The trends reshaping the energy retail contact centre
The energy transition is creating many complex challenges, with three key trends in energy retail emerging.
“A human touch will always be needed”, said one customer support agent working for a major energy retailer, when asked how they see their job changing in the future.
This is backed by research from McKinsey indicating a strong preference for real person support across all age groups. Simultaneously, commercial expectations are tougher, business models are changing and AI is redefining the customer experience.
Energy retailers are feeling the impact of these trends as they undergo digital transformation to drive decarbonisation. Contact centres have become an important touchpoint for improving customer loyalty and providing services around low carbon energy products and services – enabling retailers to evolve from service providers to energy advisors.
Against this background, we interviewed a number of UK-based agents about changes like switching to new tooling, adapting to different operating models and dealing with the aftermath of the energy crisis.
In this article, we shed light on their firsthand experience of three key trends in energy retail.
1. Digitally-empowered customers
Today’s customers are better able to serve their own needs using self-service tools like mobile apps or video tutorials, and making fewer calls to contact centres.
One of the interviewed agents said that “customers having access to and transparency over their information [is resulting in them being] more hands on”. The energy crisis is likely a contributing factor to this trend with many customers becoming more alert and inquisitive about their energy costs and usage.
The use of digital channels to get customer support is increasing, too, as backed up by internal Kaluza research. While calls continue to be an important channel, webchat support use has increased by 9% between September 2023 and August 2024, corresponding to the same decrease in calls. Email use remains relatively unchanged and continues to be the preferred method for close to two-thirds of customers.
Overall, digital channels have consolidated their position as the preferred contact methods, with 85% of support requests now being made digitally.
The growing digitisation of energy customer service means that agents can focus on more complex issues that require human intervention.
2. The revolutionary role of AI
Agents are excited about artificial intelligence (AI) facilitating their roles, namely because they see the benefit of identifying and fixing errors in accounts before customers become aware of them, reducing the number of issues customers call about.
AI call summarisation and live transcripts are also seen as game changers. By using summarisation tools, agents can focus solely on customer conversations, rather than note taking, creating better customer experiences.
All the interviewed agents see AI as enhancing efficiency. However, one agent shared concerns about the quality of existing data and the limits it could create, saying “AI can only react to the information it’s got”.
With larger volumes of data being collected to build AI models, data quality is an important consideration when it comes to generative AI. To take full advantage of its capabilities, organisations must ensure the data they’re using to feed their AI platforms is high quality, accurate and compliant with security and data privacy standards.
Agents voiced nervousness around AI’s potential to displace their jobs but most held the steadfast belief that human intervention would always be needed, particularly to guide customers through the complexities of the energy transition.
3. The increasing complexity of customer contact
The growing adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) and advanced tariffs is reshaping customer interactions in energy retail. By 2030, DERs like electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, heat pumps and batteries are expected to become common in households as energy retailers expand into bundling these customer propositions.
This trend introduces new components to customers’ energy bills such as EV and solar credits, subscription costs for heat pumps or time-of-use pricing, adding complexity to more traditional gas and electricity charges.
To support customers through these changes, energy retailers must adopt technologies that enable simplified billing and experiences while training their agents to guide customers through the intricacies of DERs and advanced energy solutions.
Energy retailers that embrace this landscape and seek the strategic opportunities it brings will be well-positioned to lead the energy transition, build stronger customer relationships, and capitalise on new business opportunities. Read the full blog post for more insights.
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About the author:
Nadia Long is a senior product marketer with a deep understanding of the energy landscape. Passionate about technology and decarbonisation, she’s a key contributor to ground-breaking energy innovation initiatives.
