Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 31ST MAY - 6TH JUNE 2019 | 27 Customers surprised to see a utility company respond so fast," he explains. The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index from the Institute of Customer Service shows there is plenty of room for improvement in the handling of complaints across the utility sector. "Social media is one important part of a blended customer experience, along with face-to-face interactions and telephone con- versations," the institute's CEO, Joanna Cau- son, tells Utility Week. "By investing in staff training and listening to customers, the sec- tor can continue to deliver and improve on customer satisfaction levels." Opportunity More than simply deflecting criticism, the right social media strategy presents a huge opportunity for utility sector companies to break out from a cycle of customer engage- ment that is poor or driven purely by regu- latory cycles, points out Marc Tritschler, an energy expert at PA Consulting. "Develop- ing a comprehensive social media strategy enables utilities to better understand what their customers are saying about them and provides a channel for clear and consistent messaging," he says. But staying relevant to customers in a world of fleeting attention spans and ever- changing expectations is easier said than done. It requires constant review and updat- ing of the social media strategy and day-to- day management across all social media channels. Careful selection of topics on which to engage and the timing of engagement are key. "For example, recent water company support of initiatives to provide public water fountains has enjoyed increased relevancy with customers through its association with the reduction in single-use plastic bottles," Tritschler says. By contrast, recent water company engagement on social media to encourage customers to be more water efficient resulted in a backlash because of the current scale of water company leakage. "The utility and energy sectors are doing some amazing work in lowering emissions, improving energy efficiency and adopting more renewable energy supplies," says Sara Hawthorn, managing director of specialist energy communications agency InFusion Comms. "These are stories that can be com- municated beautifully through channels like Instagram and help customers to understand more about the companies that supply their utilities." Drive value The rule of thumb is to identify how you can use social media to drive value for custom- ers, according to Laura Price, director of digi- tal communications at Centrica. "Be timely, be relevant and be useful. Ensure there is a balance of product news, business news, rel- evant stories, cultural events, national days and sales and promotions. As a utility pro- vider, it's important not to be overly 'salesy' and to ensure customer service remains the key priority," Price says. At the same time, don't be afraid to admit when something has gone wrong or if you don't know the answer. Research conducted by PwC found that two-thirds of consumers would forgive a brand that isn't perfect but that is seen to be trying. "Communicating in a more human way means admitting if something isn't right; it's explaining honestly what you're doing to fix it and reassuring people that you'll keep them in the loop," Hawthorn says. Justin Haines, director of customer ser- vice at Ovo Energy, says the number of cus- tomers who use social media channels to contact the company is increasing year on year, bringing the tally to more than 30,000 in the past six months alone. "To be a successful retail business we need to hold ourselves to being best in class, rather than best in industry, when it comes to digital tools and social media. There is very little we cannot handle or help resolve via our social channels, therefore allow- ing customers to get in touch through their channel of choice gives them reassurance, because they know we will be able to help and resolve any questions or queries. "Ovo customers are tech-savvy, with the majority using our digital tools to access and manage their account. One of the ways cus- tomers can get involved is through the Ovo Forum. Launched in 2017, it now receives over 60,000 visits a month. Ovo Forum pro- vides support for customers through support- based FAQs, user-generated content around feature requests, and engagement. The Ovo Forum has also been successful at educating customers on new products, including the launch of a dedicated electric vehicle tariff, EV Everywhere. "We regularly engage with our customers and share feedback internally on their com- ments around our products and services to help us improve," Haines adds. Improving reach One obvious benefit to social media is that it offers the potential to dramatically improve the reach of communications. "Sharing inci- dent information on social media channels helps reduce the requirements for customer contact, because customers are already aware of the incident. Sharing updates on social media helps keep customers informed, not just those who have contacted the com- pany to report the incident," Tritschler says. Yet only 18 per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by advertising agency Every thing Different said they frequently receive information from utilities through social media. The agency also found that students are the most targeted group by social media, even though 45 per cent of Facebook users are aged over 45. "Don't make assumptions about who's using social media," warns Ben continued on page 28 "Developing a social media strategy enables utilities to better understand what their customers are saying about them." MARC TRITSCHLER, ENERGY EXPERT, PA CONSULTING

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