Power Train may be new to you but you will have heard of our clients.Here are some of the results we've achieved for them, showing how we've helped improve their customer experience and leadership potential. Click on the logos for case studies or a mini synopsis.
The energy utilities market is changing. Costs are rising and consumer confidence is falling. New suppliers are coming on-stream, upsetting the status quo and challenging the established brands for a piece of the action. It's a tough marketplace.
Market leaders, British Gas knew they had to be seen to set the benchmark for exceptional customer service delivery. Specifically they needed to refine their offering in line with what customers really wanted. And that's why they approached Power Train.
Power Train's Act Natural programme brought the customer engagement process to life - helping the British Gas Premier Energy team understand their customers (and each other) better than ever before.
British Gas Premier Energy, based in Cardiff, employs circa 1100 call centre staff. They're at the forefront in delivering the ‘improved customer experience'.
And one question cut right to the heart of what they'd been trying to decide: what did they really want customers to say about them? This formed the basis of Power Train's approach. A combined response was required: one that addressed the harder issues surrounding call efficiency, as well as the softer side of customer expectations.
But Power Train had to look at the interactions between team members too - to assess how well employees understood their inter-relationships - and how they impacted the working environment.
Power Train piloted a customised Act Natural Customer Experience programme "Look Who's Calling" for 80 Customer Service Advisers in March 2008. Then, "Look Who's Calling Coaching" worked on team leaders' roles as part of the new British Gas Customer Experience ethic.
It was a wide-ranging remit - focusing in on the interaction among staff as well as between Customer Service Advisers and their customers. For team leaders too, the training helped them to adjust their coaching style to reflect the needs of their individual team members.
The pilot was a great success and Power Train rolled out Look Who's Calling across the organisation. So how did the British Gas Premier Energy team adjust to the new ways of working? And what did the customers think?
Power Train worked to some strict assessment measures: improvements in call handling time, customer feedback ratings, and employee engagement scores - collated over 2-3 months post-training.
Not only did the programme deliver improved call efficiency - but crucially, customer feedback showed that the quality of interaction with Customer Service Advisers went up. It also showed that their needs were being met better than ever. In addition, there was an improved increase in Net Promoter Customer Satisfaction scores too. And the implementation paid off in many other ways...
Staff engagement was better than ever. The training process helped Customer Service Advisers deal with customers and manage their inter-relationships with colleagues. Accordingly there was a big boost in team morale. Participants were ‘blown away' by what they'd discovered and completely empowered by it all!
According to Bev Rowney, Head of Service Support, British Gas, the feedback was outstanding: "We've enjoyed an unprecedented high in morale and employee engagement. And it's changed our approach to customer service... we can now visualise our customers and think of them as individuals."
The improvements at British Gas Premier Energy look even more extraordinary when placed in context - it all took place against a backdrop of rising prices and increasing customer unrest across the energy supply sector. They couldn't have chosen a more challenging time to address customer service - or a more prudent one.