Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 3RD - 9TH AUGUST 2018 | 29 Customers reduced it to 1,500. Within six months, all 1,200 home moves had been processed, and all 12,500 direct debit exceptions had been resolved. There were also full debt collection processes in place, where GB Energy had had none. The company insists that from day one the customer experience was "seamless". In addition to this, their balances were pro- tected and the tariffs they were on were all honoured, which included not raising the price of the standard variable tariff for more than six months. How was creativity demonstrated? All customers' credit balances were pro- tected, including those customers who had switched but hadn't received a refund. Co-op Energy honoured all GB Energy tar- iffs for their duration – including pledging to fix the standard variable tariff for at least six months. This therefore represented a bet- ter deal for customers than they had been on before GB Energy's failure. Existing GB Energy staff were retained, providing security of employment despite the fact that the business had failed. company spokesperson, "and we want this scheme extended to cover all eligible cus- tomers, not just those who choose larger suppliers, but ensuring former GB Energy customers received it was a good start." Co-op Energy had spent the previous year or more working hard to improve the level of customer service it provides, and taking on GB Energy's customers was an opportunity to test its capabilities on a larger scale. From what it found when it took them on, this was a group of customers who had not been well served by their supplier. "This shouldn't be acceptable for an essential service and we think Ofgem still needs to do more to raise the bar for new entrant suppliers to reduce this happening again," says the spokesperson. Who was involved? Delivering this in the way Co-op Energy did, and to the standards that it did, involved staff from every part of the business. In protecting customers' credit balances and promising to honour the tariffs of a company that was ulti- mately unable to live up to its own promises the company helped maintain customer con- fidence in independent suppliers and main- tain consumer confidence in switching. A tight-knit delivery team comprising core expertise across the business was estab- lished to deliver the SoLR claim and ensure successful transition to tight deadlines, which included weekend work. This was cross-discipline and included finance, regulation, contracts, wholesale purchasing, risk, and senior executives. Staff were able to develop their collabora- tive, negotiating and team-working skills to deliver significant commercial and customer service decisions to short deadlines. This all helped to deliver a smooth customer experience and maintain con- sumer confidence in switching, vital for maintaining competitive pressure on prices and delivering benefits for all customers. Were there any hurdles along the way? Dealing with such large backlogs on essen- tial issues like customer service, for so many customers, and in such a short timeframe, was a huge challenge. Ensuring that it significantly improved performance, without affecting service lev- els for existing Co-op Energy customers, and while meeting tight deadlines, required a huge amount of effort from everybody in the business. The fact that it was successful was not just a coup for the company's frontline cus- tomer services teams, but for every member of the Co-op Energy team. Co-op Energy gained 160,000 GB Energy customers, increasing the company's customer base by more than 67 per cent overnight. "Our members decide how we're run and what we do to make a difference, so it goes without saying that the way we care for those customers is hugely important to us. "The Institute of Customer Service has named us as one of the most improved brands across all sectors for customer care for the past two years running, and with this award, we've been recognised in our own industry as well. "Winning the Customer Care award from Utility Week is a powerful endorsement of the way we extended that service, overnight, to more than 160,000 new customers – many of whom had not been receiving the level of care that we at Co-op Energy pride ourselves on. "As with anything, this is a milestone on our journey but there is always more to be done and we're committed to continuing to improve and extend our co-operative care to more and more people as we grow." EDWARD TARELLI, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, CO-OP ENERGY Winner's comments What has the impact been on the company? Being appointed the supplier of last resort meant that Co-op Energy dramatically increased its customer base and would be potentially welcoming thousands more cus- tomers into the co-operative movement. It did this without using conventional sales channels such as price comparison websites, and potentially saving more than £8 million in acquisition costs. As a co-operative, Co-op Energy is owned by its members and they help decide how it runs its business. So, the company says, it puts customers at the heart of everything it does and puts great value on delivering a good customer experience. For some elderly and fuel poor GB Energy customers, moving to Co-op Energy meant they received £140 discount on their bills through the Warm Home Discount. "This is something we care greatly about," says a

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