Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | JULY 2022 | 33 Technology It also considers key external data, such as weather forecasts, individual customer needs and how long the customer is likely to be without gas. Jo Giles, Cadent's senior customer safe- guarding manager, says that while the app works on algorithms, the engineer always has the option to override certain advice or situations. A desktop portal has also been developed, which allows Cadent's central customer safeguarding team to follow real- time data and identify potential improve- ments to the platform over time. "It's not about technology taking over and being cold and clinical," says Giles. "It's about supporting the decisions and conver- sations our engineers are having with the customer. They've already built the rapport and know what's happening on the ground." Similarly, Anglian Water is exploring how digitalisation can support its call centre operatives' decision-making strategies. Spencer Hough, the company's head of billing and collection, describes how data is embedded in its call centre system, so if a customer is using a recognised landline or mobile phone number, the telephony system is able to direct them to the most suitable area – billing, extra care or collections. Anglian is also using data scorecards including information from credit agencies, to help identify and target customers who may be struggling to pay their bill. "If we recognise the phone number as being a number that's unique to an account, then the system will look at data that we've already got," says Hough. "If the information says the customer is in arrears, then it would automatically move them through to a collec- tions line. "If they are not in arrears, we would look at whether there could be aƒ ordability issues and route them through to extra care, other- wise they would move onto billing. "It's a clever use of data to try to get the customer to an agent that's best suited to deal with them," he adds. "If a customer falls into either extra care or collections, they will talk to an agent who is able to talk to them about their circumstances. They will take details about their income and household composition, which will be fed into what we call an extra care assessment, which helps the agent identify which state bene„ ts that household is eligible for and what they're not currently claiming." Tackling current and future challenges As utilities increasingly adopt digital tech- nologies to streamline business processes and improve customer experiences, ensur- ing a smooth transition from existing sys- tems and traditional approaches is essential. However, understanding how to facilitate this transition can be a major blocker for many companies. Josh Gill, chief executive of water retailer Ever‡ ow, insists that the most diˆ cult aspect A lmost every technology-related article today begins by talking about change – and how our world is rapidly evolving. It's hardly surprising. So much has happened in such a short space of time that it's hard to gloss over the impact to both businesses and consumers. However, I'd much prefer to move the conversation forward. Rather than dwelling on shiŠ ing expecta- tions and demands, and surmising that digital transformation can be a silver bullet solution, we need to focus on new ways to approach the digital journey instead – and deliver a smooth transition away from exist- ing systems. At Dynatrace, we see the complexities that utilities face from a fresh perspective. The insight we've gained, coupled with the wealth of sector experience we've earned, has shown us that digital tools such as mobile apps and AI can only transform con- sumer experiences when they are constantly monitored, analysed and improved. Indeed, success is becoming increas- ingly dependent on strategies that prioritise data. Data must be available, simpli„ ed and shared – not just between utilities, but also across industries. This helps inform and shape the decisions we make. Crucially, data needs to be actionable. Consumer metrics play an important role in optimis- ing the consumer experience, which can be seen clearly in Dynatrace's recent work with Vitality – outlined in this report. However, metrics for metrics' sake oƒ ers little busi- ness value. For these reasons and more, the Dynatrace platform is a full stack oƒ ering – enabling monitoring from the infrastructure and virtualisation, all the way through to the end user digital experience. It includes application security and helps to ensure operations are running as they should do – both from a consumer service perspective as well as a regulatory standpoint. It's the best way for utilities to harness system perfor- mance and keep moving forward in a world of change. "We need to focus on new ways to approach the digital journey." Free report Download the report How a Data-Driven Approach Can Turbo- Charge Customer Service at: https://utilityweek. co.uk/data-driven- customer-service-uw- dynatrace-report/ Comment Paul Cullen Dynatrace of adopting a new IT system or digital plat- form is building it around legacy approaches within the industry. "For the water indus- try, the biggest challenge by far is that there are lots of diƒ erent tariƒ s. That just makes things really complicated – it makes data complicated and it makes making oƒ ers to customers complicated," he says. "The industry is already working on this, but if we are able to simplify those tariƒ structures, for example, that would reduce a whole burden on the industry and on cus- tomers, making it easier for them to under- stand and engage." Gill adds: "The biggest area that blocks full automation of utilities – and the same is true across energy and telecoms – is the legacy market setup and dynamics." According to Gill, the obvious solution is for utilities to simplify and share data – beyond existing sharing of Priority Services Register details – across industries. "Without taking a holistic view… then we are doing our customers a disservice by just looking at everything in isolation. The only way that we can really impact that is by sharing data and making sure that it is easy to recognise one customer between each market." "The biggest area that blocks full automation of utilities – and the same is true across energy and telecoms – is the legacy market setup and dynamics." Josh Gill, chief executive, Everflow "The biggest area that blocks full automation of utilities – and the same is true across energy and telecoms – is the legacy market setup and dynamics." , chief executive, Everflow in association with

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