Avance

Scottish Power

The challenge

Among its 5.2 million customer base, Scottish Power had a relatively small but significant number of accounts which had either never been billed, or were overdue a bill. It was estimated that the number of such accounts was in excess of 300,000.

The solution

It was clear to the project team tasked with reducing the level of late or unbilled accounts that turning a back-office process into somebody else’s front-office challenge would yield improved results.

Avance co-designed a new process split between Scottish Power’s in-house resource and Avance’s state of the art contact centre in Rutherglen, near Glasgow. Team leaders and operatives were trained, and processes and technology implemented, to ensure the fixed-term project would run at capacity for its duration.

Once customer accounts were analysed, inbound and outbound call handling ensured bills were settled, information was provided on a variety of payment options, and correct meter-readings were collected.

The result

The number of late or unbilled customers dropped by nearly two-thirds during the campaign, with accounts valued at more than £50m cleared or billed. The joint approach was considered an unmitigated success, and Scottish Power invited Avance to present the campaign success at a conference of senior management.