“Ad Coelum Doctrine” — to whomsoever the soil belongs; he owns also the sky and the depths — offers a powerful metaphor for how utilities must approach digital customer experience (CX). Today’s foundation is not physical land, but digital assets: websites, data systems, and brand trust. From this soil, utilities build upward into seamless, personalized journeys and downward into the data infrastructure that sustains them.

This article explores a holistic framework for CX transformation, drawing on peer utility examples that illustrate how faster mobile design reduced abandonment rates, predictive models improved payment outcomes, and community forums deepened customer loyalty. By viewing digital CX as both privilege and obligation, utilities can prepare for the horizon ahead — including voice-enabled services, immersive technologies, and evolving expectations for data privacy and trust. The result is an enduring strategy for owning digital CX “from the earth to the cloud.”

“To whomsoever the soil belongs, he owns also to the sky and to the depths.”

Originating with Accursius in the 13th century (Cooper, 1952), the legal maxim “Cuius est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos” (Fellmeth & Horwitz, 2011) captured the idea that whoever owns a piece of land has rights not only to the ground but also to the heavens above and the depths below. Today, in the digital age, this principle resonates with the way utilities must think about customer experience (CX). Digital ownership is no longer about a parcel of land; it’s about the territory you stake across data, technology, and customer touchpoints.

Utilities that want to thrive in an increasingly digital marketplace must see their “soil” as the foundation of customer trust and engagement. From there, they must build upward into new interaction layers and look downward into the data-rich depths that power personalization and foresight. This journey — from the earth to the cloud — defines the modern digital CX.

I. The Foundations: Grounding Your Digital CX Strategy (solum)

Every land deal begins with the soil. In digital CX, this soil is your foundational assets: websites, portals, mobile apps, and the infrastructure that sustains them. Without well-maintained ground, no structure can endure.

Owning the Soil in Digital Terms

Ownership begins with the basics: reliable platforms, accessible design, and secure systems. These are the conditions under which every other innovation must grow.

Establishing Your Digital Territory

The ground level is where customers enter: search engines, app stores, and social channels. First impressions — the digital entryway — matter.

Case in Point: A large Midwestern utility found that more than half of its customers’ first interactions occurred via mobile search. By redesigning its mobile site to load faster and simplifying login steps, the utility reduced abandonment rates by 30%.

The Subterranean Layer: Data Infrastructure

Beneath the surface, data is the rich earth feeding growth.

Case in Point: One West Coast utility integrated data across billing, outage management, and CRM systems. The unified view enabled proactive alerts to customers at risk of high-bill surprises, reducing repeat call volume by nearly 15% during peak months.

II. The Ascent: Building the Customer Journey (ad coelum)

From the soil, we look skyward. Just as scaffolding shapes how a structure rises, the digital customer journey requires careful design at every level.

Constructing the Scaffolding

In the consideration phase, customers demand transparency and depth.

Case in Point: A Southeastern municipal utility created a self-service rate comparison tool that allowed customers to simulate their bills under time-of-use and flat-rate plans. Within six months, digital conversions nearly doubled.

Reaching for Personalization

AI and machine learning enable utilities to anticipate needs before they surface.

Case in Point: A Canadian utility applied predictive models to identify households most likely to miss payments. By offering pre-due-date reminders and flexible payment options, the utility cut late-payment fees for those households by 20%.

Creating Consistent Omnichannel Touchpoints

Every channel must offer a unified journey.

Case in Point: A Southwestern utility linked its IVR system with its chatbot, ensuring that when customers switched from phone to digital chat, their context carried over. This reduced average handle time and improved satisfaction scores.

III. The Horizon and Beyond: The Future of Digital CX (et ad inferos)

In the landman’s world, the horizon is both a boundary and a promise. For utilities, digital CX extends far beyond the visible edge.

Extending Reach into the Cloud

Voice assistants, AI-driven service agents, and immersive experiences are shaping the next skyline.

Case in Point: Several utilities are piloting voice-enabled outage reporting, where customers can simply say, “Alexa, my power is out,” and the utility can instantly confirm the outage location and restoration time.

The Deep Dive into Loyalty

Ownership of the digital sky means thinking beyond acquisition.

Case in Point: A Northwest cooperative utility established a digital community forum where customers shared efficiency tips and solar adoption experiences. Engagement not only increased trust but also provided valuable peer-to-peer learning.

Preparing for the Depths

The unseen depths of cybersecurity and resilience remain critical.

Case in Point: A large urban utility invested in continuous penetration testing and employee training on data privacy. By publicizing its privacy-by-design approach, it strengthened customer confidence in digital adoption.

IV. Conclusion: Owning Your Digital CX from the Earth to the Cloud

Solum. Coelum. Inferos. The soil, the sky, and the depths. Together they provide a holistic framework for digital CX:

A robust foundation enables confidence in daily interactions.
An elevated journey offers personalization and seamless omnichannel engagement.
A forward-looking horizon ensures resilience, trust, and adaptability.

For utilities, digital CX is not a single project, nor a one-time upgrade. It is a living ecosystem — a territory to be stewarded, cultivated, and expanded with foresight.

Just as land ownership carried both privilege and obligation, so too does digital ownership in today’s utility industry. Those who embrace the full scope — from the earth to the cloud — will not only serve customers better but also build enduring value for their employees, communities, and the future.

References

Cooper, J. C. (1952). Roman law and the maxim “Cujus est solum” in international air law. McGill Law Journal, 1(1). https://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/article/roman-law-and-the-maxim-cujus-est-solum-in-international-air-law/

Fellmeth, A. X., & Horwitz, M. (2011). Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum (et ad inferos). In Guide to Latin in international law (online ed.). Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195369380.001.0001/acref-9780195369380-e-461

About the Author

Bonnie Damstra is a business development leader with more than three decades of experience in the global energy and utilities sector. She has advised and collaborated with over 250 utilities and energy companies worldwide, helping them navigate challenges in sustainability, decarbonization, electrification, and digital transformation. Early in her career, while at Williams Energy Ventures during the mid-1990s, she was part of the team that designed, built, and deployed the first electronic trading platforms for energy commodities following FERC Order 636. This pioneering work marked the industry’s transition from an analog environment to the digital age and continues to shape how energy markets operate today. Her career since has spanned senior roles at PennWell, Innowatts, Siemens GridSoftware, ICF International, and ICIS, with a focus on SaaS adoption, advanced analytics, and grid modernization. Known for her consultative approach and people-first leadership, she brings practical insights on how utilities can leverage data, AI, and customer-centric design to strengthen engagement and performance. Bonnie is based in the Houston area and lives by the mantra: “Learn Something New Every Day.”