What this means for us
We’re committed to providing timely and effective support. By investing in our people and technology, we aim to deliver a seamless, transparent, and responsive customer service experience. We achieve this by leveraging multiple communication channels, enhancing digital tools, fostering organisational efficiency, and maintaining a strong focus on customer feedback and satisfaction. Our customer service aims to make our customers feel supported and valued.
How we deliver on our promise
Customer resolutions (complaints)
During 2023–2024, we reduced the average handling time for complaints by 1.80 days, staying well within the Utilities Disputes target of 20 working days. We lead the industry in resolving complaints at first contact and through our Early Resolutions team, with only 4.4% progressing to conciliation. When complaints were escalated and reviewed by the Commissioner, they agreed with our resolutions 100% of the time, far surpassing the industry average of 69%.
Gas Hub reduces delays
As Powerco focuses on being more customer-centric and high-performing, the Gas Hub team has improved processes. By giving contractors more time to plan, we’re reducing delays and minimising risks of connection issues or job setbacks. Last month, we increased scheduling lead-time to four weeks (up from two weeks) to give contractors more time to apply for Traffic Management Plans (TMPs) with councils. This helps reduce delays and enhances the customer experience.
General enquiries
A recent customer survey measured Customer Effort and First-time Resolution. Our general enquiries team achieved a Customer Effort score of 85%, the highest to date. This indicates that 85% of the customers surveyed gave the highest rating possible. Additionally, 81% of our customers reported that their query was resolved in the first instance, which is an excellent score and something we’re proud of.
Our Customer Hub
The Customer Hub is our central point for all customer queries. With customers at the heart of everything we do, we work to understand their needs and, together with the business, deliver outstanding customer service to ensure an amazing customer experience. So far, we have received great feedback from customers who praised the helpfulness and friendliness of our consultants, and we keep hearing that our service and communications are excellent.
Smart meter team
The smart meter team works closely with each region’s Field Service Providers (FSPs). This relationship has ensured that any issues or questions a customer may have about the exchange of their meter can and will be answered quickly. This has resulted in a high success rate, low complaint rate, and an overall positive experience for our customers.
Technology to improve the customer experience
We invest in advanced technology solutions to enhance customer interactions. Our comprehensive suite of tools includes automated workflows, personalised communication, and real-time analytics. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven insights, we aim to deliver exceptional experiences for customers. Our team have all the tools at hand for effective communications and customer resolution, while our customers can give instant feedback on their experience.
What this means for you
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Effective communications: We use multiple channels to engage with our customers, such as our website, email, social media, phone calls and online forms, where key account managers and customer consultants provide genuine personal engagement. By tracking our interactions with customers, we can streamline and improve our communications effectiveness and our customer service consistency.
- Accurate and timely updates: Providing accurate and timely updates is crucial for maintaining trust with our customers. We ensure that all information regarding outages, projects, and other work is communicated promptly through the relevant channels. By delivering clear and precise updates, we help our customers stay informed and be prepared.
- Transparent processes: We strive to make every interaction with us clear and straightforward, providing our customers the information and support they need. In our connection, complaint, outage and general enquiries processes, we always aim to ensure full transparency and clear communication about what customers can expect from us and what we need from them.
- Customer resolutions: Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong, and while formal channels and processes for complaint management and disputes are in place, we recognise that these may not always be enough. At these times, we pledge to work with customers on a fair and timely resolution.