Utilities

UK brands struggling with digital customer experience

Published on: November 01, 2017
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

The rapid rise of digital channels and mobile devices means it’s easier than ever for consumers to engage and ask questions of brands they want to do business with. But many companies – and even whole industry sectors - are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of customer contacts and queries, according to the 2017 Eptica Multichannel Customer Conversation Study

How switched on is utility customer service?

Published on: July 31, 2015
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

In a sector where it can be difficult to differentiate between suppliers, delivering superior customer service is increasingly vital for utilities. And as a regulated industry, it is closely watched by government and consumer groups, facing large fines for poor customer service and misselling. Last year the UK government acted to simplify tariffs and make it easier for customers to switch...

Is UK customer service finally improving?

Published on: July 23, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

Every six months the Institute of Customer Service publishes its UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). Run since 2008, the UKCSI both provides a snapshot of current performance by organizations across the country, and allows longer term trends to be measured. The latest index has just been released and is based on over 39,000 responses from more than 10,000 people, cover...

Putting the spark into energy customer service

Published on: January 09, 2014
Author: Lloyd Buxton - Business Development

1st January 2014 saw a major change in the utility sector, as new Ofgem regulations came into force. Designed to create a clearer market, suppliers are now limited to offering eight tariffs to customers (four each for electricity and gas), which will be structured more simply. The aim is to make it easier to compare prices from different suppliers and therefore encourage switching to ensure consum...

Delivering customer service in a crisis

Published on: August 14, 2013
Author: Eptica

Many customer service teams need to provide fast answers in times of crisis – for example when products or services go wrong. However when it comes to utilities, crises can be much more serious – essentially a matter of life or death when flooding, storms or other natural disasters strike.The perfect example is Western Power in Australia. Headquartered in Perth and with over 1 million ...

Making electricity and gas simpler for consumers

Published on: October 22, 2012
Author: Epticablog

The maze of different tariffs and deals offered by utility companies has long been criticised for confusing consumers and making it difficult for them to find the best deal for their particular needs. Two new announcements, from the Prime Minister David Cameron and industry regulator Ofgem aim to make it simpler – and in doing so increase the importance of customer service in the sector.&nbs...

Is utility customer service powerful enough?

Published on: July 27, 2012
Author: Epticablog

electricity (Photo credit: Terry Freedman) The utility sector has often struggled with customer service but new figures seem to show that performance is improving. The latest quarterly statistics from Consumer Focus found that overall complaints about the six major energy companies fell by 7% in the first quarter of 2012. This meant that the average number of complaints was 77 per 100,000 cu...

Going undercover for customer service

Published on: August 10, 2011
Author: Epticablog

 Customer service is critical to all organisations, but understanding where things are going wrong can be difficult for managers to pinpoint and fix. Being able to experience it for themselves is a perfect first step to delivering better customer service, whatever industry you are in.That’s why the recent steps taken by npower’s UK COO Kevin McCullough provide a great lesson to ev...

Utilities and customer service

Published on: June 10, 2011
Author: Epticablog

This week Scottish Power became the first of the big UK utilities to announce price increases, a move that its competitors are expected to follow shortly. At the same time, regulator OFGEM has criticised utilities for product and price complexity in its Retail Market Review.Both of these factors place a great emphasis on how utilities are performing when it comes to customer service – partic...