EDF Energy Operates Rostrvm-Supported Call Centres to Enhance Customer Service and Improve Efficiency Across Range of Departments

EDF Energy operates rostrvm-supported Call Centres to enhance customer service and improve efficiency across range of departments.

Industry Sector What is the background to EDF Energy We were introduced to rostrvm by our call and its current position in the centre switch supplier Rockwell (now marketplace? Aspect Software).The rostrvm system came on board as a cost-effective, tactical EDF Energy is a vertically-integrated energy solution to a technical problem. In the pre- company, which means we are involved in millennium period we needed to update all Energy Utility everything to do with energy, from of our call centre technology to be date generation and distribution to supplying compliant and this included replacing a customers throughout the United dialler that we were using for arrears Kingdom. We employ nearly 13,000 people. management. We selected rostrvm because of its technical ability to work with The company is owned by the French our call centre technology, link with our IT energy company EDF (Électricité de France) systems and support our business and was formed in 2002 following the processes. acquisition and mergers of Seeboard Background Energy (formerly South Eastern Electricity What were the key challenges and Board), London Energy (formerly the business drivers facing you when you London Electricity Board), and SWEB entered the open market? This interview with Energy. We have now updated our look, Steve Hayfield, uniting these regional names under our Looking back on nearly 10 years of the new EDF Energy logo. open energy market, it’s quite amazing to Director of Customer consider the number of changes in our Service – Retail, EDF We're committed to providing the best business. Before the open market the basic service possible to all our customers, and in concept of changing your electricity Energy provides an a sustainable way. We supply power to over supplier was unheard of and obtaining overview of Rostrvm five million customers and generate about both electricity and gas from a single 5GW of energy (8% of the UK demand). We supplier hadn’t been considered. Solutions’ long continue to make efforts to ensure all of our generation plants are adapted to minimise Energy suppliers such as EDF Energy have standing relationship the impact of carbon emission. We are also had to build customer management with EDF Energy’s call committed to developing renewable systems and customer service processes to energy sources. accommodate the change from a broadly- centres. fixed customer base to a new dynamic We are also one of the UK’s largest private environment. This interview first appeared in network operators. In addition, EDF Energy Customer Management magazine. Networks provides power to over a quarter In our case we have also faced the of the UK’s population via our distribution challenges of consolidating a number of networks in London, the South East and the businesses into a single efficient entity with East of England. dramatic changes in scale. In the year 2000 the group (when we were called LE Group) How did EDF Energy first get involved had less than 3 million customers. Today with rostrvm? we have over 5 million. “As processes and operational locations change Our initial involvement with Rostrvm goes And, of course, in the same period, we have rostrvm evolves with us.” back to the 1990s predating the huge changed our identity which has meant changes to our business that has been building trust in a new-to-the-UK consumer driven by deregulation and building the brand. Steve Hayfield Director of Customer Service - Retail EDF Energy business. EDF Energy

To find out more call us on 0800 6122 192 or visit www.rostrvm.com

You can then add to this the activities. With the Telephone Preference What are your customers saying about challenges of a fiercely competitive Service (TPS) putting millions of UK the work you are able to do as a result of market, adaptation to a world of consumer phone numbers out of bounds the relationship with rostrvm? product innovation, complexities and for telemarketers, the industry has had to cost exposure in wholesale energy rethink the way it works. With little To be frank, I don’t want individual markets and operating through an opportunity to contact people who are not customers to notice the fact that we are evolving deregulated market. Finally, already customers (and have given using technology to provide service. The like all businesses providing permission to be contacted), the onus has fact that our systems, including the customer service over the telephone turned to retaining existing business. We rostrvm component, enable us to provide a we need to meet and exceed Ofcom have worked with rostrvm to link call service tailored to the individual customer guidelines. centre data with our corporate CRM system should not be a surprise to our customers. (Siebel). This means that our telesales team Have you worked with rostrvm to can make calls and, depending on the But we are proud of the fact that our help solve those issues across EDF circumstances of each customer, make an Worthing call centre gained peer Energy’s various sites across the appropriate, relevant offer. recognition by winning the National Sales country? Awards for Outbound Contact Centre of the rostrvm has also been supportive in the Year 2006! rostrvm has been instrumental in inevitable organisational and system helping us in many ways in different changes induced by the group’s growth How critical is the relationship with parts of the business. As I mentioned and consolidation of the different business. rostrvm to EDF Energy and how do you earlier, the first rostrvm Rostrvm has worked with us to bring see it developing in the future? implementation was in the arrears together diverse call centre technologies. management area. Cash flow is As processes and operational locations One of our key ambitions is to care more for critical to any business and rostrvm change rostrvm evolves with us. our customers and continually improve OutBound dialler has proven to be a customer experience. This ambition is highly effective tool to support the What are the key business benefits to increasingly important in today’s efficient collection of money. Of you of the relationship? competitive market. Last year around 4 course, the fact that we are million UK households changed energy proactively talking to customers At the basic operational level the rostrvm supplier. We want as many customers as means that we also quickly identify system delivers better utilisation of our possible to switch to EDF Energy and stay vulnerable customers that need extra Customer Service agents in order to with us. Customer service is an important help. increase productivity and keep costs down. factor in the consumer’s choice.

As the market became more Perhaps more importantly we value the In any well-run operation, no supplier competitive, rostrvm came into play close business relationship. We particularly should be classed as truly ‘critical’ but we in the customer acquisition process. appreciate Rostrvm’s open and do view Rostrvm as a key partner in In the early days of the open market, independent advice - we can approach maintaining and evolving customer changing suppliers was a fairly Rostrvm with a new idea or call centre relationships. protracted process. By introducing operational problem to solve confident that the rostrvm system into our Hove we will get professional advice. Often In our view improving customer service is call centre we have streamlined the Rostrvm will be able to help us directly, but more than just looking at how we can process and enhanced our service. equally they are happy to recommend and enhance existing current service delivery We phone proactively to advise the work alongside other technology and methods. We also need to take into account customer that their account is open service providers. A good example of the the way our customers work with us. and call them again when the first bill business-based relationship is the way comes through just to check it Rostrvm helps us deal with compliance To give you a couple of examples, a very matches meter readings and that the issues. The day after Ofcom issued its significant proportion of our customers use amount to pay is correct. This guidance on the use of automated diallers, the internet to research and choose their eliminates any complaints or delay in EDF Energy staff were already being given energy supplier. When potential customers making a payment due to bill queries. practical advice at a Rostrvm-organised use our web site we provide a support workshop to ensure that we comply. telephone number to help users with on- In the past we have used the system line applications. We are also seeing a rapid for traditional ‘cold calling’ growth in customer use of mobile phones telephone-based customer and email. rostrvm will help us to interact acquisition. But more recently we with our customers using SMS and email have used rostrvm to refine and delivering a service that matches customer focus our customer retention preferences.

To find out more call us on 0800 6122 192 or visit www.rostrvm.com rostrvm ®, CLIPboard ®, Invex ®, Switchless ®, CallManager ®, AdVisor ®, rostrvm CallGuide ®, ScreenPhone ®,OutBound ®, CallDirector ®, rostrvm CallBroker ®, ControlCentre ®, InterAct ®, AutoAgent ®, ToneType ®, rostrvm AuditLog ®, ReportWriter ®, SuperVisor ®, and rostrvm InterFace ® are registered trade marks of Rostrvm Solutions Limited