Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | JANUARY 2021 | 31 Customers The Vulnerability Commitment The conference also saw Energy UK launch its new Vulnerability Commitment, which sees retailers agree to adopt a "collaborative, proactive and transparent" approach to serv- ing those most at need. A total of 15 energy retailers – represent- ing 70 per cent of the domestic market – have voluntarily signed up to the commitment, which builds on the work of the indepen- dently chaired Commission for Customers in Vulnerable Circumstances established by the trade body in 2018. There are several commitments that make up the overall Vulnerability Commitment. These include: • Providing at least one alternative form of communication besides phone contact; • Providing a freephone number for those in ˆ nancial hardship where appropriate; • Only using High Court enforcement o‹ c- ers to recover debts where appropriate for a vulnerable customer, taking consid- eration of any wider vulnerabilities that may be exacerbated by court enforcement action; • Providing customers who have a new prepayment meter (PPM) installed (or have their meter switched to PPM mode remotely) for debt reasons with a pack- age of support including PPM tari" advice (including signposting wider ˆ nancial assistance where applicable) and energy e‹ ciency information (including entitle- ment to energy e‹ ciency measures); • Seeking feedback from customers on whether billing communications are understandable and implementing improvements where necessary; • Supporting the development of a best practice guide on using smart technology to identify self-disconnection. Companies that have so far signed up include British Gas, EDF, Scottish Power, Ovo, Octopus and Bulb. Energy UK's deputy chief executive, Audrey Gallacher, said: "The energy sec- tor provides an essential service and moved quickly to help customers a" ected by the pandemic by increasing the amount of sup- port it gives. The Vulnerability Commitment is a result of our work with consumers and their representatives to better understand what help is needed. "And the suppliers who have already signed up are sending an important mes- sage, which is that we want to go above and beyond existing measures and to continu- ously improve the quality of support to vul- nerable households." James Wallin, digital editor in association with "Partnering with charities can give utilities access to people they otherwise would not be able to reach." Speaker viewpoint Matt Cole Consumer champion N obody can dispute the fact that apple pie and custard are the perfect partnership. Except in the part of Yorkshire where I grew up where you would get a few disapprov- ing looks and an odd grumble when asking for custard since the proper partnership for apple pie is a chunk of Wensleydale cheese. And this is what we explored at the recent Utility Week Consumer Vulner- ability & Debt Conference where we discussed how really le¢ -ˆ eld think- ing can lead to innovative and creative partnerships can drive a real step change for customers, as well as for charities and for the companies that supply them with essential services. Notwithstanding the ˆ nancial challenges across the utilities brought about by increased competition, the pandemic, and the downward pres- sure on margins, investing in true two- way partnerships today with charities can deliver essential insight that provides the case to develop new and improved propositions that will meet the needs of speciˆ c client groups. This not only provides a point of di" erentiation, in particular for people who in the past were hard to engage with, it also can tick a regulatory box or two, which is never a bad thing either. If there are experts who deeply understand health or poverty or indebtedness, there is so much value in the utility partnering with that expert rather than trying to become an expert themselves. And sometimes these experts may not be well known or may not have a national presence, but an expert all the same they are. Understanding who the experts are who understand your customer base better than you is key. Utilities do some amazing things and deliver outstanding services for some of the most vulnerable. The problem is that some folk – especially those in crisis – won't necessarily want to talk with their utility provider. Some recent Fuel Bank research high- lighted that only 9 per cent of people who had got to the point of having no money to keep the lights on or the gas ¥ owing would pick up the phone to their supplier. The other 91 per cent will talk to organisations in their local com- munity and charities. And it's these bodies who already have a relation- ship with your customer, understand the challenges they are facing and in reality are probably already on ˆ rst name terms and are unpicking and resolving a number of their issues already. Partnering with them – even if they are not the typical partner for a utility to have – to allow better access to services, makes common sense. During the day we were reminded of one of the ˆ rst charity/utility partnerships when Douglas Macmil- lan handed out bags of coal in 1911 to cancer patients. Long before outcome- based regulation a bit of lateral think- ing led to a partnership that ensured that people who were really ill were kept warm. It's this kind of innovation that we must emulate time and time again, where utility and charity come together and deliver something better than could be delivered in isolation. And this inspires me to keep innovat- ing, to encourage charities and utili- ties to work increasingly closer, and to deliver some absolutely impactful change to some of the most vulner- able. Oh, and try Wensleydale cheese. You won't go back to custard. Matt Cole is a freelance consumer champion, chair of trustees at the Fuel Bank Foundation, and a member of SPEN's Customer Engagement Group

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