Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 2ND - 8TH NOVEMBER 2018 | 27 Customers Market view cuss various tariffs and vehicles in Facebook groups, showing there is a real passion for the subject. "The message is being spread among the EV community. A lot of the first- movers in EVs are really passionate about them. They are passionate about renewable energy, they are passionate about the tech. They are a really excited group that will talk amongst themselves and share these points of conversation." Ovo Energy is another mid-tier supplier vying for EV customers. Tom Pakenham, director of EVs at Ovo, says the company rec- ognises the "electric revolution" is still in its infancy and there is more to discover about their consumers. "We are at the start of the learning curve, looking to learn more about what our customers want and how electric vehicles will interact with the energy sys- tem. Our first offering – EV Everywhere – is a bundle that combines a suite of benefits for customers." He adds that Ovo will be adding smart- charging and vehicle-to-grid propositions to the tariff in the coming months. These, he says, are crucial if EVs are to be integrated into the energy system in the future. Like Octopus, Ovo ensures its customers are kept up to date with the latest informa- tion on EVs to reassure those who may have concerns about taking up this new type of technology. Pakenham says that although there are still far more diesel and petrol cars on the road, it's projected that there will be one million electric vehicles in the UK by 2020-22. Questions, questions But the idea of charging a car rather than fill- ing it up raises a lot of questions. "Since the launch of EV Everywhere, we've seen cus- tomers question, engage and debate electric vehicles on the Ovo Forum," says Pakenham. "There are lots of myths such as charging, range and expense, which could put off cus- tomers from buying an electric vehicle and taking up an EV bundle. However, by provid- ing our customers with the right information and products we're hopefully dispelling the perceived challenges to electric vehicles and continuing to attract customers." Despite the plethora of information avail- able to potential EV drivers. Pakenham con- cedes: "In terms of smart-charging tariffs, there are many steps needed to link energy system benefits to customer propositions. Whether technological, commercial or cus- tomer, Ovo is increasing its understanding of all components at high speed. This under- standing can be used to constantly improve our offerings and thereby support the rollout of electric vehicles." A s a sector, can we truly claim to offer an effective service for our more vulnerable customers? In all honesty, I'm not sure we can. Ofwat's focus on addressing vul- nerability within PR19 indicates that there's still so much more to be done. Currently, we could be guilty of restricting our efforts to answer the needs of one or two forms of more high-profile or common customer vulnerability. A step-change in attitudes towards vulnerable customers is required – a broader, more inclusive, outlook that takes into account each customer's unique set of circumstances. Many vulnerabilities are transient, and customers experiencing these forms of vulnerability may not usually be classed as "vulnerable", or consider themselves to be so; but they will need extra support at specific times. Internal teams are one of our most valuable resources in the iden- tification and support. However, our employees can only truly empathise with struggling customers if they are trained to understand the full spec- trum of vulnerability. Employees can become more empathetic to the lives and needs of more at-risk customers through internal workshops and edu- cational visits from third parties such as charities. Processes, procedures and communications can then be tweaked and improved. This training is not just invaluable to office-based staff, it could also help front-line teams spot a customer in dif- ficult circumstances. Our recent research into consumer debt revealed that fewer than one in four consumers are aware of protection against supply disconnection, social tariffs and charitable trust assistance. So we must do far more to promote the services we offer, ensuring that customers know we are there to sup- port them should they need it. While regulatory pressures such as PR19 are widely expected to drive posi- tive change in this area, we must be more proactive. Closer collaboration and data- sharing between providers could also raise awareness of transient customer needs. However, some consumers may harbour reservations about their per- sonal data being shared – particularly in the wake of GDPR. Data sharing isn't an integral business process, so express consent will need to be gained from customers before any of their data can be shared between providers. Increased third party collaboration and community engagement is also vitally important to the identification and support of customers in need. We must therefore explore the available avenues – such as community groups – that could be used to reach out to vulnerable customers and raise aware- ness of the services we offer. This can be achieved through tak- ing our teams out of the office and into the communities we serve. A consist- ent brand presence in the community can have a transformative impact on brand awareness, customer engage- ment, and trust. Simply put, it's not enough to address certain vulnerabilities and leave it at that. While we're address- ing many of the more high-profile vul- nerabilities out there, less emphasis is being put on more obscure needs which perhaps have a lower profile. Essentially, truly effective customer service is all about understanding all customers – whether they're living with a vulnerability or not. While PR19 certainly provides a motivation for us to build on the prom- ising first steps we've made, it's clear we have a much longer journey ahead of us – of which vulnerability is only a small part. Nigel Baker, managing director, Echo Managed Services Better support for vulnerable customers The water sector must do much more to protect vulnerable customers – but directives from the regulator alone are not enough to ensure that will happen, says Nigel Baker.

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