Compensation Reduction

This case study will demonstrate Kura’s ability to handle the transition of sensitive and high importance complaints work within the utilities industry while maintaining and improving our client’s industry standing with appropriate advocacy groups & public bodies.

This began in November 2022 and due to Kura’s improvements made led to us taking on further work which previously sat with a different outsourcing partner

Previous outsourcer ownership of this work had brought up doubt that this type of work could be successfully outsourced. We had to build confidence with the customer advocacy organisation and demonstrate that our utility partner’s decision to install Kura as the responsible party for this work to be the correct one and deliver the desired outcome as this would feed into industry ranking which is regulated by the ombudsman.

Our Utilities partner needed to provide evidence to the customer advocacy organisation could trust this kind of work to be outsourced successfully without customer impact or reputational challenges at both sides; the key challenges called out were:

• Management of case related to SME premises had been poorly handled and became a constant point of escalation.
• Poor communication with the customer advocacy organisation having to request updates, multiple times, to have a clear update to provide the consumer.
• Updates being provided to the customer advocacy organisation were not sufficient for them to provide the best outcome advice for the consumer due to lacking crucial details.
• Complaint case volumes increasing, with particularly inventory of complaints outstanding for >100 days not being effectively managed
• All above challenges posed our utilities partner with a potential risk for regulatory intervention if no clear improvement.

Kura reviewed skillset gaps relating to volume of specialist knowledge in the team e.g. SME premise process knowledge.  On our deep dive we found the inventory for these complaints had been understated and required advisor upskilling to manage.

Kura reviewed the management of updates being requested by the customer advocacy organisation and found that the failing point on our management and which that led to escalations where due to a communication gap between Kura and the customer advocacy organisation. As Kura we are completing these via telephony updates however the customer advocacy organisation requires written updates. The volume coming through was scattered throughout the day with no system in place to govern these.

Aged complaints became a real point of concern for both our utilities partner and the customer advocacy organisation, as 33% of our complaint inventory was over day 100 at the point ownership changed to Kura. The customer advocacy organisation felt there wasn’t enough focus on this and this number is reported into regulator, and this was starting to affect their industry rating.   This was causing rework and driving additional contact for us, and the advocacy group.

Kura attended a meeting with Reps from the customer advocacy organisation and our utilities partner to showcase our tenure in the energy industry as wells focus on customer experience was second to none. We also discussed challenges that the customer advocacy organisation was facing to ensure a copacetic relationship between us.

After reviewing the volume of SME inventory Kura took the initiative of moving resource with SME skillset, as previously when forecasting with our utilities partner SME cases were forecasted to be less than 5 across the package and support to be offered from specialist’s support from our utilities partner. Kura then took the initiative to upskill an advisor to gain SME process and understanding of their products. Kura then reviewed and created a skill matrix to ensure the advisors had knowledge and skill set sot complete the work required to gain traction on their inventory assigned.

Kura reviewed every complaint over day 70 to understand barriers and blockers for resolution for customer. We then set up an aged support call with our utilities partner and requested their support to move these forward due to their processes being part of the blocker.  Kura then ringfenced all complaints over 100 days to 3 specific agents with reduced baskets and removing from inbound line, to allow them more time to work and if needed to escalate these complaints. We also implemented a glide path to the client.

Kura then set up a daily call to review each case that is being responded and put in weekly touchpoint with our utilities partner to review any feedback from the customer advocacy organisation. Kura then moved the process to our analysts to track and provide feedback to client to help operations understand their gaps in communication. This was than governed by our analysts for a month to build confidence with the customer advocacy organisation and our utilities partner which was then allowed this to be managed by operations.

1. We investigated what information the advocacy group could provide which was limited and aimed to provide better information up front to our customers to prevent needless contact or escalations, i.e. statement of account and table of points ahead of the outcome so they to have all the information they need when closing their cases and support the customer to understand their outcome.
2. When contact is made with a customer at Kura we built a standard contact update template and process to ensure the customer advocacy group was kept up to date, in an easy and efficient manner for our advisors preventing needless rework or additional update requests.
3. Glidepath submitted for all current complaints over day 100 to reduce by 50% by December 2023 and glide paths on 92% of our complaints to close by day 56 to reduce the impact on aged and then a further glide path for complaints over day 120 to close by 94%
4. Information chasers now governed with afternoon and end of night updates back to our utilities partner evidencing all updates requested as responded to ensure tight SLA’s met and all parties fully up to date.

Results:

• Contact within SLA of cases improved to 95%
• Overdue aged complaints (>1 year) cases reduced by 72% over 6 months period.
• 100% of complaints resolved prior to day 120 by December 2023
• 96% of complaints resolved prior to day 56 by December 2023
• Reduction in overall complaints inventory by 42%
• Total of 2198 complaints resolved since August 2023.
• Average age of complaint at time of resolution 19 days.
• SME skilled complaints inventory reduced by 89% since July 2023
• Escalations reduced by 90% from August to December from customer advocacy group due to better communication lines implemented.

Email to CEO of our utilities partner from customer advocacy organisation:

“The most promising feedback is in relation to how the department has worked with the customer advocacy organisation operationally, particularly in the second half of last year. Volumes of open cases have reduced to a level which we consider to be reasonably good given incoming volumes. There is of course always room for improvement, but we feel that feedback we have been providing has been taken on board and the frequency and quality of responses has improved significantly. Given some of the concerns we have had over several years, and following the transfer of work to Kura, it is a really positive sign that you finished last year in such a positive light. “

Client Liaison for utilities partner:

“Kura have been able to deliver excellent performance across KPI’s on the work package and help us build a better relationship with external partners.  Any key areas like reducing the aged complaints inventory Kura are keen to take on the challenge and work with us to make a difference”