UTILITY WEEK | 2ND - 8TH NOVEMBER 2018 |
13
Policy & Regulation
Speakers'
views:
1. The word "utility"
still has positive
connotations and a
special significance.
2. Modern utilities
are increasingly
about service
provision.
3. Customer
expectations of
what utilities should
deliver are changing,
and getting the
service right is key.
4. Customer
segmentation
presents difficulties
for traditional
utilities striving
to meet widely
varying demands
– from owners of
electric vehicles to
consumers who want
paper bills.
5. While the
challenges facing
utilities differ,
collaboration and
standardisation
might answer some
of the major data
issues ahead for the
industry.
Top takeaways
"The word utility also brings with it a certain
'essentialness'. It is something I think I feel quite
proud of – as a core service that society and
our customers would seriously miss if it wasn't
there."
Malcolm Horne, head of environment, Severn Trent Water
Brought to you in association with
"Whether the label utility is appropriate or not, I
don't think we get hung up about it. The thing is
about the service we provide to our customers,
and how we are viewed in the marketplace."
Mark Adolphus, director of connections, UK Power Netwroks
"You are at greater risk of substitution in power
– there might be greater adherence to the utility
model in the water sector for longer than there
is in electricity and gas. So, if you are getting
substituted you could almost become like
an insurance company. If people are going to
smaller providers and they don't have the same
level of resilience as you do, then you might say
'we can underwrite that'."
Keith Wishart, UK account partner, IBM
"Smart brings some 'best in class' capability to
build on, but equally brings some challenges
too. One of these is we need to manage custom-
ers' expectations: many customers are used to
'topping up' their mobile phone and seeing that
credit appear on their device within seconds.
Topping up a smart meter, in a regulated world
with multiple third parties involved, is much
more complicated and means it may take longer
to appear."
Rob Angus, head of smart and energy services change delivery, Npower
