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Debate: Where next for utilities and customer service?

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Event
  • Session
  • Tuesday, 21 May 2019
  • 15:21 - 15:21
  • Duration: 33 mins
  • Publication date: 10 Jun 2019
  • Location: Keynote, NEC
  • Part of event Utility Week 2019

About the session

With the utilities eager to change themselves and the way they work, clarity is required about what they are transitioning to. Is the historical way of thinking of just being a commodity provider being replaced with that of a service provider? And what do the social responsibilities for these companies look like in the coming decades? This session examines what the future of customer service, and therefore of the utilities, looks like for the rest of this century. 

 

Keywords:
  • cost centre
  • customer
  • customer service
  • digital
  • electricity
  • power
  • service centre
  • service provider
  • smart infrastructure
  • smart meter
  • utilities
  • utility company

Channels

Sectors

Sectors

Affiliates

Affiliates

IT

IT

Power

Power

Speakers

  • JM

    Jo Mayes

    Business Stream, Customer Operations Director

    Jo joined Business Stream as Customer Operations Director in May 2016, a role vital to strengthening Business Stream’s senior team in advance of the opening of England’s water market. With an extensive background in customer service positions, Jo has played a key role in delivering Business Stream's aim of providing industry-leading customer service both in Scotland’s established market and in the English market, which opened fully to competition in 2017. Before joining Business Stream, Jo was Head of Customer Experience at Standard Life and has previously worked across both the utilities and financial services sectors.
  • JG

    Julian Green

    Utility Industry Service Overlay, ServiceMax

    Julian Green has worked within the Utility Industry for more than 23 years in various roles and has been responsible for the design, development and delivery of solutions, training and operational readiness programs, within the Utility Sector, for companies rolling out new systems and processes. Julian has worked for ServiceMax since 2018 within the Power & Utility vertical and has extensive industry experience.Julian brings strong business process knowledge and utility experience gained from working with companies across Europe, Middle East and Africa, including some of the largest utility companies in the UK. He has a business focus and believes in the need to employ the appropriate level of technology to efficiently address business problems and enable the delivery of key Outcomes. Julian believes that, as Service Delivery becomes more complex, Digitalisation of the entire Service Process Execution across Office and Field is key including collaboration, IoT connected asset management and knowledge.
  • TS

    Tony Smith

    Consumer Council for Water, Chief Executive

    Tony joined the Consumer Council for Water in December 2005 as Chief Executive.Under Tony’s leadership, CCWater has successfully prompted a transformation in regulation and price setting in the water sector, getting companies and regulators focused firmly on customers and value for money. It has also encouraged water companies to produce a 60% reduction in complaints. His early career was in strategy and marketing, implementing business turnarounds in oil, aerospace, automotive and fast moving consumer goods businesses.Later Tony joined the utility sector where he has worked at senior level in electricity and as a director in the water industry and the rail sector. During his career in the utilities, he has led strategy, customer service and communication, delivery of investment programmes and gearing up for new competitive markets.His last job was with the water regulator Ofwat, as Director of Competition and Consumer Affairs, where he was responsible for consumer issues in the lead up to and through the 2004 price review.
  • SI

    Sarah Ingrams

    Which?, Senior Researcher

    Sarah is the senior researcher writer who leads on energy topics at Which? where she is responsible for Which?’s annual energy companies satisfaction survey. It has been running for more than a decade and is a widely-respected barometer of customer service performance and insight into customers’ experience including likes and frustrations. The results were consulted by around a million consumers last year. She works proactively to share the results with energy companies and Ofgem to drive improvement.Sarah also designs and implements investigations into other consumer-focused topics which have recently included smart meters, solar panels and domestic energy prices, and also writes consumer advice content.
  • Martin Jackson

    Martin Jackson

    Northumbrian Water, Head of IS Strategy and Enterprise Architecture

    Martin has worked in the?technology industry?for?over?18 years: holding a range of?delivery, strategy and relationship management roles, across the Automotive and Utilities sectors. Martin has been with the?Northumbrian Water?Group for the past 7?years and?is?Head of Strategy and Enterprise Architecture. Martin and his team are responsible for setting the 5?year enterprise technology and digital?systems?strategy,?transformation design authority,?leading on technology?innovation?and the?development of leading edge business?solutions. Martin has a personal?passion for exploring emerging technologies and exploring innovative ways to deliver great business?outcomes?for the benefit of NWG customers. Martin has just completed a?new?digital technology strategy for NWG?which aims to make NWG the most digital water?company in the world;?leveraging digital technologies to run smarter operations, deliver brilliant customer experiences and provide more?intelligent insights across?NWG teams.?
  • Alyson Edmunds

    Alyson Edmunds

    O2, Head of Digital Innovation

    Alyson is Head of Digital Innovation in the Enterprise team at O2. Her role is to identify where and how new technologies translate into business solutions. In 2018, Alyson was awarded a WeAreTechWomen’s TechWomen100 Award and enjoys inspiring and mentoring STEM. Outside of work Alyson is a mentor for the Young Enterprise charity.Link to find out more about Alyson: https://businessblog.o2.co.uk/meet-the-people-behind-o2-alyson-edmunds/
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