2012-13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD Submission Part 2

2 012 -13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD

Submission part 2 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

I think we have taken huge strides over the last twelve months in practically recognising that understanding and responding to our stakeholders’ views is vital to our success.

Our engagement activity has told engage directly with stakeholders the level necessary to achieve us that our stakeholders’ interests as a key part of the wider external accreditation. If I’m honest

Phil Jones lie in seven priority areas. Six align programme of engagement that I didn’t even know there were Chief Executive with the Ofgem output areas of goes on throughout the business. stakeholder engagement standards power reliability and availability, In my case, that has involved many against which companies could be social obligations, connections, different types of engagement, assessed – but we embraced the safety, environmental impact and ranging from listening to extremely need to learn more and change overall customer satisfaction; with frustrated stakeholders in Otley to our approach. I’m delighted with an additional priority identified interacting in detailed discussions the work that our team has done around investing in our workforce. with our stakeholder panel and to guide us along the journey A lot of the stakeholder feedback our external expert groups. The to achieving accreditation under has shaped our business plan input of those panels, covering the Stakeholder Engagement for the ten-year period to 2023; social issues, customer service and Standard AA1000 – I gather that for example a clear emphasis on smart powergrids has brought we may well be the first energy keeping costs down, accelerating the views of stakeholders right network operator to do so. That our investment in flash flooding into the decision making process. has helped us to target our efforts protection, and developing a Constructive challenge and more effectively and the result mainstream response to a better collaboration is causing us to think has been obvious in quality of the informed and broader perspective differently and is helping us to engagement and feedback that on our social obligations. propose outcomes that would we have received through various not otherwise have been on activities. Also, the introduction Leadership from the top and good our agenda. of formal annual independent governance are vital for success in research and monthly executive this area. Part of that requires me One area that I felt particularly review is adding rigour to the personally taking time, along with strongly about was the need for process and leading to much members of my executive team, to us to step up our engagement on more usable and influential input the wider social agenda. The issue being received by the executive of affordability is not going to get leadership team. easier in our communities as energy prices rise and it has been through a In the end, a programme of process of engagement with a wider engagement is only as good as range of stakeholders than ever the results that it produces. I before that we have started to gain think it is making a really positive a much clearer sense of what we difference - but you will judge that can and should be doing to play our for yourselves part in the wider picture. We have a long way to go, but I think that we have made tremendous progress in this year. Over the last year we’ve worked Phil Jones hard to raise our standards to Chief Executive

01 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS REWARD

Social Obligations – collaboration is key

As an organisation we are Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG) “I think it is great that Northern Powergrid has opened the door becoming increasingly conscious chairs the group that includes: to talking to these new audiences. But it is really important to keep of the role we must play in Jenny Saunders, Chief Executive those channels of communications open and to keep building on supporting the wider social of National Energy Action those relationships.” agenda and our customers who (NEA) and Shona Alexander, Jenny Westaway Communications and Marketing Manager, are most reliant on or impacted Chief Executive of Citizens Involve Yorkshire and Humber by our services. Over the last Advice Bureau (CAB), Newcastle. year we have stepped up our We have also started to work engagement with stakeholders Our stakeholders responsibility for helping with Voluntary Organisations and experts in this area to help said... vulnerable customers matters. Network North East (VONNE) us to understand what our role and Involve Yorkshire and collaboration and • Providing the information and can and should be. Humber to communicate communication are key tools for employees to do this is essential to having a real impact We have worked over a number our services and engage with From the stakeholder engagement in this area. of years to support our most their members. As the outlined we have received a wealth membership organisations for vulnerable customers through our of feedback. Our stakeholders • Engage with energy suppliers over 700 charities, voluntary Priority Services Register (PSR). have told us: and other agencies/organisations Our stakeholder engagement has organisations, community • Closer partnership working to establish if we can get helped us to understand how we groups, networks and social is required to promote and additional customer information can strengthen these services enterprises in Yorkshire and deliver services for vulnerable via data-flows (name, telephone, but also what more we could the North East their combined customers. mobile, e-mail etc.) be doing for those customers reach is in the tens of thousands. • Current communications we who struggle to pay their energy NEA ran four focus groups for • Fuel poverty is a key issue; provide for power cuts work well. bills or are not connected to us in 2012, talking to customers Northern Powergrid can play the grid. We have learned that across our region about their a valuable role by using their • To consider alternative solutions by adjusting the way we think experiences of vulnerability channels to communicate for speaking to us during about our role and learning to and fuel poverty and what wider support and independent powercuts that are collaborate with other agencies, we could do to support them. advice in addition to their not dependent on electricity. we can be a meaningful part of baseline services. In February 2013 we We have used this feedback to wider social action in this area. • Raising awareness of the issues commissioned Explain, inform immediate improvements with our employees; developing Engaging our independent market research but also our medium and longer a culture of personal stakeholders – experts, to interview 500 term plan. reaching the right customers on our Priority people in the right way Services Register by telephone to find out what they thought We have recognised that this is an We did... vulnerable groups and this of, and what we could do to area where we need expert input classification helps us to develop improve, the services we offer Redefining vulnerability to our plans and to help us to tailored support that meets their them. Explain also interviewed engage with the people who are Using the feedback from our differing needs. We have classified nine local and community impacted by these issues. We have expert stakeholders, we have the following vulnerable groups: organisation experts as part of established a number of strategic expanded our definition of this research, the experts were partnerships to help us to do this. vulnerable customers to include • Fully electrically dependent nominated through VONNE a much wider range but also customers. Where loss of power Our Social Issues Expert Group and Involve Yorkshire and to recognise that people may presents a critical risk for these meets regularly to generate Humber. We plan to repeat move in and out of vulnerability customers, for example, where ideas, input to our plans and this engagement annually using dependent on the nature of it. an electricity supply is used for suggest areas for improvement. these results as a benchmark Our PSR is open to all these a kidney dialysis machine. Derek Lickorish MBE, Chair of Fuel for improvement.

02 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS

• Customers that have customer care team to ensure further assistance is required. of the key questions being long-term or temporary that they understand, are aware The British Red Cross also found in the booklet which critical medical conditions. of, and sensitive to customer have access to ambulances is also available online. Though not life threatening, vulnerabilities as well as the and other vehicles which, The prizes on offer are high some customers may not be appropriate response and support resources permitting, can be street vouchers for £50 to able to cope with sustained to these customers’ needs. deployed if during a major £20 pounds for those children interruptions to their power incident emergency care in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and Direct and supply, perhaps due to their is required by a vulnerable £200 in vouchers for the school personal support medical treatment or their customer. Feedback from our attended by the winning child. recovery from an operation. Providing direct and personal customers has been positive; Innovation in support is something our they are prepared to trust social housing • Customers that require vulnerable customers have told the British Red Cross in a way different methods of us they value. they might not trust a utility Last year we announced our communication. For example, partnership with Community Any customer that is registered company. The British Red those who are hard of Energy Solutions and Northern on Northern Powergrid’s Priority Cross supplement our own hearing, or have sight Gas Networks; to collaborate in Services Register (PSR) obtains customer care vans which are impairments. They require supporting our customers who a priority routing service in the deployed regularly when there different methods of are experiencing fuel poverty event of a power cut. Firstly, they is an escalated situation, a fault communication than our and would benefit from are provided with an alternative is affecting a large number standard approach; as do alternative heating sources. Freephone (0800) number in the of customers over an customers for whom English event of a power cut, where they extended period of time, We are working to develop is not their first language. can telephone our contact centre or for planned powercuts a model that allows the for essential works in areas • Customers that may have 24/7, and speak directly with one replacement of old and where vulnerable customers other long-term or temporary of our advisors. Furthermore, if inefficient heating systems are being affected. support requirements. a PSR customer dials our public from multi-storey housing Elderly customers, those Freephone power cut number, Keep warm and developments with efficient, with young babies, or our system instantly recognises stay safe controllable and affordable households in fuel poverty, them and channels their call alternatives; which can be We reach over 40,000 school may each find a power cut around our interactive voice replicated across the industry. children a year through our to their home more difficult response system to be answered In the early part of 2012 we school safety programme. to deal with and may benefit immediately if a human advisor is began working with Leeds In partnership with National from additional advice free or to be placed at the front City Council and their social Energy Action (NEA) we have and support on issues of the contact centre queue housing providers as a pilot for developed a new booklet like energy efficiency. for the next available advisor. this work. The scoping project We have a priority services “Keep warm and stay safe.” to specifically identify high-rise MAKING IT A coordinator within our contact The booklet offers advice and buildings where fuel poverty MAINSTREAM ACTIVITY centre 24/7 who proactively support on a much wider range is most acute and data sharing keeps all customers that have of social issues than we have on the current energy supply, Using our extended definition contacted the business updated. ever previously communicated usage and planned investment of vulnerability we have worked Our coordinator also organises including safety, metal theft, our is now complete. This scoping with NEA to review and refresh call-backs and any site response Priority Services Register, cutting is now helping the council our contact centre scripts to with our welfare service bills and saving money, getting to prioritise investment and incorporate key advice and providers, the British Red Cross. help with fuel debt, keeping to continue to work with us questions our advisors can warm and staying healthy. to ensure that future heating We have established a include in conversations with solutions are tailored for partnership with the British The booklet is distributed our customers to help us to residents needs, focussing Red Cross which has seen through our schools programme identify and support those where possible on renewable them contact almost 500 of and NEA to provide information, experiencing vulnerability. heating solutions to cut bills. our vulnerable customers and advice and support for children Following up this partnership visited those most in need their families and teachers. Newcastle City Council are with the NEA we have agreed in 2012-13. Any vulnerable To further encourage parents now working with us on a a plan to roll out a programme customer that is subject to a and teachers to access the similar project and using the of training to our employees power cut, that lasts longer information we are running model of working has meant who work on the front-line than a three-hour period, an annual online competition that we have been able to with customers in our contact is contacted by the British for school children, in the fast track the progress, taking centre, our engineers out in Red Cross to check on final term of each school on board the lessons learned the field and our dedicated their welfare and assess if year, with the answer to one in Leeds.

03 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY Connections/Distributed generation REWARD

Connecting our customers – engaging in an emerging market

For a number of years we have forming contacts with each other Union meetings; invitations to of stakeholders than just our been building a strong relationship as well as with us. feedback or contact us through existing or potential customers with our regular connections We have also had a number of one National Farmers Union, National so we commissioned Explain to customers; over the past year to one meetings through early 2013 Renewable Energy Centre and conduct telephone interviews this has continued and we have with over 25 of our connections National Association of Professional with key individuals with a stake in been working to improve it. We customers to ask for their feedback Inspectors and Testers; and closer delivering a DG project, including have placed real focus this year on on our service and to influence working with Renewables UK. our customer, Green Rigg and their project architect and solicitor. how we identify and engage with our improvement plans. We also As a result more and more DG customers and other stakeholders used independent market research stakeholders have contacted us We provide progress updates on particularly interested in connecting company Explain to run two focus to arrange one to one meetings, our connections improvements as local (distributed) generation (DG) groups for our small connections attend existing connections events a result of stakeholder feedback to our network. We believe we’ve customers to better understand and provide feedback. DG is an at our six monthly events, in our made a significant step in the right their issues and hear what they area where we need to understand connections stakeholder newsletter direction but we’re aware that as would like us to improve. the experiences of a wider range and through our website. this becomes more commonplace through awareness of technology DG is a growing area of connections. We have recognised the need to and the opportunities this brings Our stakeholders said... we need to proactively reach out to adapt and build on our engagement more on line, quicker services and information emerging and potential stakeholders for connections customers to meet as well as continue to engage with the needs of those particularly From the engagement we • Shorten the process our current stakeholders and act interested in DG. Using our learning have had with our connections and provide better on their feedback. from social issues engagement we customers we know that what access to information have focussed on engaging our DG is important to them is: • Make DG cheaper to connect Engaging our stakeholders through established • A need for improved stakeholders – in an channels where these stakeholders • Improve consistency communication in the emerging market already meet or communicate, among DNOs connections service including like training and membership Our monthly connections availability of more information • Take into account that DG organisations. This has allowed us surgeries and six-monthly and communication online is different to connections programme of briefing seminars a much greater reach in terms of • Collaborate with them continue to be popular, with raising awareness of our role in • Shortening the time it takes to over 50 independent connection DG and also encouraged those receive a quotation and then • Pay attention to project providers (ICPs), independent stakeholders to engage as we are the quotation remaining valid specifics to improve processes distribution network operators approaching them through an already for a longer time period trusted and preferred source. The feedback from our (IDNOs), connections customers • The opportunity to connections and DG activity and increasingly distributed Our engagement has included; have a discussion before informs our annual connections generation and renewables meetings with over 100 local requesting a quotation and and DG plans which we customers and stakeholders farmers through attendance the availability of technical report progress on attending each workshop; often at regional National Farmers information in advance regularly through our would be helpful website and at our regular “I think these briefing days were a super idea. Being able to make • The need to act faster workshops and surgeries. face-to-face contact is the start, of building a relationship with any once payment is received It also informs day-to-day person and therefore any company…a major improvement was the for connections works improvements, our annual reduction in time it took to the validation period for a quotation, which connections and DG plans was initially 30 days and I think it was the feedback from open days • The need for a seamless process like this that made that double from 30 to 60.” and our longer term plan Amanda Brown Our DG customers also fed for improving connections Business Development Manager, Clancy Docwra back specifically that we should: out to 2023.

04 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD Connections/Distributed generation

We did... IMPROVING OUR We are constantly reviewing advisors have more time to reduce costs. On average the CONNECTIONS SERVICE the process and addressing deal with more complex cost for a connection in a rural ways to improve as fewer queries in person. location for a medium sized Major improvements have been than 65% of customers were project [200KV to 800KV] made to our connections services satisfied with the amount of Meeting our DG was previously £250k-£300k. over the past year, including communication they received stakeholders needs This is reduced by introducing new and improved during the quotation process. approximately £120k web-enabled services. A complete Our DG customers and other stakeholders made it clear that for this size of project. redesign of the connections area • 3,885 customers have although improvements to our of our website offers many new viewed our new guide to • Lined up our stage payments general connections services services which address issues standard connections and to align with project milestones. do benefit them, they have their raised by our customers over the generation connections since By only asking for minimum own needs and requirements. past two years. Our customers its launch in July 2012. The payments upfront and then In response to these needs in are making great use of these guide has undergone further further payments just before 2012-13 we: online facilities, improving their developments and has also we need them we can help the experience with us as they been available on our mobile • Published online grid capacity cash flow of our customers. contact us at a time convenient site, since September 2012. maps which set out where • Extended our quotation to them. Customers can contact us there is current capacity on acceptance period from at a time that suits them and the grid for DG connections. • Since going live on 1 August 60 to 90 days. access information online 2,400 people have used this 2012, 13,000 customers have which explains the connections service since we launched it in • Explored the potential for viewed our service alterations process and helps them December 2012, it has been local DG training for our page with 2,500 receiving a understand what they need to welcomed by renewables team and customers. formal quotation after filling do to get connected whether generators and local authority Through partnership with in the online application form it is a small, medium or large planners in particular. the National Renewable and 1,000 quotations accepted. connection. The system gives Energy Centre (NAREC) This means that 74% of our • Increased the capacity of our quick answers to customers’ we provide technical support customers visiting this page DG delivery team, employing questions without them having during their courses which have been self-served with seven more staff to take to pick up the phone and call. aim to increase awareness the remaining 26% calling our overall resource of and skills in the application our contact centre, where an • Both our Frequently Asked design engineers and design of G59/2 connections to advisor fills out the same web Questions (FAQ) area and the technicians to 82 and trained the UK Grid with regional form on behalf of the customer. ‘use of system’ price calculator, the majority of these staff renewable energy systems The typical length of time to launched July 2012, offers to be able to deal with installers and developers. carry out this work prior to our customers a convenient tool to generation enquiries. There has been overwhelming self-serve online tool was 49 receive instant answers. To date, • Introduced new substation support from attendees days; our revised processes has 3,900 customers have viewed leases to match the lifetime about our presence on the now improved to 27 days. the FAQ area and more than of DG installations, so if for courses and we’re assisting Following the launch of 500 customers have used the example, a windfarm developer in the development of the new web tool we ‘use of system’ price calculator. has a 25-year lease and would course material. commissioned Explain to struggle to align and sign evaluate the experience of Our online connections up to our contract with our the customers who had used application process went live in usual 99-year lease period, this new online process so April 2013 along with ‘ask our we match our leases to far to make sure it met their expert’, an indicative pricing tool enable the project. needs. Explain contacted 175 and the small scale generation customers and a total of 49 connection notification. This new • Introduced step-in clauses to surveys were completed. development reduces our time to our contracts giving assurance Customers were particularly serve from around 12 days to no and confidence of delivery impressed by the time it takes more than one hour. to make it easier and more to get a quotation online with attractive for financiers to invest. The introduction of these web an average satisfaction rating tools is having a significant • Changed our electrical protection for this aspect of over 80%. positive impact as contact centre policy to simplify schemes and

05 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REWARD

Customer Satisfaction – at the top of OUR agenda

We are in business ultimately measures within the Broader • Feedback on general customer In addition to informing our to give our customers the best Measure of Customer Satisfaction services is also picked up operational improvement plans, service possible. Like stakeholder (BMCS). In addition to the through a wider range of the key messages across all our engagement, customer service day-to-day engagement with engagement activity including customer feedback come and satisfaction is an area we are our customers which feeds back vulnerable customer telephone together to inform our strategic working hard to strengthen and into the business we also run interviews and connections decision making through improve; putting it at the heart specific engagement activities workshops. the executive weekly and of what we do. As we continue with customers to keep us monthly reviews. • We have established our to engage with our customers, informed of their wider issues Customer Experience Expert This helps us to ensure that, from we’re seeing positive results and the bigger picture. group, chaired by Lynne Mills individual concerns to themes on individual initiatives and the • We hold a daily and weekly of the Institute for Customer for improvement over a period resulting measures of take-up meetings to review the day Service along with key of time or across a number of and customer satisfaction. to day feedback on customer representatives from Action stakeholders, the feedback informs However we recognise we experience and stay ahead of for Hearing Loss and Capita. our response in the right place still have a way to go to make any issues arising. Once a month, The group debate, collaborate at the right time. significant improvements to our we use one of the calls to and feedback on what overall customer satisfaction. review our published customer we can do to improve Engaging our satisfaction results in detail, customer experience. customers with improvement plans assessed • Our employees meet and talk – multiple channels and re-aligned if required. to our customers on a daily of engagement • In the past year Explain has basis and their experiences and and feedback run telephone interviews and feedback help us to improve There are already a number focus groups with our customers services for our customers. of ways that we engage with focussing on complaints and We cover this later in this and receive feedback from our their views on our current and submission. customers; through our day-to-day planned customer service. interactions to the wider regulatory

Our CUSTOMERS said... communication, our TEAM and choice of channels are important The key themes in feedback from our customers, other stakeholders and experts over the past year is: COMBINED Northern Powergrid customer satisfaction scores for 2012-13 regulatory period • The need for multiple channels – customers being able to communicate 100% with us when they want in the way they want 90% • Timely information and communication for planned power cuts 80% • General need to raise awareness of who we are and what we do 70% • Give more consideration to individual customer circumstances during 60% a power cut 50% • Our employees and the importance of the right behaviours required to provide excellent customer service – professional, April to July to October to January to June 2012 September 2012 December 2012 March 2013 polite and knowledgeable.

Figure 1: Combined customer satisfaction scores for 2012-13 regulatory period

06 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

We did... • Our managers are - Our intranet ‘the grid’ has • Newsletters and letters listening and learning. been redesigned to clearly to over 1,500 local residents Customer Relationship Since November 2012, communicate ‘How are and other stakeholders either Management (CRM) 35 of our senior managers we doing’ metrics on a directly or indirectly affected. – HAVING THE RIGHT have established regular visits daily basis. The metrics TOOLS FOR THE JOB • Dedicated customer to our contact centre. They provide our employees with ambassadors for face-to-face We have recognised that our spend their time sitting with a clear indication on the communications and calling IT systems are outdated and our advisors and listening company’s performance in in on businesses and do not support the service in to calls – hearing real relation to customer service, residents affected. that our customers expect. issues and understanding network performance, So, we’re investing in delivering how our interaction on the safety and environment. Through local engagement new systems to improve our phone impacts the customer we amended the programme, Community customer experience. The aim experience. Feedback from delaying or bringing forward engagement – of the programme is to make it the sessions highlighted works and moving some cable Learning valuable a lot easier to do business with how critical the relationship routes to minimise the impact lessons in Otley, us by cutting down on duplicate between the contact centre on the community. Residents West Yorkshire contacts, improving internal and the rest of the business were really pleased, it turned a is and the need for improved communications, and creating Our £1.2million investment bad situation round and set the systems that will hold the opportunity to see all the scheme to significantly improve blueprint for a new approach. customer information in interactions a customer has the reliability of electricity in one place. • Building on these lessons had with us in one place. Otley has not been one of our we have developed a biggest schemes in financial The CRM programme is not • We’ve improved the communications toolkit to terms but has had one of the just about providing a computer information we share with support our work. This system greatest impacts on how we will system. The programme is all our team to give everyone provides gold, silver or bronze deliver and communicate our about our people, processes a clear picture of how we communication packages works moving forward. and technology, demonstrating are doing in different areas based on the level of impact of the business to positively a ‘customer-first’ attitude. Following a series of power that the scheme will have. encourage each of us to take We’ve listened to our cuts in Otley during Autumn As well as taking account responsibility for improving customers from the start of 2011, unhappy customers and of any planned power cuts the experience we provide the programme and tried to other local stakeholders were and disruptions to highways, to our customers: understand what it should feel very vocal about the impact this we consider seasons, school like from their point of view. holidays and local information - P erformance boards have was having on them individually and in the town. Following like whether a fete or show As our CRM programme has been positioned in all of our meetings with local councillors, is about to occur. It builds become part of our everyday offices and depots that are businesses and the local MP, we engagement and consultation activity we’ve started to see updated on a monthly basis brought forward our investment routinely into our programmes a number of outcomes that and chart our customer plan to upgrade the town’s and improves understanding we’re pleased with so far, but service performance, based 11,000KV network. for smoother implementation.‑ we recognise we still have on the satisfaction scores we have received each month. • The system has already a long way to go: A comprehensive communication successfully been used on and engagement plan was major schemes in Bramhope, developed, which included: Penistone and Thornaby “Otley Town Council recognises the high standard of work being • Two community information helping develop further undertaken in the town by Northern Powergrid to improve power supply events and attendance at the microsites, information following considerable disruption to the network over recent years. Otley Show, festival, carnival events and key customer The Council wishes to place on record their thanks to Mr Steve Keeney and market days. communications sharing (Northern Powergrid), his staff and the company’s sub-contractors for both information with them in their professionalism and for their willingness to work with the community • A dedicated internet a way that we know they over the contract period. microsite for Otley, explaining like to receive. The Council applauds their work in minimising disruption, engaging the work we were doing in • We are now rolling this system with community groups and the standard of their work in restoring the detail including maps, cable out on larger investment highways and verges.” routes and notification of road works. projects. It provides valuable Cllr John Eveleigh Resolution passed by Otley town council on the 21 January 2013

07 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REWARD

support to our team who • Over 200 employees from • Published 0330 prefix • Social media has had a may not instinctively know various office locations have telephone numbers lines huge influence on the way of all the issues that they been trained and now support for customers to use when we communicate with our should consider. We are the contact centre in handling calling from a mobile to customers, with Twitter also recording customer customer calls to ensure report a power cut. This proving a useful tool which feedback and using this calls are answered quickly offers on average a ten-fold our customers and other within team events to and customers get to reduced calling cost for stakeholders have welcomed, promote the advantages speak directly to an advisor mobile users compared to particularly in communicating of taking this approach. if they wish. The ‘overflow’ the 0800 lines, or free service information on power cuts. team showed their true if customers’ mobile contracts Since April 2012, when Otley Town and ward value during a major incident are all inclusive. The average we first joined twitter, we Councillor Colin Campbell in April 2012, when a severe cost to call an 0330 number have sent 1,940 tweets and (Lib Dem, Prince Henry) agreed: snow and ice storm brought from a mobile is 4.5p per received 1,000 mentions. “This organisation has done the down power lines causing minute compared to 40p per We currently have more best public consultation that power cuts to over 80,000 minute for an 0800 number. than 1,400 followers with any utility firm has since I can customers in our area. a potential reach to other remember. They got it spot on.” Our overflow team handled • Learning from our previous customers and stakeholders 1st February 2013 just under 7,000 calls, which response to major incidents, of 300,000. would otherwise have had we wanted to streamline customers waiting in the the process for customer • Produced improved call scripts Improving awareness, contact centre queue for compensation payments. for advisors to use during quality and choice long periods or calls being After the April 2012 storms, various scenarios, ranging of customer service abandoned by customers. June and September floods from general enquiries and channels In the worst winter storm customers could apply online power cuts, to complaints, in more than 40 years we for a speedier payment. connections enquiries and Our customers have suggested answered 90% of all calls We also made this more how to deal with vulnerable a number of initiatives to received, with 77% of these prominent on our website customers. improve the awareness, within our 15 second grade and promoted it through quality and choice of customer of service target. For the local radio and social media. • All contact centre advisors service channels we offer. 2012-13 regulatory year, our and team leaders have been As a result we have: overflow team handled 19% • Our online service for formally assessed on their • Redesigned our web-site of all power cut calls received booking shrouding services customer service ethos. to reflect the way that our into the business. has been positively received The assessment process customers are using it. with 70% of our customers involved a combination of We use an internet statistics • Worked with the telephone choosing to take up this online testing, contact centre application called ‘Crazy directory enquiries operators service almost instantly scenarios and face-to-face Egg’, which shows us where to help increase the awareness following launch. Results interviews. All advisors and customers are ‘clicking’ on and raise the profile of our received from Explain team leaders were provided our website. This helps us power cut numbers including demonstrate that customers with one-to-one feedback, understand which sections developing our online are 94% satisfied with the and set personal development of the website are popular presence to provide clearer online facility. targets established to improve and so we can structure the information about who the customer experience. pages and content to be most we are and what we do. • We’ve introduced a number beneficial for customers. For We’ve also reviewed our of improvements to the example, we have moved adverts in Yellow Pages, way we communicate our the ‘why is my power off?’ BT Phonebook and KC planned power cut activity and ‘who is my energy Directories in Hull with including an information supplier?’ functions to a similar information and created leaflet and enhanced letters more prominent place on a better layout with a greater to customers explaining our homepage as these use of colour to make them the reason for the work are most popular with our clearer for our customers. They more clearly. customers and need to be also now include our social easy to find. media contact details.

08 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY REWARD CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Hearing from our customers – through multiple channels

Dear Sir, I would like to thank Morrison Utility Services and Northern Powergrid for the help you gave me on the day of my husband’s funeral. You can imagine how I felt when I finished sorting out the arrangements for the funeral. I then received a letter from you to say the whole of Hutton Henry would be without electricity that day. I didn’t want to change the date of the funeral as this would cause confusion with friends and family. In desperation I called the number on the letter and I received a call two days later to say they would arrange a generator for the day. The generator helped me and my family through a very difficult day. You hear so many bad accounts of gas and electricity companies that I wanted you to know you have one satisfied customer who thinks you’re great. Yours faithfully, M Blackburne Senior managers listening to customer calls

ONLINE...

Of the services we now offer online, approximately 70% of customers now choose to do business with us in this way. Really impressed with @Northpowergrid – came out within 1.5 hours yesterday, and sent tweet apologising for power outage 2day. #nottheirfault 10 Oct, Dr Bex Lewis @drbexl

Listening to our customers Lots of power cuts tonight :o/(loving the map on the @Northpowergrid site though!) 24 Oct, Daryl Walker-Smith @darylws Thank you @Northernpowergrid You engineers were stars. Worked through the night and left us a generator. 7 Mar, Gillian Smellie @GillianSmellie @Northernpowergrid thank you for restoring our power yesterday in the snow, fantastic brave guys #awesome #Sheffield 21 Mar, Wendy Duggan @Wendydoyn @Northernpowergrid fantastic customer care folks via telephone after reporting a power cut for the area of NE11 9FD 18 Feb, Andy @andydeltic Engaging at events

09 2012-13 DISCRETIONARY OUR EMPLOYEES REWARD

Our employees – at the frontline of engagement, customer service and delivery

Many of our 2,300 employees more effectively with customers. of support rotas. We are using online and on smart phones. engage with our customers and Over 2,000 employees attended the key themes and specific We have redesigned it to include: other stakeholders on a daily workshops, and further training feedback from the hot seat to basis; they are also the experts was offered to our management inform regular feedback on • A more user friendly homepage in delivering the services we teams to ensure they were able improvements and to share • Leadership comments – provide. This means that they to support employees putting more information. senior manager videos and are in a strong position to bring their training into regular use articles talking about key customer and other stakeholder ‘on the job’. Our senior Communicating with our TEAM and initiatives and developments feedback and ideas for additional management team helped are uploaded regularly improvements back into drive engagement; taking the each other the business. opportunity to drop into over We communicate and engage • The Mobile Grid App means 100 customer experience employees in the field can We’ve been making some big regularly with our employees workshops and host ‘hot-seat’ receive service alerts, read strides in employee engagement, through a variety of channels Q & A sessions. This allowed leadership comments posted through communications, such and, following employee feedback employees to raise issues whilst by our executive team and be as the grid and our internal we have continued to add to also hearing first hand from our on top of the latest news. magazine Our Powergrid News, and improve these throughout leadership team about customer to training programmes such 2012-13. service improvement and their Our Powergrid News includes as Powertrain, our interactive vital role in making it happen. We have made significant latest news, features, customer role-play workshops. An important improvements to ‘the grid’; feedback, health and safety part of our aim is to listen to our Our employees said – our intranet site available to information, and a regular employees and learn from them communicate more and Northern Powergrid employees ‘Powergrid People’ column to implement improvements MANY other things... so employees can learn more for our customers and motivate about their colleagues. overall employee engagement Following the ‘hot-seat’ sessions towards positive outcomes by we took the opportunity to communicating positive and review common themes negative customer situations and trends. Emerging themes Our Customer and how to handle them. touched on the use of enabling Experience Programme

technology, areas impacting on When we put some of our senior managers in the ‘Hot Seat’ Engaging our employees – last year during our customer experience workshop events, our response times to power we were overwhelmed by the passion and pride you expressed making engagement part as employees of Northern Powergrid. cuts, and encouragingly a keen WHAT DID YOU LEARN? of business as usual Keep an eye interest in knowing how we can out for the “Understanding ‘you said, we did’ the customers’ symbol in future personality 2012 saw the roll-out of learn from other organisations. communications. It’s a sign that we’re acting traits to be able on your feedback to treat them and suggestions. a company-wide training Our employees also told us we With over 1000 queries raised during how they want the customer experience sessions, we thought it would be useful to highlight some to be treated.” programme aimed at equipping needed to improve the way we of the activities we’ve been working on and we will continue to update you in forthcoming CUSTOMER FEEDBACK editions of ‘Our Powergrid News’. You said – You want to know more about our employees with the behavioural communicate with each other complaints procedure. OUR RAPID TEAM You said – We could improve the way our Rapid teams work. We did – We constantly skills necessary to deliver a and our customers. review the customer feedback We did – Our Rapid workforce is vital to how our reactive faults business impacts on our we receive via complaints and there are overall customer service. We recognise these teams need to have the right equipment and common themes. 70% of our complaints personalised customer experience. technology to support them. In quarter two and as part of our ‘PowerOn’ project, we’re introducing are in four main areas: With over 1,000 queries raised new hand-held devices in these teams. These devices provide electronic information such as fault ■ Reliability of supply (accounting for updates, mains records, work instructions, satellite navigation and asset information. Having this approximately 40% of complaints) Attendees commented that they information will make it much easier to manage fault response and update customers through the contact centre. ■ Communication during the customer experience ■ Planned power-cuts ■ Excavations. enjoyed the interactive format We’ll be updating EQUIPMENT the We have a communications leaflet, grid and future issues sessions ranging from wanting You said – You asked for more a dedicated customer line and a customer care of ‘Our Powergrid information about low voltage team to support customers who feel the need of the training, as it provided News’ over the control and 24 hr dispatch. to complain. You can view the process on our next few months, website http://www.northernpowergrid.com/ more information on branding in response to your We did – During 2013 we will extend page/contact/complaints.cfm. queries about: useful insights into how to deal our low voltage system. We will ask We are trying to get to the root cause of why customers complain in the first place. the nearest appropriate colleagues to any LV to the need for better organisation incidents to respond first. This will speed up A new quality assurance team is being set ■ Fonetrack – featuring in the next issue of ‘Our Powergrid News’ our response times to restore supply. up in Penshaw to measure the quality of internal and external customer experiences, 24 Hr dispatch, Contractor Dispatch is a critical function within the business, ■ and will become a 24/7 operation in 2013. and set improvements initiatives in place to performance, and the Customer address the cause of complaints. Service Broader Measure (CSBM) We’ve already started this in our Northeast region and our investment in an additional The better performing DNOs handle – featuring in issue four of ‘Our Powergrid complaints in a slightly different way to us. News’, coming this summer capacity of 17 colleagues will see us move to a round the clock operation in Yorkshire in The responsibility for resolving complaints lies ■ Call centre overflow May 2013. Our customers will benefit from a with the senior manager of the operating unit – featuring on the grid. far quicker response rate, especially where they that caused the complaint in the first place. have lost supply from the night before. A central team will review each inbound WHAT DID YOU LEARN? complaint and then allocate them out to the relevant business unit. This local ownership “To listen to the customer and take time to understand and accountability creates the opportunity to learn from the complaint and avoid any future the customers needs.” occurences of a similar nature happening again.