Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 1ST - 7TH FEBRUARY 2019 | 17 Operations & Assets Operations & Assets when it condenses, will releases its latent heat to create hot water in a low-carbon and renewable way. The hot water will be pumped through 2.5km of pipes to heat local homes, businesses and public buildings. West Dunbartonshire Council will meet 60 per cent of the cost of the system, with the Scottish Government providing £6 million through the European Regional Development Fund, via the Low Carbon Infrastruc- ture Transition Programme. If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, please send pictures and details to: paulnewton@fav-house.com Market view Debt collection with a conscience Jayne Gardner says debt recovery can improve the image of your business, if done sensitively. D ebt recovery is a necessity but also something that can cause utilities lots of stress – a company can spend a lot of time and money building its reputa- tion to have it undone if it comes across too aggressively or insensitively when recovering its debts. "The customer journey" are words we hear con- stantly, but what do they mean? And how do you collect your debts while maintaining your reputation? For utilities this can be particularly challenging, and while engaging with the correct legal partner is clearly vital, you must have processes in place that allow you to manage your customers' accounts from the outset. First, look at your internal collections process: when was it set up? Has your company changed in size, struc- ture or culture? If so, it probably needs to be updated. Another question is, is your so"ware still fit for pur- pose? Are you providing customers with the information they need/are entitled to, in the format they now expect? Your collection cycle should be clear and straightfor- ward, and customers should be treated fairly at all times – your teams should be taught to treat customers how they themselves would expect to be treated. If you are applying late payment fees to your custom- ers, these will be fully detailed in your terms of business, but it is sensible to include them in all your collection letters and emails. It is important to make it clear to your customers from the outset that failure to address matters is likely to result in an increase in their debt. We all know that the key to successful collection is to differentiate between the people who won't and can't pay their bills. If the customer is refusing to make pay- ment for no legitimate reason, you are within your rights to pursue them, through the court system if necessary. But where it is clear a customer cannot pay their bill due to legitimate financial hardship, this should be iden- tified quickly. Your teams should know where to send them for support, and what your company can offer. If you empathise with a customer, and they sense this, you have won half the battle to a positive outcome. You may have read this and thought: we do all this anyway. But try to look at it from your customers' perspective: have you tried to contact your customer service line lately? Have you used a mystery shopper to see how your team and any third parties interact with your customers? Constantly reviewing your procedures and customer experiences is vital in ensuring a fit-for- purpose and smooth-running collections process. Even though the debt recovery process is about trying to collect money, it can – if done properly – improve the image of your business. Jayne Gardner, partner, Corclaim Solicitors

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