Utility Week

26 | 24TH - 30TH NOVEMBER 2017 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Roundtable Utility Week and WNS Customer Trust Council, Monday 6 November 2017, House of Commons Views from the speakers: Chris Lloyd, senior vice president, WNS Global Services UK "There's clearly great enthusiasm towards the vulnerable customer agenda in both the water and energy sectors, but the strategies for detect- ing, managing and communicating with this customer base is varied and often prov- ing fairly expensive. It's not only utility companies who will be reaching out to vul- nerable customers but wider communities too, and a joined-up approach across sec- tors could be of ben- efit, maybe leveraging the introduction of some kind of common platform." How can we help? A Utility Week-WNS Trust Council roundtable met to discuss how best to identify and address the needs of vulnerable customers. W hat constitutes a vulnerable cus- tomer? This is a question that has vexed utility companies for years, and there is still no definitive answer. Peo- ple who may be considered vulnerable by the government or by utility companies don't necessarily see themselves as "vulnerable", which can make offering them help difficult. At a meeting of the Trust Council, held at the House of Commons in October, a mix of senior representatives from energy and water companies large and small gathered to discuss customer vulnerability, which has moved even higher up the political agenda with rising levels of personal debt and the rollout of Universal Credit. The council was set up by Utility Week, in association with WNS Global Services, to provide a forum for chief executives and senior directors with responsibility for cus- tomer service and corporate strategy to meet up regularly to share ideas and experiences, and work towards potential solutions. The word "vulnerability" has been given many different definitions over time, but it is now widely recognised that what is consid- ered to be vulnerability can change accord- ing to a customer's changing circumstances – therefore any definition needs to be more sophisticated than the simple idea it is all about income. It is not always helpful to label a customer "vulnerable". Not everyone who finds them- selves in difficult circumstances views them- selves as a "vulnerable customer". There may also be a natural disinclination for cus- tomers to identify themselves as such, and this can make reaching them difficult for util- ity companies. One solution to this problem is the Priority Services Register now operated by many utilities. The label "priority" may be easier for a customer to accept than the label "vulnerable". The problem is set to get worse with the transition to a flexible energy system, as customers who are more affluent are able to access green energy and off-grid energy more easily. This means that over time the grid could become more expensive for those customers who remain on it – and this will certainly include customers in vulnerable circumstances. Attendees highlighted fundamental dif- ferences between energy and water. A rep- resentative from the water sector suggested energy has "got it right" with tariffs that are standard regardless of where you live. One of the key things the water sector will need to address as it moves forward is the issue of differences between tariffs depending on geography. Help should not be dependent on a postcode lottery according to where you live, one delegate suggested. At the roundtable, a joined-up approach was repeatedly called for, and a suggestion was made that there should be a "market operator" to hold and share information on vulnerable customers across all utility sec- tors. This would be a massive move forward for the industry and would oblige utility sector participants to collaborate. Providing such a move does not fall foul of data pro- tection rules, it would not take long to come up with a simple, slick system, delegates argued. Other opportunities for identifying and reaching vulnerable customers were mooted. Face-to-face contact is particularly effec- tive, though labour-intensive and expensive. Working with third parties such as charities had also been a route to success for some of the utilities present. Ultimately, all agreed that however hard it may be to identify and reach vulnerable customers, the work must continue – and collaboration is key.

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