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UtILItY WeeK | 31st OctOber - 6th NOvember 2014 | 27 Customers Market view T he All Party Parliamentary Group on Customer Service (APPGCS) was founded in July 2014 with the aim of raising awareness and understanding of cus- tomer service among parliamentarians and establishing a dialogue with UK organisa- tions across all sectors. Members are invited to quarterly meet- ings to debate the impact of customer service on economic growth and business perfor- mance in different sectors. The main meet- ing topics will cover driving improvements in the quality of public services for citizens, building on positive business performance of organisations and developing employabil- ity for individuals through customer service skills training. Customer service is extremely impor- tant to the UK economy: over 70 per cent of the working population perform roles that involve dealing directly with customers and the service sector generates around 78 per cent of GDP. Quality and competence in customer service therefore has a significant impact on the UK's competitiveness and quality of public services. In addition, there are growing challenges for all sectors arising from increasing cus- tomer expectations. The general public is better informed, oen has greater choice, is less tolerant of organisations that fail to meet expectations and can use a variety of com- munication channels to express its opinions. Fortunately, there is growing recognition of the links between customer service and organisations' sustainable business perfor- mance, so these challenges are receiving attention and resource allocation. Aer the initial meeting in July, the sec- ond meeting of the APPGCS took place on 13 October, at the Houses of Parliament, focusing on the challenges and opportuni- ties facing the utilities sector in terms of its customer service strategy. Emma FitzGerald, director of gas distri- bution at National Grid, and Steve Hayfield, director of customer service, B2C, at EDF presented their organisations' visions and priorities for customer service strategy. Both speakers acknowledged that the utilities sec- tor as a whole faces a challenge in trying to improve customer satisfaction, and they highlighted strategies to deal with it. Presentations were followed by a discus- sion with MPs and other attendees, includ- ing chief executives and customer service directors from Northern Powergrid, GDF Suez, Anglian Water, Northern Gas Net- works, Wales & West Utilities, Carillion, UK Power Networks, Southern Water, IMServ, Morrison Utility Services, Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Eon Smart Energy and Ofwat. Trust, transparency and greater simplic- ity were identified as key factors required to deliver sustained improvements in customer satisfaction. In research from the Institute of Customer Service, trust and reputation have also been found to be fundamental. This leads to a key challenge for organisations to demonstrate they are acting fairly and in the interests of customers at all times. Both keynote speakers highlighted the potential of technologies such as smart metering to provide simpler, more inno- vative flexible services. However, the suc- cessful deployment of smart meters will largely depend on how effectively the sector addresses the engineering skills shortage. The successful deployment of smart meters will also depend on the sector's abil- ity to re-establish customer trust. Indeed, customers need to trust organisations' ability to install the meters and should be reassured that their data will be used appropriately. Customers want to be able to deal in a seamless and straightforward way with utili- ties, whichever channel of communication they use. Organisations therefore need to focus on delivering consistent and straight- forward experiences, whether someone con- tacts them face to face, on the telephone or online. Training and empowering frontline employees is central to good delivery. There is an opportunity for different types of utilities and infrastructure providers to collaborate in scheduling major work pro- jects to minimise disruption. Co-operation and collaboration between providers and key stakeholders within the sector will be key for success during the upcoming years in order to successfully implement transforma- tive changes such as smart metering. Attendees will be taking the points into consideration for review in the next six months and the institute will work with them to provide updates about progress and devel- opments in order to drive progression and improvements across the sector. The next meeting will take place on 20 January. Review courtesy of the Institute of Customer Service Service symposium The new all-party group for customer service identifies failing trust in utilities as a barrier to customer satisfaction and service innovation. The Institute of Customer Service writes. Why does customer service matter? "We are a public service and customer service must be at the heart of what we do. We have to make sure that we deliver the best service we can as efficiently as possible. We also need to be relentless about finding ways to continuously improve. Second, we need to build trust with our customers that we will keep the gas flowing safely and reliably while delivering the best possible outcomes for our customers. Ultimately our reputation as a business depends on our ability to do this." Emma FitzGerald, director of gas distribution, National Grid "Energy companies need to take their customers' experience into account and involve them to make sure services really meet their needs. Doing this will help rebuild trust and make sure products are easy to use and understand. Switch- ing supplier should be made as easy as possible so all customers can benefit from the best deals available and we need to make sure poorer customers using prepayment meters aren't excluded from the lowest tariffs." Steve Reed MP, co-chair of the APPGCS