Utility Week

34 | MARCH 2023 | UTILITY WEEK Electricity Analysis UKPN: It's not about power, it's about impact At a time when most utilities find themselves vilified, UK Power Networks regularly tops customer satisfaction league tables. So what's the secret of its success? W hen it comes to brands commended for their exceptional customer service, household names such as John Lewis, Tesco and Marks and Spen- cer oen spring to mind. Yet once again, against the backdrop of the worst energy cri- ses in memory, UK Power Networks (UKPN) is ranked among these well-known British brands for the way it treats its customers. For the parent of one autistic child a power cut doesn't just bring the incon- venience of being without electricity. It brings fear. During one recent storm, a UKPN cus- tomer agent fielded a call from this family and aer resolving their query, decided to go an unusual extra mile. Logging in to the company's corporate Amazon account, they ordered an action figure of the 6'3, 120kg WWE champion Roman Reigns. For this child, Roman is more than a mere toy, he is their protection against the dark. This example sums up the central tenet of UKPN's view on serving its customers, a phi- losophy that encourages staff to look at what a loss of power means to individual consum- ers and how to mitigate this. It is also, the company says, one of the key reasons it is currently the only utility in the top 10 com- panies of the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). In fact, there is only one other util- ity in the top 50, Northern Powergrid. "Where the rubber hits the road for us is understanding … understanding what cus- tomers need," says Ian Cameron, director of customer service and innovation at the company. He says that through research, the distribution network operator (DNO) is able to "keep its finger on the pulse of customers' lives" and build an accurate picture of what it is they need from you. "Just think about how much has changed in the UK in the last couple of years, how much has changed in our ecosystem, those externalities on our businesses are sig- nificant. If you understand that, you can turn that into insight, you can then affect change." He is speaking to Utility Week off the back of the latest UKCSI report from the UK Institute of Customer Service, which ranks customer satisfaction across a variety of sec- tors. The most recent report makes for grim reading for utilities overall. Aer falling 2.8 percentage points in the past year, satisfac- tion levels sit at their lowest level since 2015. Average satisfaction with energy and water companies is 71.7%, with energy faring worst out of the two. Satisfaction with energy has declined 3.8 ppts year on year, to 70.3%, with the biggest decline in the area of pric- ing. Average satisfaction with water compa- nies fell 1.1 ppts to 74.8%. Bucking the trend Bucking this trend is UKPN, which was given a score of 85.4 and ranked third overall, com- ing in behind John Lewis and First Direct, and was recognised for customer experience, complaint handling, customer ethos, emo- tional connection, and ethics. Yet while over the past three years UKPN has been commended for its customer ser- vice, this has not always been the case. Says Cameron: "We know what bottom place feels like, I think that's important to state. Five, six years ago, three licensees across the 14 [DNOs] were consistently vying for the last three places, so we know what the bottom feels like and that's not a pleasur- able place to be." Achieving such a high ranking is no mean feat for a utility, especially considering the backdrop of the race for net zero and an unprecedented cost of living crisis. For the head of the company's service delivery centre, Alex Williams, it all boils down to the impact UKPN's services have on its customers. He says: "The question the advisers ask is, what's the impact? That's the word we use to the customer, 'impact'. What's the impact of having no power? And it really varies. It varies from domestic customers, to businesses, to vulnerable customers. The guys have got a real repertoire of actions and things they can do depending on those vari- ous outcomes. "We've got a corporate Amazon account, so can get on and order Roman Reigns. We've got corporate accounts with Deliveroo and Uber Eats so you can get food delivered to people. For vulnerable customers we can send them out medical packs to keep their diabetes medication cold." Empowering agents to deliver the optimal service level is something UKPN prides itself on, with the company conducting extensive research into how best to utilise and make the most of their teams. Hannah Ngoma, head of customer change, leads this research and explains how UKPN strives to foster engagement within its workforce. She says: "We spent a long time with our people understanding what they need, the tools and support they need to deliver fan- tastic service and they do a brilliant job. "That comes across. A customer will for- give mistakes if people show they care and a customer can trust the organisation. So the fundamental thing around journeys wasn't the data, it was about embedding a service culture in our organisation." She further explains that UKPN then sought to understand more about customer pain points and what really matters to them. "Essentially, as the context changes and there's pressures and challenges and what- ever else in the wider world, they told us they want the impact minimised. "They told us that they wanted reassur- ance and support and care, and it's particu- larly tailored to understanding what that context means. If customers are vulner- able, and they've got specific needs, under- stand what that means for them in their circumstances.

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