As the COVID-19 crisis evolved in early March, the Simply Energy team were quick to react in making key business decisions that supported their customers in this difficult time. A difficult decision was made in halting telesales, as it was felt that cold calling potential customers was not an appropriate sales channel during this time. Consequently, a strong focus on inbound, online and broker sales channels was established.
Anticipating an increase in inbound customer enquiry through both telephone and online channels, with the added complication of sales and support teams transitioning to a working from home arrangement, the team rapidly deployed online communications. New pages on the Simply Energy website, as well as social media channels were quickly deployed to reassure customers that their queries would be answered. A personal message from CEO Shannon Hyde published on Facebook on the 23rd of March, put the safety of customers, staff and their communities at the heart of the situation, and encouraged people to get in contact should they have any concerns.
Our weekly Tracker email was a great way to connect with 171,000 customers very quickly, to acknowledge the greater COVID environment, whilst also reassuring them that there were online tools available to help them monitor and understand their energy use. Similarly, bill messages were sent to over 268,000 customers in early April, which again acknowledged the greater situation, and encouraged them to use online channels as a way of monitoring their energy use and understanding their bill. The Team are also in the process of developing a Gas Insights email which will flag customer historic and estimated usage which will help customers with usage monitoring, an important tool not only for a better customer experience overall, but at this sensitive time.
The crisis is far from over, and the impacts on our customers won’t be fully understood for many months to come. During this time, it’s more important than ever for Simply Energy to support customers with transparent and relevant information that assists them in managing their energy use and paying their bills to the best of their ability. With a strong customer focus developed by the team Simply Energy over the last few years, they’re well equipped to be able to do this.
