Utility Week

changes in the Nav market making insets more viable, we have expanded in this sector with the acquisi on of SSE Water." The addi on of SSE Water to Leep's por olio means it can provide a mul -u lity offering, which is par cularly a rac ve for the landscape housing market – a sector in which the company is keen to expand. "As part of the acquisi on we have been able to leverage the knowledge, experience and exper se of the team, which has been most welcome as we se le into our new role as the largest operator in the UK Nav sector," adds Manfredi. The company prides itself on a flexible business model and a commitment to delivering "straigh orward connec ons" for clients. The challenges of embracing new technologies, mee ng ambi ous sustainability targets, improving efficiencies and lowering costs for consumers will certainly require u li es across the UK to embed flexibility at the very core of their business and the solu ons they deliver for customers. Breaking barriers Water and energy companies now have an opportunity to look beyond tradi onal barriers and learn from the example of leaders in sectors like REACTIONARIES, REFORMERS AND REVOLUTIONARIES U li es are displaying some interes ng divergence in response to compe ve pressures. According to Laura Sandys, chief execu ve of consultancy Challenging Ideas, businesses can be broadly defined as either "reac onaries", "reformers" or "revolu onaries". Sandys describes reac onaries as firms that have dug their heels in, maintaining a "my way or the highway" a tude when it comes to the prospect of business transi on. "They will no doubt find that their margins, their customer base and their ability to compete into the future will be diminished," she warns. Reformers are u li es that are working to change their business models from the tradi onal supplier model to a more modern approach to delivering customer benefits. "The challenge for these 'reformers' is that tradi on might s ll be in their DNA and that the 'revolu onaries' are moving too quick to enable these reformers the me to reshape their business models," explains Sandys. The significant advantage that revolu onaries have is a new vision, without the restraint of incumbent thinking or systems, having designed their business models with a fresh approach based on technology. Sandys adds: "These companies have marke ng advantage, systems advantage, technology driven and while some smaller players might not survive, the leaders in this group will shape the energy company of the future." Their margins, their customer base and their ability to compete into the future will be diminished II retail, telecommunica ons and financial services. "There are new ways to architect systems to drive greater flexibility and lower cost," insists Accenture's Siddall. "With the added power of technologies like cloud services, customer analy cs, automa on and ar ficial intelligence, there is also greater opportunity to personalise and automate customer interac on across the right channel, at the right me and for the right outcome, drama cally lowering cost with higher customer sa sfac on." WHAT SHOULD UTILITIES FOCUS ON? "The three most important areas are: strategy, strategy and strategy." Ted Hopcroft, energy and utilities expert, PA Consulting "Number one is data: it is no longer a byproduct of your main line of business. Now, it is a strategic asset." Duncan Barnes, partner in Deloitte Digital "Businesses must partner more effec vely." Toby Siddall, a managing director and UKI utilities lead, Accenture I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H UTILITY WEEK | 12TH - 18TH APRIL 2019 | 27

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