Experience Better: The CX Podcast

Are Digital Wallets Ready to Take Over Bill Pay in 2026?

Digital wallets are everywhere,  from everyday purchases to peer-to-peer payments. But are they truly ready to take over bill pay?

In this episode of Experience Better: The CX Podcast by KUBRA, guest host Cali Johnston, Senior Product Marketing Manager at KUBRA, brings you key insights from KUBRA’s latest digital wallets research, featuring expert perspectives from Yara Alatshan, Market Intelligence Lead, and Ashley Czajkowski, Enterprise Payments Strategy Manager at KUBRA, who explores what these trends mean for customer awareness, trust, and adoption.

Through curated clips from our recent webinar, we explore how consumer expectations are evolving, why digital wallets are becoming a must-have in bill payments, and what’s still standing in the way of widespread adoption. If you’re responsible for customer experience, this conversation will help you prepare for what’s next in bill pay and how digital wallets fit into a better, more seamless customer experience.

Lessons Learned From the Latest Storm Season

As storm season winds down, utilities are taking stock of what they’ve learned to prepare for what comes next. In this episode of Experience Better: The CX Podcast by KUBRA, guest host Cali Johnston revisits highlights from a recent KUBRA webinar exploring how utilities can enhance their storm-season communication strategies.

Featuring Todd Clement, Senior Product Manager at KUBRA, the episode explores how overlapping events, compressed timelines, and rising customer expectations are reshaping storm response. Todd shares lessons learned on boosting outage notification enrollment, running realistic drills, and preparing pre-scheduled communications that help utilities stay connected when it matters most.

A Practical Guide to Customer Journey Mapping

Despite its importance, customer journey mapping remains a mystery to many organizations. Listen as we uncover it's untapped potential — from revealing hidden customer behaviors to aligning operations across entire organizations. We’ll explore how journey mapping can inspire innovation, streamline processes and drive smarter decision-making. This episode provides real-world insights and practical guidance for businesses ready to decode the customer journey and elevate their CX strategies.

Navigating Outages and Driving Sustainability: A Roadmap for Utilities

Explore how utilities can enhance communication, build trust, and engage customers more effectively during crises and beyond with Part Two of this intriguing discussion with experts from Chartwell Inc. Shaun Jackson, Senior Vice President of Marketing at KUBRA, hosts this discussion, featuring special guests Steve Waters, Director of Councils, and Casey Collins, Senior Research Analyst.

This engaging episode examines actionable strategies for improving outage communication, fostering sustainability engagement, and evolving the utility-customer relationship from a service provider to a trusted advisor. This episode showcases best practices and innovative ideas for utilities to strengthen customer connections, from leveraging transparency and empathy during outages to creating impactful environmental programs.

The Trust Factor: Building Better Utility-Customer Relationships

Get ready as we unlock the secrets of modern utility customer relationships with exclusive insights from Chartwell's 2024 Residential Consumer Survey. Steve Waters, Director of Councils, and Casey Collins, Senior Research Analyst at Chartwell Inc., reveal how utilities can transform customer insights into meaningful action that builds authentic relationships.

Explore the diverse needs of your customer base – from young professionals to established households – and understand how their financial realities shape energy choices. Learn what drives customer trust and loyalty across different demographics, and why personalized engagement matters more than ever.

Join us for a practical discussion on ways to strengthen customer relationships and position your utility for future success in an evolving energy marketplace.

Breaking Down Payment Technology Trends for 2025

Join host Shaun Jackson, Senior Vice President of Marketing at KUBRA, for an insightful exploration of the evolving payments landscape. Drawing from KUBRA's extensive consumer research, this episode delves into the current state of bill payment experiences and emerging trends shaping the future of payments.

Discover why traditional payment methods like debit and credit cards remain dominant while digital wallets gain momentum. Learn about the growing interest in real-time payments and the complex dynamics of buy now, pay later services in the bill payment space. The episode also examines consumer attitudes toward cryptocurrency payments and the crucial role of security in driving payment preferences.

Whether you're a biller looking to optimize your payment offerings or simply interested in the future of payment technology, this episode provides valuable insights into consumer preferences and the factors driving payment innovation in 2025 and beyond.

Connected in Crisis: Adapting Communication Strategies for Today's Weather Challenges

Extreme weather events are wreaking havoc on utilities and the communities they serve. In this insightful podcast,  Lemuel Satamkar, Senior Product Marketing Manager at KUBRA shares strategies for effective crisis communication with host Shaun Jackson, Senior Vice President of Marketing at KUBRA. Learn how leading providers are leveraging advanced technologies and data to keep customers informed and build resilience. Don't miss this essential discussion on the future of utility crisis response, 

Say Goodbye to Late Payments

In this episode of the podcast hosted by Shaun Jackson, Senior Vice President of Marketing at KUBRA, the focus is on managing late payments for utilities and billers. Joined by Cali Johnston, Senior Product Marketing Manager at KUBRA, they highlight why managing late payments is essential for cash flow and customer relationships. They delve into strategies such as offering a frictionless payment experience and flexible billing options to prevent late payments. The discussion also covers personalized communication and advanced analytics to swiftly collect late payments and improve customer engagement.

Tune in to uncover essential strategies and insights for managing late payments, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving efficiency in the utility sector.

If you're interested in more in-depth coverage of this topic, watch our on-demand webinar, The Late Payment Playbook: Winning Strategies for Preventing & Collecting Late Payments. 

From Innovation to Execution: Transforming CX with Utility Mobile Apps

Join us on the latest episode of "Experience Better: The CX Podcast," where we explore the dynamic world of mobile app technology in the utility sector. Our guest, Erind Shkurti, Director of Client Solutions and Mobile Apps at KUBRA, shares his invaluable insights on increasing user engagement and the impact of mobile innovation on customer interactions. Dive into topics such as the balance of convenience and security, the adoption challenges utilities face, and why staying current in the mobile space is crucial for a frictionless customer experience. Whether you're a utility professional or a tech enthusiast, this episode offers a deep dive into the strategies and trends driving mobile app development in utilities today. Don't miss it – tune in to discover how these technologies are powering a connected and resilient future.

Navigating the New Era of Payments in 2024

In this episode, we delve into six digital payment trends that are shaping the future of customer payment experiences. 

Join us as we uncover how personalization in payments is becoming a game-changer for consumer satisfaction and the significance of adopting flexible digital wallets in response to evolving customer preferences. We also investigate the surge in popularity of real-time payment processing, the nuances of integrating Buy Now and Pay Later options for billers, and the future of Request for Payment tools in immediate transaction settlements.

We'll also address the critical topic of enhancing security measures to protect online transactions and gauge the potential for cryptocurrency in mainstream payment methods.

Don't miss our insightful look at how these innovative solutions are poised to enhance customer engagement and transform payment processing in 2024.

Download the Whitepaper: Navigating Tomorrow: The Top Digital Payment Innovations to Watch in 2024