RP7 Stakeholder Consultation WEB - Flipbook - Page 40
Customer service approach
•Quality customer service is
typically characterised by effective
communication, clarity for the
customer, and responsiveness.
•With significant changes ahead
associated with the energy
transition to a low carbon society,
customers are saying that they
require education, support, and
engagement during the transition.
•NIE Networks should continue to
invest in a multi-channel approach
to ensure customer satisfaction
is maintained at all stages of
the customer journey whilst still
maintaining accessibility to our team
as customers want to maintain the
ability to speak to someone.
•NIE Networks has an important role
to ensure we provide an inclusive
service including vulnerable
customers in all our operations.
•Stakeholders raised the issue
of digital poverty and exclusion,
recognising that there is a cohort of
customers that are digitally excluded
and that while the world moves
towards the provision of essential
services through digital channels,
it is important to ensure that there
are protections in place for these
groups.
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Northern Ireland Electricty Networks
•It was highlighted that digital
exclusion incorporates not only
those who do not have access to
broadband but also ‘digital poverty’
whereby people may have access
to a smartphone but their ability to
interact is limited by their contract.
•Customers would like us to
continue to raise awareness of our
Medical Customer Care Register.
•Customers on the Medical
Customer Care Register told us of
their experiences:
oReasons for being on the
register are diverse, for
example, having to maintain
a constant temperature in
their home to avoid seizures,
storing of expensive medicines
in refrigerators, as well as the
operation of medical equipment.
oPower outages are a cause
of huge stress for these
customers. They require prompt
and accurate information so
that they can manage their
situation and quickly put in place
alternative plans if necessary.
oA key stress point for all is
being able to get through to NIE
Networks staff during power
outages.
•When asked, 68% of customers
were in favour of having a smart
meter installed in their home while
15% were against.
Enabling development
and connections
•NIE Networks should enhance
customer service for connection
applicants. The key issues with
connections relate to the time taken
to arrange a new connection and
the cost of new connections.
•Those applying for a connection
were less likely to be satisfied with
the ease of getting a response when
contacting NIE Networks.
•When looking ahead, it is difficult
for customers to plan for new
connections. Customers want
access to network capacity
information and budget costs for
their connection to help them with
their plans.
•NIE Networks is currently
working with the Utility Regulator,
Independent Connections Providers
(ICPs) and key stakeholders through
the Contestability Working Group to
evolve ‘Competition in Connections’
in Northern Ireland and to make
final low voltage connections open
to competition. We will continue to
engage through this working group,
to evolve competition and agree a
mechanism with the Utility Regulator
to fund any further expansion in RP7
as appropriate.
