What changes does a company need to make to become a customer-focused subscription company?

The potential challenges in applying the subscription model to utilities could include the need for significant infrastructure changes, the difficulty in predicting usage and setting pricing, and the potential resistance from customers who are used to traditional billing methods. Additionally, regulatory constraints might pose a challenge in some regions. It's also important to consider the financial implications, as the transition to a subscription model might initially lead to a drop in revenue before steady growth is achieved, as was the case with Adobe when they transitioned to cloud-based subscription software services.

The subscription model aligns with the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) by focusing on the service-level agreement that sits behind the product. In the IoT, devices are interconnected and can share data, which can be used to provide personalized services to the customers. These services can be offered on a subscription basis, providing continuous value to the customers and steady revenue to the companies. This model is being used in various sectors including healthcare, government, utilities, and more.

The adoption of the subscription model is becoming increasingly prevalent across various industries. In retail, the focus is shifting towards enhancing the online customer experience and using data from this to inform physical store stocking. The news industry is experiencing a resurgence due to online subscriptions. The media industry is in a new golden age of on-demand streaming. Car subscriptions are providing access to a range of vehicles from the same company. Adobe pioneered cloud-based subscription software services, initially experiencing a drop in revenue and rise in expenses, but ultimately achieving steady growth. The Internet of Things is enabling even heavy equipment like construction supplies to adopt a subscription model. The subscription access model is also being used in healthcare, government, utilities, and more.