Utility Week

Customers VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS 20 | 8TH - 14TH JUNE 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Part 1: technology V ulnerable customers are on the industry's mind, and with good reason. Economic conditions and the ever-broadening definition of what qualifies as vulnerable have combined to mean there are more people than ever falling into the bracket. And as understanding of this highly complex issue has developed, so have the expectations placed on companies by regulators, the media and their own customers. Recent research published by the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) revealed that England has the second-highest fuel pov- erty rate in Europe, with around one in ten UK families experiencing fuel poverty and four million struggling to heat their homes. And despite being privately owned, com- mercial enterprises, utilities have a duty to help, because they deliver essential services without which individuals, society, and the economy cannot function. In response to the need to address this duty, Utility Week staged a 24-hour hackathon at last month's Utility Week Live exhibition and conference in association with Huntswood and Microso. This involved several teams of professional hackers, tasked with attempting to create a technology and data-based solution to the broad spectrum of issues facing the utilities industry with Can digital change help those most in need? regard to vulnerable customers. The ideas they came up with included back-end soware, apps and even a button that glowed red to alert customers with memory loss or dementia that an energy bill needed attention. By way of follow-up to these insights, (which can be viewed online at www. utilityweek.co.uk) we now bring you the first in a three-part series looking in detail at the relationship between customer vulnerability and three key areas: technology, regulation, and pricing. The series will explore core considera- tions around how each of these themes are affecting the way vulnerability is identified, mitigated and managed by utilities, as well as highlighting current best practice in the sector, from moves towards a pan-utility pri- ority services register to social tariffs, and from partnerships with the third sector to data-sharing platforms. And across all instalments of this timely content series, the question of utilities' legiti- macy and the role that their treatment of vulnerable customers can play in addressing broader trust and confidence in the sector will form a common thread. We begin our series looking at technology – how it can be used to improve engagement with vulnerable customers, but also the chal- lenges it can present. In the first of a three-part series of reports on vulnerable customers, Alice Cooke looks at the role technology can play in alleviating – or exacerbating – the problem. "Approaches to customers in financial difficulties have moved on. It is no longer enough to support customers and treat them fairly once they miss a payment – companies need to be proactive in identifying financial vulnerability, taking steps to prevent debt build up and take action before a payment is missed. British Gas's partnership with Clic Sargent is a good example of this." • Zoe McLeod, associate with a focus on consumer vulnerability issues at Sustainability First

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