npower’s Wayne Mitchell on consumer feedback

Would you like to tell your energy supplier what to do? Customer power is a growing phenomenon. Far from being passive recipients of whatever products or services are available, consumers […]

Would you like to tell your energy supplier what to do?

Customer power is a growing phenomenon. Far from being passive recipients of whatever products or services are available, consumers are now increasingly being asked to take part in the design of these offerings. Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn also provide a forum for sharing feedback that can impact a company’s reputation and future success.

Clearly, the scope for consumer participation depends on the market. But where customers are able to get more of what they want, it’s a better outcome for both consumer and supplier.

Where we work in partnership with our customers in the Industrial and Commercial arena, we have the luxury to provide more bespoke energy solutions. But like any large company, we still have a range of standard processes and systems that apply to everyone.

Last year, as a result of a Customer Satisfaction Survey, we were able to identify areas where we were hitting the mark – and where we needed to do things differently. Customers told us they’d prefer clearer contracts, for example, so we reworked our terms and conditions to be simpler.

Transforming how we work

Via a company-wide Customer Transformation Programme, a team is now in place to review the way we work with business customers and find ways to further streamline practices and improve customer experience.

To make sure we continue moving in the right direction, we are launching a Community Panel to invite feedback not just from customers, but from any business which buys and manages energy.

The aim is to build an online community of commercial consumers who can comment on the services we offer and influence product design and development. We’ll be canvassing opinion on anything from moving premises to consumption-monitoring tools; energy bill design to email communications. Then we’ll be acting on what we find to improve what we do.

Win Amazon vouchers for sharing your views

I’d like to invite you to be part of this community. You can sign up with no obligation and then participate as and when you have the time, or a topic grabs your attention. As a thank you, we’ll be offering the chance to win Amazon vouchers just for registering, then again each time you participate.

Some of our most innovative products and services have been created as the result of customer collaboration. We’re hoping our Community Panel will provide another route to listening to your views and improving our service. I very much hope you’ll be part of this. Click here to find out more.

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