A significant portion of customers do not engage with their energy bills, often finding them confusing and overly complicated, which leads to reduced involvement. Changing payment methods and the rise of smart technology are shifting customer engagement dynamics, making bill design and consumption clarity crucial for improving interaction. Proactive utilities embracing technology can foster closer relationships with customers and enhance their understanding of energy consumption.

1. Utility Bills:
Customer Engagement

2. A significant number of customers do
not look at their energy bill
Energy and Climate Change Committee, 2012 (Consumer Engagement with Energy Markets: Fifth Report)

3. Therefore for many, energy is a low
involvement product

4. Attitudes differ depending
on how customers pay

5. Manual payments such as cash or cheque
generate greater levels of involvement

6. Automated payment methods
have gained in popularity and
reduce the ‘cost to serve’

7. Utility bill engagement is therefore trending
down as payment methods change

8. Increasing consumer engagement levels is important

9. Understanding consumption patterns helps consumers to select
tariffs best suited to their individual needs

10. If customers find bills
confusing or uninteresting,
engagement is likely to
reduce

11. 86% of 1,020 individuals
surveyed complained that
their bills were too confusing
uSwitch, 2013, (Over-complicated household bills are leaving
consumers vulnerable to over-charging)

12. Customers have said that bills use too many jargon
words and have information which is difficult to find
uSwitch, 2013 (Over-complicated household bills are leaving consumers vulnerable to over-charging)

13. Bill design is therefore important
to customer engagement

14. Technology is changing the way consumers and
utilities interact

15. Smart technology provides
a platform for greater
interaction & engagement

16. Portals displaying smart meter
reads will enable consumers
to interact more frequently and
in greater depth

17. Consumption information will be more detailed and easier to
interpret than a traditional bill

18. • A number of factors affect customer engagement
• Technology has an important role to play
• Pro-active utilities could reap the rewards of closer customer
relationships
In summary…

19. For more information
contact@jendev.com
+44 (0)1534 505364