Due to the pandemic, people are looking more at their utility bills than ever before – from businesses wanting to cut costs and reduce utility spend in their empty offices, to consumers working from home and nervous about the cost implications. However, the increased interest in analysing bills isn’t just consumer anxiety, as 72 per cent of consumers have reported increased energy use during the lockdown.
While the bill has long been a key point of customer contact for providers, the pandemic has brought it to the very forefront of their attention. Suppliers must look at ways to improve the customer relationship through this increased engagement. Depending on the provider, bill design can often be stagnant, simply offering basic information like the money owed and how it has been calculated.
Finding a niche
There is a real opportunity to be had for utility suppliers to optimise their bill design and show customers they have more to offer beyond the energy they provide. This is especially important as it has now become easier than ever to switch supplier, thanks to Ofgem’s Switching Programme.
Providers have a fight on their hands to keep customers engaged and satisfied with their service. Price is naturally an important element of any switching decision, but ultimately, consumers value trust. Less than half of consumers would describe themselves as ‘active’ in the energy market in the last 12 months; they simply want to know they’re in safe hands and get the best possible customer service.
Digital-first disruptors like Bulb and Octopus continue to gain customers and reputation for being easy to deal with; industry incumbents must reassess and optimise their customer experience to ensure they don’t fall behind. Taking advantage of increased interest in the utility bill, providers need to think about additional services they can offer through the previously simple method of communication. They must reassess what information should be on there, and how it could be better presented.
Help out to stand out
Traditionally, bills from energy suppliers have been formulaic and notoriously confusing. The amount of money the consumer or household owes is listed, with a breakdown on how that has been calculated and little else. While this information is required by regulators, the way it is delivered to consumers can be cluttered, making it difficult to decipher.
Most consumers also already have some idea of what their bill is going to be each month, as there are 21.5 million smart meters installed in households across the UK. While including the bill breakdown is necessary, improving the format can highlight other areas where the provider can offer additional value. An Ofgem report shows 82 per cent of consumers always check their bill when they receive it, which is a huge opportunity to reach customers.
The first step in the process should be conducting customer research to determine their ideal bill. Efforts should be then made to use to make a bill more understandable, including visual techniques such as page layout, fonts, and colours. Information that requires customer action should be placed where it stands out. A tiered approach may be useful to follow, with the most important information is provided on the first page, and detailed breakdowns are on a separate page.
The second aspect to consider is language. Ask if information is clear, concise and easily understandable. Similarly, suppliers should compare language used in their bills and align all other forms of customer communication – consistency is key when working towards achieving a positive CX. Different departments may historically use different terms for the same thing or situation, which can lead to miscommunication and customer confusion. From there comes the fun part – deciding which new features provide the most value to customers.
Could the bill be delivered online to some customers, enabling the use of energy calculator and prediction features through online portals or microsites? Presenting the information in a dynamic and interactive way will only increase customer engagement. Additional information, such as the weather that month or most expensive times of day, could also be incorporated into both paper and online bills.
Suppliers could analyse customers’ energy use and add even more value by offering useful hints or insights, such as “we saw you had your heating on during a warm day: a good way to save would be to turn your thermostat down slightly?”. This equips customers with the knowledge they need to make better energy decisions, and adds something different to the billing experience.
Great customer communications don’t only have to be for crisis situations such as broken boilers or gas leaks. Providers should look to enhance day-to-day interactions with customers too; redesigning the bill is a great way to show them that you understand their concerns, and have everything in hand, month-on-month. This builds consumer trust, satisfaction with their experience, and crucially, reduces the likelihood of them switching away to competitors.
Don’t fall behind the pack
It’s undoubtedly a difficult time for the energy industry. If providers are to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive market, prioritising and personalising the customer experience must be at the top of the agenda. This involves redesigning customer communications – like the utility bill – to include information that simply makes the customer’s life easier. In this way, suppliers can deliver an additional service and differentiate their experience, rather than just competing on price point.
At the end of the day, it’s the customer service they judge you on; the energy they just expect! As the industry becomes more dog-eat-dog, with switching easier than ever, providers must begin reassessing and optimising every point of contact with customers, to ensure they don’t fall behind the pack.