Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 7TH - 13TH FEBRUARY 2020 | 29 Customers It's time water retail put customers first James Wallin reviews discussion and lessons for the water retail market that emerged from dedicated sessions at the Utility Week Customer Summit. W ith the non-domestic water retail market fast approaching its third anniversary, there is a shared sense of urgency about getting the basics of customer service right. This was the clear message from Utility Week's Water Customer Conference, which brought together retailers, wholesalers, the sec- tor's watchdog and other stakeholders to discuss lessons learnt and challenges ahead. There was acceptance that in the run-up to market opening the customer journey had o•en been sidelined while the focus was – understandably – on compliance and keeping to the timetable. Retailers such as Nish Dattani of First Business Water accepted that the industry has so far failed to live up to the expectations of customers. Dattani went further to say that in some cases retailers were guilty of over-promising and under-delivering. Steve Arthur, of market operator MOSL, stressed that customers need to be able to make informed choices and this was a key selling point of introducing competition. However, until legacy issues with data and meter reads are resolved, this integral offer is going to continue to fall short. But there were positive signs from the Consumer Council for Water, whose deputy chief executive, Phil Marshall, revealed that the group's data for Q3 2019 shows the third consecutive quarterly fall in complaints. There was also discussion around the various definitions of cus- tomer in the market. For wholesalers there is still a direct relationship with the end user as well as with the retailers they supply. This rela- tionship and the balance of responsibilities within it has been at the heart of many of the friction points in the market, but as Simon Ben- nett, chair of the Retailer/Wholesaler Group, pointed out, these bar- riers are being broken down as all parties align around the common cause of improving the experience for non-household customers. As many speakers – including Wave Utilities' Oliver Shelley – pointed out, if rapid improvements are not made to the level of ser- vice being provided to customers, it will start to hinder the switching process itself, as apathy sets in. All participants agreed that at next year's summit, the market cannot still be talking about "legacy issues". James Wallin, digital editor, Utility Week Digital hits and misses A pre-conference workshop on servicing vulnerable customers, hosted in association with Mando, asked participants to identify key "hits and misses" they had experienced when trying to take digital service to vulner- able customer groups. Here are some highlights: Hits • There is widespread confidence that options for online account management, including via smartphone apps, have increased accessibility and the ease with which certain vulnerable customer types can manage their energy. These now frequently include options for multiple first language options. • Most companies are using social media to raise aware- ness of the support they can provide to vulnerable customers. • Effective accessible service design was felt to have improved across the sector, with better testing pro- cesses in place to validate inclusiveness of new services. • Many suppliers have been thoughtful about how to provide power of attorney for customers with condi- tions such as dementia and ensure easy digital account management in those cases. • Confidence in "omni-channel agility" is growing, increasing accessibility and the ability to track customer journeys – an important factor in serving vulnerable customers. • While the smart meter rollout has its challenges, most agreed that this force for digitalised energy services has provided a platform for engaging better with customers as a whole and has helped to identify customers in vulnerable circumstances. Misses • There has been slow progress on data sharing to enable better support for vulnerable customers. • Many suppliers still do not have a single coherent view of customer data and information about their vulner- ability status. • Suppliers have generally been slow to capitalise on smart home technologies such as Amazon Echo (Alexa) to increase the accessibility of their services. • Some suppliers remain worried about their ability to serve the "digitally disengaged" – especially older customers. • Utilities are not consistently supporting "preferred channel" options for customers. This workshop also asked participants to identify the top barriers to customer engagement and suggest pledges they could make to improve customer journeys, especially for those in vulnerable circumstances. Among the top pledges made was a commitment to include a requirement in Energy UK's vulnerability charter for every supplier to nominate a senior leader to take responsibility for improving services for vulnerable customers. Look out for further insights into this workshop at utilityweek.co.uk as Mando reviews prominent discussion points and lessons in serving vulnerable customers. Key takeaways 1. SMEs are being le• behind. The benefits of market opening have so far chiefly been felt by bigger players. 2. Smart thinking is needed. According to First Business Water's Nish Dattani, smart meters can be a powerful tool in tackling the sec- tor's multiple issues with provid- ing accurate data to customers. 3. Consumption isn't top of the list. The non-household sector accounts for a quarter of the UK's water consumption and the indus- try is clear in its responsibility to drive water efficiency. However, CCWater's Phil Marshall said there is little data showing it as a real motivation for business custom- ers, aside from saving money.

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