illwerke vkw: Energizing customer service with intelligent automation

Based in Bregenz, Austria, illwerke vkw  is one of Vorarlberg’s leading energy providers. With more than 1,400 employees, the company offers a broad portfolio that includes electricity, gas, heat, photovoltaics, e-mobility, charging infrastructure, and digital services. With a clear ambition to evolve from utility provider to energy service partner, illwerke vkw is focused on digitalization with CRM at the core of its service, sales, and marketing strategy.

From email chaos to smart process logic

Before the project started, customer inquiries were handled via around 42 Outlook subfolders and alias addresses spread across up to 70 employees. Manually reviewing them was time-consuming, duplicative, and lacked transparency. Now, inquiries are received through several central mailboxes, analyzed by four trained AI models, and automatically classified. Requests such as cancellations, service disruptions, or invoices are forwarded directly to the responsible employees using skill-based routing.

Microsoft Copilot additionally supports the team with case summaries, suggested replies, and access to an internal knowledge base. Language, tone, and email length can be adjusted as needed, fully integrated within the CRM environment.

One key innovation is the SAP integration: contract data, invoices, and meter readings are accessible directly within CRM. When a process is completed in SAP, the corresponding CRM case is automatically closed, creating a seamless, end-to-end experience with no system breaks.

Project results at a glance

• Project duration: 6 months (January–June)
• Budget use: Only 80% of planned budget required
• Go-live: Productive within 30 minutes
• Volume: 70,000 emails processed per year
• Escalation rate: Reduced to 1% (response time under 24 hours)
• Resolution time: Cut from two weeks to around 25 hours
• Users: 225 active users, 70 directly involved in the project
• Efficiency: Automatic routing eliminates inbox searching and cherry-picking
• Reporting: Insights on response times, categories, and customer satisfaction

Why it worked: Structure, training, and scalability

From the start, illwerke vkw relied on internal expertise, strategically growing its in-house CRM team. A train-the-trainer model ensures regular knowledge sharing and sustained system adoption. Legacy structures were replaced, AI training data continuously refined, and new roles—like AI trainers—introduced. A central knowledge base further supports efficiency and accuracy.

„The system went live on a Monday. 30 minutes later, we were productive. A textbook go-live.“

– Johannes Battlogg, Head of CRM, illwerke vkw

„ The AI understands our requests and our service team can finally focus on what truly matters."

– Pascal Uebbing, CRM Project Lead, illwerke vkw

Looking ahead

The company is currently assessing the extent to which the telephone channel can also be automated. This includes evaluating the potential use of a voice bot to pre-qualify incoming calls modeled on the existing email classification process. The future use of AI agents to handle simple inquiries is also a conceivable scenario.