Utility Week

Customers This week Clear Business targets small businesses Independent Scottish water supplier plans to replicate success south of the border in 2017 Clear Business Water has said it will focus on small business customers as it strives to "remain at the forefront of the water retail market". The independent Scottish supplier told Utility Week it will continue to focus on catering to the requirements of small busi- ness customers, an approach that it said has brought "mutual benefits" to the com- pany and its customers in Scotland. More businesses have switched to Clear Business Water than all other providers in the Scottish water market combined – excluding the incumbent supplier Business Stream – since market deregulation in 2008. The supplier said this is because its offering of "great service" coupled with low prices is "something which appeals to small business owners". "With this in mind, we're not resting on our laurels," the firm said. "We are striving to continually improve our offering to better serve our customers and to remain at the forefront of the market." The English market is due to open in April 2017, and 1.2 million businesses and other non-household custom- ers of providers based mainly or wholly in England will be able to choose their supplier of water and wastewater services. It will link with the existing market in Scotland. Clear Business Water recently applied for a licence from Ofwat that would allow it to operate in the new market. Seven companies have so far applied for licences since Ofwat opened the application process in April. LV EnErgy New suppliers must work on branding Energy branding expert Fridrik Larsen has urged independent suppliers to be creative in their branding to stand out from the big six and appeal to customers. Larsen, who founded Larsen Energy Branding, said: "Today we have, for example, the ser- vice brand, the low-cost brand, the green brand and the local brand. There is an opening in the market for some abstract terms like fun and exciting." Larsen reminds suppliers that great brands own a set of feel- ings in the minds of consumers. He highlighted that people "dis- play their personalities with the phones they own", but that "you don't see many people define themselves as an Npower person rather than an Ovo person yet". EnErgy Reading wants to be local energy supplier Reading Borough Council is in talks about establishing itself as a local energy supplier to tackle fuel poverty. At a policy committee meet- ing, Tony Page, lead councillor for strategic environment, plan- ning and transport, said: "Read- ing has been in conversation with a number of other southern local authorities to consider the possibility of working together to establish a joint arrangement to supply energy locally." Page added that to become fully licensed to sell power without working with an energy company would be a difficult and expensive process. Nottingham City Council successfully set up Robin Hood Energy last year with a full supply licence, and earlier this year Bristol City Council set up the second municipal energy company, Bristol Energy, which supplies the whole of the UK. EnErgy Big improvements in billing performance Figures from Energy UK's lat- est Billing Code have revealed improvements across the industry in billing, payments and metering services in 2015, with two of the big six suppliers receiving the highest award. The Billing Code applies to domestic customers and sets vol- untary standards to go over and above the supplier's standard licence conditions. Participat- ing energy suppliers are judged against five key commitment areas: switching, meter reading, energy bills and statements, pay- ments and back-billing. British Gas and EDF Energy obtained gold awards under the code, meaning they are "fully compliant with all areas", while Eon and Scottish Power received bronze. The firm focused on small businesses in Scotland I am the customer Nicola Eaton Sawford "It was about the company taking responsibility" "I am a real life customer and my name is Mr Kingdon. I have just posted a four-star review for a company on Trust Pilot. "That company knocked me off my bike as I was cycling home from work. I complained to the company, which acted promptly, with sincerity, hon- estly and transparency. It was particularly important to me to hear the driver was upset about what happened and offered his apology, which I accept. "For me it wasn't about a big of complaints can also be an indicator of good mechanisms for capturing customer feedback If the approach to resolving those complaints is excellent, it will o¡en enhance the overall customer experience ratings. I am a customer and I wish utility companies would focus less on the number of com- plaints and more on how they make me feel better. Nicola Eaton Sawford, managing director, Customerwhisperers.com payout, it was about my concerns being taken seriously and the company taking responsibility. I was expecting to be fobbed off, dismissed, and confronted with aggressive defensive posturing." Twelve months ago Mr King- don would have got the defen- sive posturing he was expecting. But significant changes mean these brilliant stories are now commonplace at that company. It is interesting that in UKCSI, retail gets considerably more complaints by volume than other sectors, yet its customer satisfaction is the highest. Although a large volume of complaints clearly indicates issues, a relatively high number UTILITy WEEK | 24Th - 30Th JUnE 2016 | 29

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