When I was confronted with the flood of paper following my move into the energy sector, one of my first questions was: “Why is so much being printed? Why can’t we do it like the banks? Announce that everything will be sent electronically and charge an additional fee to customers who still don’t want to – or can’t – do without paper.”
I now have a more nuanced view on this.
The energy sector has become more complex following liberalisation. The tasks involved in energy supply are divided between suppliers, network operators and metering point operators. In most cases, only the energy supplier has direct contact with the customer, as it is the supplier who enters into a contract with the end consumer. To ensure the customer receives electricity or gas, all three market roles must communicate with one another and exchange their data. This data exchange is regulated down to the smallest detail by the Federal Network Agency down to the smallest detail. The crux of the matter is this: Electronic communications data are not included! This means that a key prerequisite for paperless communication is missing: wherever contracts are concluded implicitly, this vital information is absent. This has serious consequences for all market participants.
A metering point operator is required to collect meter readings on behalf of other market participants. To do this, they are provided with customer data: the name and postal address. They therefore have no way of sending their meter reading reminder by email. Most send a card, asking customers to submit their meter reading electronically and to register for future services. They have no effective means of influencing the situation.
If a customer is switched to the basic or a substitute supply, the energy supplier is also unable to send their welcome letter by email. The supplier receives customer data from the network operator via data exchange, and a contract is concluded. In this case, alongside technical information, the consumer’s name and address are sent, but no email address. Unless the customer switches to a competitive tariff type, the energy supplier also has little chance of reaching the customer via digital channels.
As municipal utilities usually act as default suppliers, they have a considerable proportion of customers about whom they know very little. Furthermore, the age profile of regional suppliers must not be overlooked.
In my view, it is therefore crucial that regional energy suppliers create incentives for their customers to use digital communication channels, for example through attractive products, user-friendly self-service portals or supplementary offers available exclusively online.
At the same time, the workload can be significantly reduced through smart processes and suitable tools in output and omnichannel management.
Here, the key lies in the automated AI-supported processing of incoming documents. Ideally, human intervention is only required in specific instances: for example, to help the machine decipher handwriting, after which it is left to continue working. The system learns over time and requires less and less support. It is important to bear in mind that artificial intelligence cannot make error-free decisions – just like human intelligence. A certain error rate must be accepted in favour of a higher degree of automation.
When designing forms and workflows in output management, you can also make a difference by structuring documents so that they can be easily scanned and processed, and by sending data via email whenever possible. References to self-service options should also be included.
Last but not least: you need a customer portal where customers can deal with their enquiries 24/7 and have access to the necessary information.
Unfortunately, there isn’t one single lever you can flip; instead, there are many smaller measures which, when combined, can effectively reduce the flood of paper.
What are basic and substitute supply?
Every household customer is entitled to an energy supply from the default supplier. This is the energy supplier that supplies the majority of household customers in a network area with electricity and/or gas. It is also responsible for supplying customers who, for example, do not have a supply contract due to a failed supplier change or a supplier’s insolvency (replacement supply).