Energy bills are the primary form of communication between a customer and their supplier. If they want to know how much they owe, what their account details are, how to get in touch, the bill is the first place that they look. However, bills are the number one reason for complaints. It’s true that this is often to do with the size or accuracy of the bill, but in many cases the complaint is a result of not understanding the bill or not being able to find the information that is needed.
This is important because complex bills are one of the biggest bugbears for our customers and issues relating to bills account for the majority of complaints that we receive. However, most of the information included on bills is stipulated by regulations which in many cases govern both content and format. All the information on bills is there for the right reasons, to help and inform customers, but over the years the amount of information included has grown to the point where the bill has become cluttered and confusing.
In February, SSE published a new, simplified bill following a year-long research project designed to bring an end to customer confusion around bills. The new design is the result of in-depth engagement with customers and stakeholders to find out what customers really want from their bill.
Speaking to customers, we found that they want to be able to find the information they need quickly and easily, they don’t want the bills to be longer than two pages and they don’t want unnecessary or confusing information (such as calorific conversions or Tariff Comparison Rates) to be included. We then worked with a range of stakeholders, including Which?, Citizens Advice, uSwitch, the Design Council, Age UK and the Money Advice Service, to put customers’ wishes into practice.
Our research, which began with a blank sheet of paper and involved working with illustrators to bring customers’ ideas to life, found that more than three times as many bill payers find the new design appealing compared to the current design. In addition, seven times as many customers found it easy to find the information they need on the new bill compared to the old one.
Ofgem has recognised that there needs to be reform in energy bills and has already begun consultations with suppliers and other stakeholders to decide the best way to do this. While we can’t send it to customers at the moment, we hope our research and the new design will make a significant contribution to the work being done by Ofgem and will lead to all customers receiving clearer and better bills in the future.
Customers deserve to understand their bills and be able to find the information they need quickly and easily. It will help us better communicate with and engage our customers – we need to get these basics right if we are to have the long and deep relationships with customers that we want. We’re putting customers at the heart of what we’re doing and leading the industry in this important area. It’s another reason why we’re proud to make a difference.