Eon launches bereavement tool

Eon Next has launched a new tool to help the loved ones of deceased customers notify the supplier of a bereavement.

NotifyNOW, developed with Philips & Cohen Associates (PCA), will be available via a link on the supplier’s website. By clicking the link, individuals acting on behalf of a recently deceased customer will be taken to a form where they will be asked basic questions.

They can then provide information such as their contact details, probate status, creditor information, landlord details, meter readings, and who is taking over the account, if known.

Once this is completed and the relevant documents are uploaded no other action is needed.

Tracey Smith, third party commercial manager at Eon Next, added: “We have worked with PCA for more than 15 years and they have supported us and our customers in many ways, not least the training our staff to better manage customers at what is an extremely emotional and difficult time.

“NotifyNOW is another way in which we are trying to help our customers by making the process of passing on essential information to us as easy and convenient as possible.”

Nick Cherry, chief operating Officer at PCA, said: “For Eon Next’s customers, representatives of the bereaved no longer have to contact a call centre or speak to anyone in person if they don’t wish to.

“People can simply go online and fill out the form at a time that is convenient to them, outside of office hours, 24/7, without requiring any personal interaction unless they actively seek it.”

Similar services for utility customers have been unveiled in recent years.

Last year Northumbrian Water struck a deal with bereavement service Settld to streamline end-of-life account administration for those handling the affairs of a customer who has died.

The deal, which the company claimed is an industry first, also included its Essex and Suffolk Water subsidiary and aimed to enhance customer care and improve efficiency following a death.