Utility Week

24 | 1ST - 7TH NOVEMBER 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Customers Roundtable WNS Customer Trust Council, London 16 October 2019 D ata can be "a huge scare" for compa- nies, delegates at the autumn meeting of the WNS Customer Trust Council heard, "but if you offer a good level of cus- tomer service then the data always comes second". This was the consensus of energy and water leaders, who convened on a day when protestors were demonstrating nearby against climate change, and decarbonising the nation felt more urgent than ever. Missed opportunity Everyone agreed that used properly, data could enhance both customer service and trust – as well as support the nation's push for net zero – so there was universal disappointment around the table that the smart meter rollout had resulted in so many missed opportunities. One delegate commented: "I was so pas- sionate and proud of what smart meters could bring but, as a customer at home during an install, was struck by just how transactional the experience was. Yet what a massive opportunity as an industry we have, to really advise, engage and support custom- ers out there about what they can do to make a difference." "If you could go back to the drawing board you probably wouldn't do it this way," admitted another. "This is the first step into a smart energy future. Let's hope the extra time [extended rollout deadline] enables suppliers to get that experience right for people." But the exasperation was clear, with one member saying: "The desperately frustrating thing about it all is that industry predicted it, but BEIS [the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy] pushed on anyway. Meters should be a really good expe- rience for customers." Agreeing, another member said: "In terms of data, there has already been a huge oppor- tunity missed here, and at what is a crucial time for net zero." Shout out Many agreed that utilities were not doing enough to shout about their key role in that battle against climate change. Getting closer to customers was the best way, they agreed, through understanding their data and offering a seamless service – albeit it was also imperative they get both these things right. "No one area of trust exists in a vacuum," warned another. "It's irrelevant if your cus- tomers have a very high trust in their data privacy with you, if the next month they are screwed over on price. It's impossible to think about things in silos. "And I think there's been a fixation on an isolated technology [SMETS], without understanding their value as part of a smart system. There seems no point in installing a whole load of meters if the only thing cus- tomers can do is slightly more accurately record their energy use each year. "The other tragedy is that there is no pull factor in the system for us to be meas- uring when our customers are using their energy. And there's no use knowing that information if you're not going to act on it and reap rewards. We've got it the wrong way around – we should have got the system digital-ready." The need for a confluence of the right technology, the right structure and the right political will is clear, council agreed. "The smartphone rollout showed how when you have a retail-led adoption of tech, it happens astonishingly fast," said one del- egate. "The problem is, the energy industry is a Soviet-style, centralised, command and control structure, where the customer is the last thing considered. "Anything the customer does is behind the meter – which is such an industry-centric Customers need to know that data sharing is a win-win Great service may still be the best way to build consumer trust but protecting people's data is essential as we move towards a net zero world. That was the standout message from the latest meeting of the WNS Customer Trust Council. Chair, Suzanne Heneghan, reports. continued on p27

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