Customer Service & Billing: Flexibility for a successful future
Smart metering and grids are seen by
both governments and utilities as the
future of sustainable energy supply, and
a necessary tool in delivering sustainable,
reliable and affordable energy in the
coming decades. The roll-out of the
scheme has progressed in recent years,
with 100 million smart meters expected
to be installed across Europe by 2016.
However to reach the European mandate
of Smart meters in 80% of European
households by 2020, utilities and
municipals need to work together to help
consumer attitudes adapt to the changes.
As the main point of interaction between
businesses and customers, customer
service and billing (CS&B) is one of the
most important touch points.
The need for flexibility in the CS&B space
has never been greater and currently there
are four main trends affecting the ability of
utilities to achieve this:
- Smart – A trend that can no longer be
ignored, Smart is now synonymous
with the energy market and utilities all
over the world. From meters to grids
to now Smart buildings and cities,
the Smart revolution brings with it
an increased level of competition,
increased depth of CS&B and
therefore a greater need for flexibility.
- Regulation – Rules in the energy
market are some of the most dynamic
and experimental of any industry.
They evolve on a yearly basis in some
cases and often apply immediately to
operators, their processes and their IT
systems. Forecasting these changes
in regulation is difficult, but operating
flexible systems and processes allows
operators to incorporate them quickly
and with minimal effects on business
processes and costs.
- Competition – New entrants to
the energy market are increasing
competition at a rapid rate. Multiutilities,
energy suppliers, Telco
operators and a host of other players
are competing for a slice of the
market. Although many new entrants
focus on B2B currently, it will not be
long before the focus shifts onto the
wider B2C sector. There is also a shift
in focus from domestic to foreign
markets (such as the Nordics markets
harmonisation in 2015, the transcountry
European operators, and
the grid interconnections between
countries). Combined, this will see
a host of new services offered to
customers who are demanding ever
more personalised services.
- Quality of Service – With the
increased level of suppliers in
the market, the need for quality
customer service has never been
greater. Companies will differentiate
themselves on the level of their
customer service, and to stay
competitive customer care must
remain at the highest level. This is
especially important as the industry
moves to a multi-billing model
where operators are able to collect
different bills, such as TV licenses and
municipal taxes.
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