Okanogan County Public Utility District

Overview

Simplifying Services

Okanogan County Public Utility District (OK PUD) is deeply rooted in the communities it serves—powering homes, farms, and businesses across 3,200 square miles of north-central Washington. With four local offices supporting over 20,000 customers, OK PUD needed a website that could bring their service territory together with one clear and consistent voice. They partnered with Powerful to create a site that reflects their commitment to transparency, connection, and service. The goals were simple: make everyday tools easier to access, reduce the need for phone calls and emails, and ensure customers always have the most relevant information right at their fingertips.

By taking a human-centered approach to design, Powerful worked closely with OK PUD to understand how their customers prefer to engage—whether they’re checking outage updates, attending board meetings, or looking for financial assistance programs. The new site supports all of these needs through a layout that looks clean and functions intuitively. Key services are front and center, while broader initiatives like green energy and sustainability are just as easy to explore. It’s a site built to serve a community, not just deliver content.

Boosting Online Engagement with Clear Messaging

With four office locations and a wide service territory, OK PUD needed a website that could speak with one voice—clearly, consistently, and confidently. They wanted to reduce confusion, promote their services more effectively, and empower customers to complete everyday tasks online. To make that happen, Powerful implemented the Laurelhurst Promotional blueprint—a homepage layout designed to communicate key programs, initiatives, and events in a way that’s easy to understand and impossible to miss.

The homepage’s eye-catching imagery, intuitive layout, and strategically placed call-to-action buttons create a natural flow that guides visitors where they need to go—whether they’re logging into SmartHub or exploring green energy initiatives. This structure allows OK PUD to promote programs consistently across all four of their offices, ensuring every customer receives the same clear, accessible message.

By guiding visitors toward the most important programs and timely updates, the Laurelhurst blueprint helps OK PUD do more than reduce phone calls—it helps them uplift their mission. Their commitment to transparency, sustainability, and community support shines through. Whether customers are catching up on solar workshops or exploring rebate options, they leave the site more informed and more connected to the utility that serves them.

Creating an Intuitive Visitor Experience

As part of their push for a more intuitive experience, OK PUD set out to streamline one of the most common customer tasks: filling out forms. Previously, many requests—like starting or stopping service—required downloading a PDF, printing it out, filling it in by hand, and returning it by mail or in person. It wasn’t ideal for customers on the go, and it often meant extra steps for staff, too.

Powerful helped transform this process by converting static PDFs into online forms that are simple to complete and accessible from any device. Now, if someone wants to start service, they can do it all online. Each form is structured to guide visitors step by step, asking only what’s relevant and helping ensure everything is filled out correctly before submission. The result is a smoother, faster experience for customers and fewer follow-ups for OK PUD staff, making the process feel more personal and less like paperwork.

This shift to online forms is part of a broader effort to meet customers where they are. Whether someone is applying from their desktop at home or their phone on the go, the process is straightforward and accessible. It’s also designed with flexibility in mind—ensuring that no matter the service request, the form experience feels tailored, secure, and easy to complete. For OK PUD staff, it’s one more way the website helps simplify internal workflows while delivering a higher-quality customer experience.