The Customer Experience: Home Truths, Harsh Realities
As we get ready for our 2024 conference in September, our friends at Sycous look back at the session they ran at our 2022 event.
Like in previous years, the 2022 Diva conference created a platform for people working within the Heat Network industry to have discussions, share their knowledge and experiences and increase the profile of the sector. The Divas once again brought us all together both in-person and online, so we can learn, collaborate, improve, and work to provide the best service possible to end users on heat networks – what more could we ask for?!
Sycous hosted a session called The Customer Experience: Home truths, harsh realities. It focused on the customer experience and how as an industry we can work to improve it, bringing together different perspectives on the heat network experience. We discussed everything - tariff Changes, Vulnerable customers, the energy crisis, heat network misconceptions, planning new and retrofit schemes and PAYG systems (take a breath!). Find our top divas take aways below:
What is best practice when delivering news about a tariff change?
Explaining reasons and calculations behind changes in tariff.
Effective and transparent communication.
Gathering feedback and answering questions.
Policy changes must be followed closely.
Notify residents and clients of resources available to them.
Ensure your staff are trained and prepared to answer any questions and concerns.
How do we define vulnerability and how can we best support our vulnerable customers?
Can we not treat everyone as vulnerable unless they tell us otherwise? (Yes!)
We can and should offer support to vulnerable customers in different ways.
Ensure staff are trained and supported to hear unspoken cues.
Respond in the right way with empathy to reassure vulnerable residents that they’re treated equally.
It is important to collect feedback from residents to ensure the requested support is being provided.
What should our strategy be towards the energy crisis?
Collaboration
Communication
Research
Energy Security
How do we challenge misconceptions about Heat Networks?
Everyone should be trained and educated from early stages on Heat Networks.
Raise awareness to the positive things that come from heat networks.
Be clear and transparent with energy bills.
How do we innovate at planning and production of a new and retrofit scheme to improve customer experience?
Using marketing channels can be an efficient tool to reach out to more people.
Transparent and honest communication is key to improve customer experience.
Be flexible with appointments and minimise disruption.
Mention the social value benefits of the scheme and offer incentives.
How do we break misconceptions around PAYG?
Changing the terminology and wording.
Sharing stories from within the industry.
Pass on correct information to customers.
Treat customers on a case-by-case basis.
Offer payment management support.
Offer benefits such as reduced / discounted tariffs and debt control.
“Being able to run a session at the Divas conference was invaluable! I think the session made us realise that we all need to be mindful of every point on the consumer journey. To make Heat Networks work in the UK, we have to make them affordable and manageable for people. When constructing these schemes, we need to think about the way people manage their heat, hot water, and energy consumption. It’s essential that Heat Networks are more efficient, usable and that the wider public are on-board if we’re going to achieve our net-zero targets in the long run.”
Hannah Abbas-Lodge, Support Manager at Sycous