Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | AUGUST 2022 | 17 Customers this period. We need to look at both sides ofthat." They explained that many of their company's frontline sta were nding it increasingly di cult to deal with the ra• of incoming calls from customers facing nan- cial di culties. "What has been interesting is speaking to some of the groups and discovering that some of our teams were dealing with customers who were really struggling and quite upset, which was triggering because they are also dealing with their own nancial constraints." In response, the company has launched a new training programme centred on building sta competence and resilience. As well as robust training, one energy executive said that it is equally important to empower sta to "do things di erently". "That could be putting somebody on a pay- ment plan, or giving them a discount on the debt or trading o by agreeing to put a smart meter in, which ultimately drives more accu- rate billing," they said. Data-driven insight Using data and digital tools to support sta 's decision-making will be key in the chal- lenging months and years ahead. However, pertinent questions were raised around the di culty of collecting and sharing customer data to help inform proactive engagement and support. Attendees cited the fundamen- tal issue of convincing customers to consent to their data being shared as one of the big- gest hurdles for the sector to overcome. "Trying to get that message to customers is very di cult because for years we have been telling them to be careful with their data. Particularly when we are dealing with certain vulnerable customers who are prob- ably not going to grasp all of the details because it can be so complicated," said a water executive. Acknowledging that there is more work to be done to improve utilities' approach to data, the debate wrestled with the pos- sibility of increased collaboration – across water, energy, the regulators and other key stakeholders. Another water director said there is scope to increase the number of collaborative partnerships across the sector, but noted the importance of "selecting the right ones where we can actually add value". One energy attendee agreed that there is "real opportunity" for energy and water companies to join up, but said there "needs to be will on both sides to actually make it happen". Nadine Buddoo, intelligence editor, Utility Week in association with Comment James Towner Senior vice president – energy and utilities, WNS S tatistics emphasise that vulnerable customers are choosing between heating and eating. Research published by the Economic Research Council in March 2022 identi es a 26% increase in the number of vulnerable custom- ers, with the cost of living crisis the overwhelming cause of this increase. The current crisis has cre- ated and continues to create new vulnerable customers who have never been in this position before and do not know where to turn to. Not everybody real- ises that help is available, or perhaps are too embarrassed to ask for help and so are at risk of making the wrong decision. We can and should be iden- tifying and contacting these consumers proactively and not waiting for them to ask or fail. Smart data analytics makes it completely possible today to identify at-risk customers and reach out to them to o er support and appropriate coping solutions. It is important to realise that not every customer is the same and categorisation as vulner- able doesn't necessarily mean nancial issues. Being able to identify di erent customers and their own speci c needs is possible with the data and tools available today. At WNS, our Expirius platform can do this and provide our advisers with real-time information in order to support a customer appropriately. It is a funda- mental requirement that our advisers have empathy and a natural a nity for helping cus- tomers, but giving them tools which help them have the right conversation is as important. It is perhaps not unsurpris- ing to nd that the de nition of vulnerable customer varies across the di erent regulators because customers are looked at through an industry view- point. However, if you are a consumer then you have a dif- ferent view driven by need and not by neat industrial bounda- ries. We believe it is timely that a common de nition and framework is adopted for vulnerable customers and we would go further and say that data should be shared across companies and industries. A customer should only have to go through the process of stating they are vulnerable once, not numerous times. Whether this is achieved through a single Priority Services Register common for the UK or a framework which allows for common data de ni- tion and sharing can be deter- mined, but the starting point is agreement that a customer should only need to say it once. "Don't wait for the cry forhelp" v u l n e r a b i l i t y T i m e t o t a c k l e d i f f e r e n t l y A roundtable review, hosted by Utility Week in association with WNS June 2022 Download the report Download the report Time to Tackle Vulnerability Di erently free at: https:// utilityweek.co.uk/roundtable-time-to- tackle-vulnerability-di erently/ Senior vice president – energy and utilities, the cry forhelp" "It is particularly the smallest SMEs – micro businesses – that are feeling the pressure at the moment." "It is about tailoring our customer services to that person's needs, in terms of the way we communicate and interact with them."

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