NIE Networks: putting customers at the centre of transformation journey

Belfast Telegraph

5 days ago

Having been head of communications and stakeholder engagement for five years prior, she has a firm grasp of what stakeholders are looking for from the company. These engagement principles remain unchanged in her new post – customer-led, representative, open, responsive and accessible.
At NIE Networks, the customer is at the heart of the ongoing transformation journey. The company is committed to developing stronger customer relationships, simplifying connections, embracing technology, and maintaining face-to-face interactions with stakeholders.
To deliver on its objectives during the current price control period, which runs until 2031, NIE Networks has developed a new business strategy featuring three strategic programmes. The first of these 'A New Connections Model' aims to streamline the connection process.
'The New Connections Model focuses on enabling quicker and more transparent connections to the grid,' Edel says.
'This will benefit businesses of all sizes, whether they are local shops looking to expand, major factories, or renewable energy customers. We plan to enhance our customer engagement through initiatives such as webinars, connection clinics, and stakeholder events over the coming year.
'We have always talked and listened to people and businesses across Northern Ireland to understand their views. Listening was essential to understand expectations and address the challenges of a rapidly changing energy landscape. It has also helped us better understand attitudes, current experiences and relative priorities and then – most importantly – apply what we learned to our business plans.
'Our goal is to deliver an exceptional customer experience for whatever service we are delivering. We want to drive a customer centric ethos and excellence in the delivery of our service to customers. We are on a journey and realise there is so much more we can do; we will need to continually listen to our customers and respond accordingly.'
'The key for us is making sure we are ahead of our customer requirements. It's about being on the ground and taking a grassroots approach to how we're impacting customers. So, whether you're a big wind farm developer who wants to connect into the grid, a high street retailer hoping to expand operations or you're a domestic customer building your dream home – that's something that my team and I are responsible for. We need to ensure every customer's specific needs are understood and catered for.
'We're very conscious that there are 929,000 homes, farms and businesses who rely on us for a safe, secure and reliable supply so it's important that they are at the forefront of our ongoing transformation journey.'
The transformation refers to their current price control period and will see a record £2.23bn investment in the electricity network that will support Northern Ireland's journey to net zero. Preparation for that investment includes structuring the NIE Networks business so that they can deliver in the most efficient way possible while meeting the changing needs of both their business and domestic customers.
'To deliver that investment effectively, we must make business decisions to improve our customer experience and increase customer satisfaction levels,' Edel says.
'Ultimately we need to also transform our relationship with our customers so that we approach our decisions not just from an engineering perspective but from a customer perspective.
'This customer engagement will be key as we start our Rebuilding the Network programme. This is the largest piece of work since rural electrification in the 1950s and could potentially be disruptive to homes and businesses.
'However this gives NIE Networks the opportunity to use innovating engineering solutions with the customer in mind. We can try new approaches, new technologies and engage with industry leaders to apply new engineering solutions that will minimise disruption for our customers, it's an exciting time.'
Enabling businesses towards clean energy
Over recent years energy has become much more of a boardroom priority and businesses seek to decarbonise their operations to meet sustainability targets and remain competitive.
'We are an enabler towards clean energy growth and, as such, we want to improve the process to connect to the electricity network for both domestic and business customers,' Edel says. 'Making it easier and more transparent is a strategic focus for NIE Networks so that businesses know upfront what opportunities are available, how they can make an application and can trust that the connection process will be smooth and swift.
'It's a very challenging landscape for businesses currently with volatile trade markets, increasing wage costs and a requirement by society and investors to decarbonise their operations. There are opportunities for businesses within the network currently and it requires us to work much closer with business to listen to their specific needs, make those opportunities clear and to explore creative solutions. The key is collaboration with customers and making more information available to businesses so they can make more informed choices.'
A Department for Economy consultation on a new socialised connection model closed in April. NIE Networks welcomes this model and has fed into the consultation process as 'when implemented,' Edel says. 'It will create greater access to the electricity network and make it easier to decarbonise through electrification.
'With the right information and insight we can make the electrification process simpler and much more efficient for businesses but the challenge for us is how we provide expert insight and advice to all businesses on a case by case basis. Our strategic focus in this area will also involve scoping the main challenges businesses are having and providing as much information as possible in a way that works for businesses.'
Digitalisation
Part of the solution lies in digitalisation and new technologies. Edel says: 'Our aim is to drive a customer centric ethos where the customer journey is as simple as possible. Digital is a key enabler to this change, helping to streamline the customer journey, make interactions with us simple and straightforward and make it easy and convenient to do business with us.
'For example, we are implementing an omnichannel approach to customer service, to provide a consistent and personalised experience across all touchpoints. This includes managing the contact centre, social media, and a dedicated team for vulnerable customers, ensuring customers can communicate with us in their preferred way. But this is just the start. We are also empowering our teams to think outside the box and take charge of improving NIE Networks through harnessing the advantages of digital tools. It's creating an exciting culture change – driving a shift from 'doing digital' to 'being digital'.
'We are transforming the business. A key part of that is exploiting technology – rather than increasing the size of our teams, or doing things as we have always done, it's about taking a new and innovative approach to our business. We want to be able to seamlessly connect de-centralised renewable generations like solar and wind to the network alongside traditional power generations, leveraging the latest tech and artificial intelligence (AI) to harness vast amounts of data, and create a modern, digital-driven energy system that puts customers at the forefront.'
However, Edel is quick to identify that technology will not be the solution in all areas. 'From the customer perspective, it's about balancing those who want a warm voice, or a knock on the door, right through to something more digitally-focused,' Edel says.
'Having positive interactions with our customers is critical. We also want to make sure we're hearing from our customers – whether that is a small retailer, a domestic customer, or a major business. That feedback is really important so that we can continually improve our business and we need to make sure we're accessible and providing those opportunities.'
As well as providing more and more solutions for customers with communication challenges, Edel says they're also keen to explore new channels to make sure they are communicating according to their customer needs. 'Our door is always open,' she says. 'We want to hear from you, continue on this journey and keep listening.'