Challenges
Affordability remains one of the utility industry’s most urgent challenges—balancing financial sustainability with empathy for customers struggling to pay their bills. To address this head-on, U2030, in partnership with Paymentus, created the INFLIGHT 2025 Workshop Series—a six-city, human-centered learning journey that brought together hundreds of utility professionals to reimagine affordability, billing, and cost-to-serve strategies.
Utilities across North America face mounting pressure to reduce operational costs while maintaining exceptional service and equity for all customers. Traditional problem-solving models were not sparking new ideas or cross-functional collaboration. Leaders needed a safe, creative space to explore affordability through both data and empathy—addressing the change management hurdle of shifting organizational mindsets from transactional billing to holistic customer care.
Approach
U2030 designed an immersive Learning Experience Design (LXD) workshop—INFLIGHT—and delivered it in six cities to encourage open dialogue, courageous experimentation, and cross-functional collaboration. Sessions utilized panels, a hands-on Gallery Walk, and a Budget Reboot Simulation using playful, unexpected formats to explore serious topics. Each workshop began with a community impact project, where attendees assembled care kits for women’s shelters in Dallas, Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles, Denver, and Seattle.
Outcomes
U2030 and Paymentus donated over 650 care packages to local shelters, and more than 500 utility professionals left with renewed energy, actionable insights, and practical frameworks for tackling affordability. Participant feedback described the series as “the most engaging workshop experience I’ve ever attended” and “a model for how utilities should be learning together.” Utilities have since applied the tools and change techniques from INFLIGHT to strengthen internal collaboration, refine affordability programs, and reimagine customer engagement strategies.
U2030 Capabilities & Success Factors
U2030’s INFLIGHT Series exemplifies the power of Learning Experience Design (LXD)—transforming workshops into energizing, purpose-driven learning experiences. Our approach blends behavioral science, change leadership, design thinking, and emotional intelligence to help utilities connect with the human side of transformation. By pairing structured problem-solving with creativity and empathy, U2030 helps teams generate breakthrough ideas that lower cost-to-serve, enhance affordability, and build lasting trust between utilities and the communities they serve.
