly bill analyses, and mid-cycle alerts about potential high bills.
“The welcome series helps our members get to know Victory as a co-op and how our billing works,” Schulte explained. Amy Grasser, VP of Corporate Services, added, “It goes directly to them. It’s an email and it’s personalized.”
The platform provides interactive tools and educational resources, giving members 24/7 access to information on reducing energy consumption, including usage breakdowns, seasonal tips, and home efficiency strategies. This accessibility demonstrated Victory’s commitment to meeting the community where they are, as neighbors helping neighbors. As Grasser said, “We’re open 8 to 5 when people are working, so what’s nice about the emails is they can look at them at whatever time works for them.” This approach helped Victory educate members on controlling energy use through timely, relevant communications that aligned with their mission.
“Our members want to lower their bills, so the win is educating them on how to do that.”
AMY GRASSER, VP CORPORATE SERVICES, VICTORY ELECTRIC
The Results
Improved Efficiency and Time Savings
Implementing Brillion’s platform helped Victory Electric to expand their services without overburdening their team. “It’s filling a gap by helping our members understand how they can reduce their bills,” Grasser said. The personalized communications have reduced member confusion and inquiries. “The MSRs are receiving fewer calls about smaller things because the bill explanation helped alleviate some of those questions,” Schulte said.
Victory also condensed their original welcome packet to a robust digital engagement welcome series. “I definitely think there’s a time savings because if we were to do this in house, we don’t have the bandwidth to be able to do it successfully,” Schulte explained.
Improved Member Education
Victory’s new communication methods support their goal of being more than “just the electric company” with measurable results. “Our survey scores did go up again this year, and we contribute some of that to the additional resources we provide with Brillion—both the interactive tools and the emails,” Schute said.
Positive feedback has also highlighted the effectiveness of video-based communications. “It’s better educating our members about how to control their energy use and being able to do it on their own time,” Grasser explained, adding, “If they see a huge swing on their bill, the emails explain that. Our members want to lower their bills, so the win is educating them on how to do that.”
Strengthen Member Relationships
Brillion helped Victory Electric build deeper customer relationships, positioning them as a community pillar. The welcome series shows members that Victory is more than a utility company—they genuinely want to help with bills, reduce costs, and improve comfort. “We understand people have a thousand other things going on in their life that are more important than their electric bill. They care about paying the bill in the cheapest way possible and we give them the information they need so they can do so,” Grasser reflected, emphasizing Victory’s role as neighbors, focusing on education and community connection.
by the numbers
9.6%
VBE email click through rate
3X industry average55%
Open rate for mid cycle alerts
30% above benchmark77%
Welcome Series open rate
27% above benchmark87%
Of survey respondents understand bill changes
