Utility Week

28 | 15TH - 21ST FEBRUARY 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Event Energy Customer Conference, 17 January, Birmingham T he failure of energy suppliers was a hot topic at this year's Energy Customer Conference in Birmingham last month. Several of the failed companies had been criticised for their poor customer service before they exited the market, and delegates were given an insight into how best to avoid such pitfalls. Anthony Pygram, director of conduct and enforcement at Ofgem said the regulator's supplier of last resort mechanism is there to protect consumers and is not an "insurance policy for dodgy business models". He also highlighted the way the industry is perceived by customers. He said a list of the top 50 companies ranked by customer service and published in July 2018 didn't include any utility companies. "If the service isn't good it is increasingly easy for customers to share that experience – to tell the company things aren't right and to tell other people," he said. Pygram shared some recent reviews of energy companies posted on consumer review site Trustpilot: "Grotesquely incompe- tent", "appalling service", "shocking – avoid at all costs". The writing is on the wall Referring to the quarterly Citizens Advice star ratings table for energy suppliers, Pygram said: "We've seen a number of companies go out of business recently and quite o'en it's the ones towards the bottom of the service quality spectrum." He suggested companies focus on what they do when things go wrong. He told companies to "act quickly" when it comes to complaints. "When dealing with complaints are you signposting customers to the Energy Ombudsman? Are you looking a'er the data of those people who trust you to provide a service to them?" Tom Ward, utilities specialist and busi- ness development manager at Content Guru, explored the link between poor customer ser- vice and energy retailers going out of busi- ness and how technology can help improve the service suppliers offer. "Customer service is becoming an increas- ingly important differentiator," he said. Meanwhile, Alex Prentice, sector lead at Huntswood, argued that energy companies should welcome complaints because they help "widen the pool of data" to ultimately improve services. Research from the consul- tancy firm revealed that 28 per cent of custom- ers had lodged a complaint, but 35 per cent had reason to but didn't complain. Of those, 34 per cent thought "nothing would happen". Michael Hill, complaint management expert at Resolver, told delegates there were several complaints about the recently failed energy suppliers before their demise. "Com- plaints were becoming increasingly complex and more o'en than not about customer ser- vice," he said. Customer trust Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus Energy, talked about delivering fair pricing and value for consumers. He suggested that pricing should not just be used to make sure vulnerable customers are protected. "High energy bills are a mas- sive inducer of stress," he said. "Energy bills have an impact on all customers' lives." The CEO of the challenger brand high- lighted the reality of higher prices and a lack of transparency and trust in energy retailers. Meanwhile Matthew Vickers, chief execu- tive of Ombudsman Services, said trust is about competence and character. Paul Roberts, managing director of home energy at Engie UK and Ireland, explored ways to "revolutionise the customer experi- ence", but reminded delegates that custom- ers "want the basics to be right". He said it is up to suppliers to demon- strate the value of new services. Roberts pondered whether so many energy companies in the market is a good thing or not for customers. They want tai- lored tariffs, clarity of future costs and for energy companies to anticipate their needs." Referring to changes in the market such as the transition to EVs and smart metering, Roberts suggested it can be a "brilliant time" for a consumer or "downright confusing". Chris Brennan, head of digital value and propositions at Scottish Power, gave del- egates an insight into the "digital customer journey". "It's the fastest-growing area in the company in terms of resource," he said. Web chat is now the second most-used contact method by Scottish Power customers. There are good and bad examples of cus- tomer service in energy, but it seems com- panies still have a way to go if they want to improve the way they are perceived by cus- tomers and become a success story. The great differentiator Good customer service is essential when customers can share their opinions of energy suppliers without even making a complaint. Katey Pigden was among the delegates at our customer conference.

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