Utility Week

20 | 17TH - 23RD MAY 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Policy & Regulation EXPERT VIEW AMY KEMP, RESEARCH MANAGER, POPULUS How suppliers can survive and thrive in the era of the price comparison site stories still shock her, not least the number of healthcare facilities around the world without access to running water. "Can you imagine going to give birth in that kind of environment?" she asks. "Similarly, we're opening up debates about menstrual hygiene and the taboos of talking about periods. Can you imagine that when you don't have access to hygiene facilities and running water?" The disproportionate impact that not hav- ing access to water has on women is a subject close to her heart. "The time it takes them to collect water means they can't do anything else, and the impact on their ability to pro- vide food to their family. Being a woman and in the context of #MeToo, it can be tough to be confronted by that," she admits. The charity continues to be well sup- ported by the UK water industry, both ‚ nancially (in 2018/19 the UK water sec- tor raised over £3.25 million for the charity) but also through non-‚ nancial support and skills/expertise sharing for capacity build- ing, training and collaboration on projects around the world. Yorkshire Water's ‚ ve-year project to support the delivery of clean water and decent toilets to 20 towns in Ethiopia and Anglian Water's Beacon project in Nepal are just two programmes that have yielded incredible successes (see box, page 19). Bearing in mind the predicted massive growth in the number of people living in small towns, the water industry's input is invaluable. "Because these small towns are far away from the political clout of the megacities, they're quite overlooked and don't have money or ‚ nances but they're extremely dynamic and evolving places. Evolving from a large village to a small town to a large town extremely quickly means they o— en don't have services. Having relationships with a water industry partner who can help in the small to medium town space is really useful." Newton-Lewis brushes oš suggestions that the industry's involvement in overseas water projects is little more than a means to tick a corporate social responsibility box and helps de› ect criticism of water leakage and wastage. "Of course we would advocate good water management and improving the performance of utilities," she says, "but our focus is on the most marginalised groups globally – those on seven to ten litres of water a day. That's where our discussion and awareness-raising lies." And the very visible diš erence the char- ity is making makes it all worthwhile, she says. "Everyone at WaterAid remains hope- ful. People in the ‚ eld can really see the dif- ference that the projects make. I'm con‚ dent we are making and will continue to make a diš erence." Rachel Wilcox is a freelance journalist Faversham House is proud to support WaterAid as a charity partner continued from previous page L oyalty in the energy sector has never been a given. According to new Populus research, con- sumers are broadly satis‚ ed (70 per cent), but with over a quarter (26 per cent) likely to switch, providers can't aš ord to stay still. The switching threat Disrupters-turned-household- staples such as Net› ix and Amazon have made technology mainstream. For energy providers, this translates as app trackers, paperless billing and price comparison sites. The impact of the latter cannot be understated. Around a third (31 per cent) of all energy custom- ers have used a price comparison service to switch suppliers, with 19 per cent having researched prices and oš ers in the past three months. So, even if consumers aren't actively switching, a proportion are on the lookout for the next best deal. Price comparison websites may be embedded in the mainstream, but the same cannot be said of energy auto-switching services. Just 7 per cent of all energy consum- ers have used one. Suppliers can't aš ord to be complacent, but for all the talk of the threat of auto-switch- ing, the reality is that the public at large aren't yet adopting it. Taking on trust Eleven emerging energy suppliers have gone bankrupt since 2018 and the trend has not gone unnoticed by consumers. Just under half (44 per cent) of all energy consumers believe that small and emerging suppliers will go bankrupt and leave customers without electricity for a period of time. The opportunity for small providers lies in customer com- munications; over half (55 per cent) of customers say smaller energy suppliers provide competition to the larger companies in the energy market and even those with the big six are compelled to agree (48 per cent). Green energy and investing in a sustainable infrastructure is viewed as important by customers across the board. All providers should adopt this, and communicate about it, in order to appeal to the broad spectrum of customers. How can suppliers survive, and thrive? In a consumer environment in which people are increasingly willing to switch energy providers, it's vital that providers develop a nuanced understanding of custom- ers. Suppliers that embrace chang- ing consumer attitudes are likely to thrive in the new energy landscape. However, delivering good customer service – a key rating on price com- parison sites – remains paramount. In previous research, 94 per cent of respondents told us that resolv- ing problems quickly is the most important factor in a good customer experience. Ultimately suppliers that embed the latest consumer insight into their strategies are the ones that will survive, and thrive, in the post price comparison website land- scape. Research is a vital part of better understanding the UK pub- lic's behaviours. Populus unlocks the critical knowledge needed to better understand the utility sector. We add value to our ‚ ndings by applying expert analysis to uncover clear, actionable insight. Find out more by calling: 020 7253 9900 or emailing: info@populus.co.uk. Methodology: Populus interviewed 2,004 adults (aged 18+) in Great Britain online between 1 and 3 March 2019. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. For more information, see www.populus.co.uk.

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