*Date: 12/26/2024* The Nest Thermostat is the most successful consumer energy product of all time outside of Tesla. Because Tony Fadell created the iPod, everyone assumes that the hardware was the center of development focus. But Tony credits the mobile app for the product's success for a very simple reason: customers spend 70% of the total experience with Nest on the app. “You’d open the app to turn up the heat on the way home, or you’d see how long the AC was on in Energy History, or you’d tweak your schedule. Then you’d check your email and see a summary of how much energy you used that month. And if you had an issue, you’d go to our website and use the online troubleshooter or read a support article.” So, surely the device itself is second, right? Wrong. Much like his mentor Steve Jobs, Fadell wanted the customer experience to begin when the box opened. That led to Nest including a multi-purpose screwdriver in the box. Why? Because nothing kills momentum or creates frustration like searching 30 minutes for the right tools to install your new toy. But the screwdriver had an unintended effect. “Every time they’d need to replace the batteries in their kid’s toy car, they’d grab our screwdriver. And suddenly the screwdriver became the toy and the car was forgotten.” It helped customers remember Nest. It helped them fall in love. And it wasn’t just an emotional connection, it was a great financial decision too. “That screwdriver saved us so much money on phone support. Instead of angry calls, we had happy customers raving online about their great experience.” These lessons are so easily forgotten in climate solutions. I’ll frequently see software, specifically in demand response or VPPs, where the software is absolutely brilliant, but the customer journey is an afterthought . As the energy world gets more complex, it’s not enough to offer a great piece of software and walk away. Too often we think of the user experience as that moment when a customer clicks the mouse or taps the screen. But it’s so much more in complex markets. In addition to the product, marketing, sales and support have to continually communicate and connect with customers to give them what they need. Customers want to feel like they are on a smooth ride that is an inevitable journey, not left behind to figure it out for themselves. This is why customer success has been so crucial in energy and industrial software. The future of energy solutions isn't just about building better technology - it's about making complexity feel simple for every customer, every step of the way.