SSE’s core purpose is to provide the energy people need in a reliable and sustainable way, and it is through fulfilling that core purpose effectively that SSE will go from strength to strength. In other words, putting customers at the heart of everything we do is vital for us to be successful. Without customers there is no SSE. But that is as important for our network customers in the north of Scotland and central southern England as it is for the business we serve and work with across the country.
In 2006 we set out six values that reflect the high standards we live by as a business. The SSE SET; Safety, Service, Efficiency, Sustainability, Excellence and Teamwork define how we achieve sustainable growth.
However, over the last three years, the SSE group has been re-shaped. We now have defined Retail and Enterprise businesses focusing on meeting the needs of customers. Our Networks business are much more explicitly centred on customers; and policy and regulation within the Wholesale businesses are very customer-focused as well.
For this reason we have redefined our Service value to emphasise the central role of customers across all SSE’s businesses. It’s now characterised as: We put the current and future needs of customers at the heart of everything we do which replaces the previous value which was: We give our customers service we are proud of and make commitments that we deliver.
The new definition is clear and simply-stated, and puts the onus on all of us in SSE to make sure the current and future needs of customers are at the centre of our business.
This is not just a form of words – these are the principles that guide SSE and are reflected in our work across the group - from power station to plug. Businesses shouldn’t change their values lightly; they’re long term commitments as to how they operate. That’s why there’s a very high threshold for any new definitions but I firmly believe this change is an important one for our long-term success.
Customers are our business and their needs now and in the future must be front of mind in all our work if we are to deliver our core purpose to provide the energy people need in a reliable and sustainable way.