Conference: Energy Customer Conference, 22 January

Collaboration, communication and confidence were the keywords at Utility Week’s Energy Customer Conference in Birmingham last Thursday.

Speakers at the conference, sponsored by Sopra Steria and Interactive Intelligence, warned that trust in energy suppliers is now at an all-time low; with many companies still seeking to prosper by “confusing and complicating” rather than being honest and transparent.

“2015 is set to be a massive year in the world of utilities,” said conference chair and Customer Whisperers managing director Nicola Eaton Sawford. “There’s increasing demand for an effortless customer experience which requires a much deeper customer insight and more creativity and innovation.”

Philip Cullum from Ofgem said price increases and a change in consumer attitudes have led to a “crisis of trust” underpinned by poor customer service; and Ovo Energy’s Philip Shaw said suppliers must now “love their customers or lose them”.

Stuart Allan from Sopra Steria advised suppliers to get all their processes working in an “omni-channel environment, to drive a seamless customer experience”; while Cullum emphasised the importance of “simple language, free from jargon”.

Other speakers, including Steve Rowe from Co-Operative Energy, Lawrence Slade from Energy UK and David Bird from Eon, echoed sentiments of a need for better transparency and more effective communication.

Looking forward, the conference gave the sector reason to be optimistic in 2015, with the expansion of technology – particularly the development of smart meters – providing one of the biggest opportunities to improve the customer experience.

“Smart metering is an immense opportunity for the sector to show everyone just how customer-focused we are, and how much value we can add,” said Eaton Sawford. “It’s an opportunity to revert the tide of public opinion, rebuild trust in the sector and redevelop pride.”

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