Unitil, a natural gas and electric delivery company with residential and business customers throughout New England, today provided additional details of the technical innovation behind its new website, www.unitil.com. The recently launched site – which was completely redesigned to enhance the customer experience – features advanced web technologies that improve site efficiency, functionality and usability.
Unitil’s new website was developed with Drupal, an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications and used by several diverse organizations ranging from local businesses to global corporations.
“Drupal’s flexibility, affordability and developer community make it a perfect fit for Unitil’s needs,” said Stephanie Francoeur, web communications manager at Unitil. “Its open development model means that it is constantly improved, resulting in a cutting-edge platform able to support the latest web technologies available.”
Unitil selected Drupal due to a number of factors including its flexibility, wealth of out-of-the-box content management systems (CMS), social media integration, and the depth of its developer community.
The technical improvements, which were initiated in response to increased customer demand for online account management, allow Unitil to more easily manage and better serve its recently expanded customer base. Built with a streamlined organizational layout, the site facilitates backend content and structure management. A custom content management control panel further increases internal efficiencies, and an improved user interface incorporates enhanced search capabilities and regional personalization to tailor the site to each visitor. Customer-facing enhancements include:
- Integrated social media tools allowing for content sharing and real-time monitoring via the company’s Twitter feed, @Unitil.
- The Outage Center offers real-time service restoration updates via the company’s Twitter feed.
- MyUnitil account management section features easy online bill pay options as well as resources and advice to help customers lower energy costs.
- Our Community section provides detail on Unitil’s involvement in the local neighborhoods it serves.
- The Media Center highlights the latest company news, upcoming events and safety tips.
Unitil partnered with Calypso Communications, a full-service marketing and public relations firm based in Portsmouth, N.H., to design, develop and launch the new website. The companies collaborated to develop Unitil’s new branding, Energy for Life as well and work together on ongoing communications.
