Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | JUNE 2021 | 35 Customers and other larger – to the way they use energy and water. We need to watch out for service gaps Even as attendees agreed on the need to permeate their customer contact routes with more consistent and assertive messaging on the net zero imperative and options to sup- port it, there was also agreement that this messaging must be exible and inclusive. Several attendees talked about the need for agents to be suitably skilled and resourced to adapt their conversations in response to information about a customer's • nancial background or property type, for example, so that utilities do not appear insensitive to the varying abilities of di• erent consumers to engage with existing or emerg- ing sustainable products and services. Some observed that this would likely mean a move away from traditional agent scripting and towards providing them with the training and real-time access to informa- tion allowing them to be more autonomous, while keeping organisational purpose in relation to net zero front of mind. A further and important observation made in relation to this conversation was that utilities need to be alert to the need for diversity in the customer operations teams and to do their upmost to re ect the diversity of their customer base. One participant representing a consumer advocacy group said there is a developing awareness of the "service gaps" which exist in today's market because utilities – and third sector organisations – do not mirror those they serve. They said their own organi- sation's thinking on this had been sharpened in the pandemic when research had showed "clients from a black or Asian background are less likely to rate our services as excellent compared to white clients. Also, the channel shi‚ s we have had to implement as a result of Covid have meant that some disabled cli- ents have struggled to access support from us. So we know we need to do better… it's likely utilities are facing similar challenges." Everyone agreed that to achieve the scale of participation needed, it is essential all consumers feel that the services utilities o• er them are accessible and relevant. Jane Gray, content director "Marginalised groups are already less likely to have a positive experience in today's utility market. It is important we make it as easy as possible for everyone to make the changes required for net zero." "We're trying to move away from transactional customer service and towards guiding customers through their energy account and their options." "We need to have more than just a high level brand ambition on net zero." Comment James Towner Senior VP energy and utilities, WNS T here can be no doubt how important reducing our carbon footprint and reaching net zero is for all of us. The government-led targets may vary in terms of exactitude and timing but increasingly organisations and consumers are showing the way. Energy and utility companies can and will drive change through shi‚ - ing production to renewable sources; creating "green" tari• s for customers; introducing e† ciency programmes; continu- ing to deploy meters and smart technology. Every day customers – busi- ness and domestic – are making increasingly environmentally conscious purchases, from investing in electric or hybrid vehicles to choosing green energy tari• s to using technolo- gies which help them be more e† cient. As with every massive shi‚ in the way we live our lives there is a vanguard and rear- guard adoption wave charac- terise by engaged technology enthusiasts, and in the latter camp a range of technology sceptics as well as those who lack the means to embrace new products due to • nancial or knowledge limitations. At WNS we believe that customer service organisations have an essential part to play in achieving net zero. Tens of thousands of advisers, agents and associates interact every day with the customers of energy and utility companies. Furthermore, in addition to this human contact utilities have millions of daily touch points with customers via their websites, self- service tools, web-chat functions and other channels. This represents a huge oppor- tunity for companies to evan- gelise and support customers through the energy transition, identifying and explaining the best ways they can practically help move us towards that net zero goal and explaining why it matters. That messaging needs to cut consistently through all communication channels, but especially it needs to come across in human interactions between agents and customers. But does this ideal • t into the current industry paradigm for customer service? Today the interaction a customer has with their utility is generally transac- tional in nature: "I want to pay my bill"; "Can I advise you of a change of address". Customers and organisations want these transactions done quickly and accurately and preferably with as little e• ort as possible. Can you achieve this and at the same time support customers with achieving net zero? Resoundingly, yes. Trans- forming this transactional interaction into a value-based conversation is achievable. Implementing customer jour- neys that remove or automate the transactional activity is possible thereby creating time for an adviser to help custom- ers. A "green adviser" supported by real-time data to show the energy and water usage in a property would have the skills, tools and con• dence to provide proactive advice and education as well as o• er the right prod- ucts to help that customer make a di• erence. So, we believe it is possible to re-purpose the customer service organisation: to create the capacity for a value-based conversation with customers. The question for energy and utility companies is, if you could create this time within a cus- tomer conversation how would you use it? Technology can give you the time totalk to customers in association with Due to the high level of engagement by participants at this round table and the clear desire to see a more detailed conversation about customer service on the road to net zero, Utility Week and WNS are hosting a a follow-up event in July 2021. Contact Lizizard@fav-house.com for more details if you would like to attend.

• Cover