Consumer complaints about Energy Billing rose in Q3 of 2020 says new Ofgem report

Energy Billing complaints

The quarterly report, compiled via a tracking survey commissioned by Ofgem and Citizens Advice surveyed 3,202 domestic energy bill payers across Great Britain.

Energy billing complaints were shown to be the most common in the sector with the report showing that the number of complaints rose by 42% vs 30% recorded in the second quarter of 2020. Consumers citing uncertainty over how their bills are calculated was the top issue.

The main issues with the ease of understanding energy bills were shown to be-

• Unclear how the bill is calculated (77%)
• Difficult to find key information quickly (39%)
• Overly complicated language (34%)
• Too small a font (7%)
• Other (4%)

The survey also revealed that the group most likely to be dissatisfied with their energy bills has never switched tariffs or energy suppliers before.

Also read: Energy Bills: Helping your customers understand their energy bills

How Energy Suppliers can reduce Energy Billing complaints

Energy Suppliers can cut the number of energy billing complaints by using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

For example, Dyball's CRM and energy billing software allows energy suppliers to easily and quickly counter many of the most common complaints made by consumers. Our CRM allows an energy supplier to –

• Efficiently manage the issuance of energy bills and statements.
• Easily change dates and other customer relevant information, including changes of tendency.
• Easily set energy tariff and bespoke rates for commercial energy usage.
• Allows an energy supplier to make their energy bills clear and easy to understand for customers via Ofgem approved templates.
• Easily integrates Direct Debit payments and sales ledger information.
• Allows automated PDF production that can include alternative languages, braille and larger fonts.
• The CRM automatically creates fatal errors and warnings when billing errors are detected, allowing for easy reviews and changes.

Also read: How should an energy supplier handle energy billing complaints?

Other benefits of a CRM

Secure and fast delivery of invoices – An energy supplier no longer has to rely on the postman delivering invoices to customers safely. 

With a CRM, an energy bill is securely delivered instantaneously into the customer's inbox. This process can also be automated, allowing your employees to focus on other customer or business needs.

Keep a record – A CRM allows an energy supplier to keep a paper trail so that they never lose track of who they've billed and what is owed by the customer. 

You'll also be able to keep records of all of your past interactions with a customer. This enables your staff to quickly see whether a customer has had issues in the past with bill payments and in turn allowing them to handle any issues in an informed, professional manner. 

Cost reduction – It might seem obvious, but not having to send out a myriad of letters and paperwork to consumers can save energy suppliers a fortune. A CRM allows a supplier to do all of its invoicing and customer communications quickly and easily online.

Also read: How a CRM makes Energy Billing easy for Energy Suppliers

Customer Satisfaction

The Ofgem report also shows that overall customer satisfaction with energy suppliers remains at 76%, a figure which has remained broadly consistent since the fourth quarter of 2018 suggesting that energy suppliers have handled the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic well. 

Further Reading

Ofgem opens investigation into Symbio Energy over late Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariff payments

Energy Demand set to soar as cold weather bites and wholesale electricity prices hit record high

As Lockdown 3 begins the number of customers owing money to energy suppliers hits highest level since 2015

Dyball Associates are proud to help new supply businesses successfully launch in the UK market.

Through our energy market consultancy services, and the software we've developed, we're supporting new UK electricity and gas suppliers get set up and start supplying.