Case Study

Before SSE started working with PSI 12 years ago, there was massive expansion in the company and a technology solution was needed for the door to door selling. At the time, reps were writing sales into books and this paper based approach led to all sorts of complications and problems. Poor handwriting, incomplete forms, broken sales… the problems were mounting up. With frequent internal and external audits in this highly regulated market, their field sales processes were unsustainable and it was a huge problem for the company to sort out.

“When we initially went on the doors, the business was potentially exposed by no traceability on how the field agents were selling, we needed to put a rigid structure and processes in place to mitigate this risk,” Ernest says.

The challenges faced were not confined to door to door selling, other parts of the business connected with Sales were impacted by manual processes and system issues which needed improvement – from an efficiency perspective all the way to mitigating the risk of errors.

This included the contact centre where engagements were not scripted, and the manual approach led to errors, and broken sales. A long term digitally transformative solution was needed.

As the business saw the impact PSI has had on the domestic field, tele and web sales, they have now expanded across the other arms of the business such as Business Energy and SSE Airtricity Gas Northern Ireland. The tech solution includes back end automation and checks to improve the quality of our sales process, the data captured and how agents interact with customers.

“Compliance is always a top priority, it’s part of our DNA and very important from a reputation point of view. When it comes to sales we really believe there is never a wrong time to do the right thing, and for us the right thing is ensuring our customers are happy with the product and service they are signing up to as well as knowing about their terms and conditions and how to contact us if they need after-sales help,” Eoghan says.

“The PSI team is very easy to work with. Our ways of working are done using an agile, transparent and non-bureaucratic approach. Whilst this provides a fast connection between both teams it still provides robust & consistent checks and balances. If we have a question, we will have an answer in 20 minutes, because we can just pick up the phone and speak with Rachel.”

FMI’s field sales representatives are responsible for visiting houses across Ireland, encouraging householders to switch energy providers. At the start of the Electric Ireland contract, assigning jobs to the field reps was relatively easy – they were each issued a batch of contacts records each morning, and they would work their way through the list.

The problems began once the client had signed the paperwork agreeing to a change of electricity provider. Many of the reps would send the paperwork by post, adding at least a day to the process as head office waited for the completed forms to be returned. There were similar delays if the field agent faxed the paperwork through after 4pm because it simply would not be processed by the accounts team at head office until the following day.

These delays were further compounded when it cam to processing handwritten paperwork. The head office team, led by Kevin Teers, found that the data captured on the sign-up forms was frequently captured or transcribed incorrectly;

“Something as simple as indistinct handwriting caused us major problems when processing paperwork. We then had to expend even more time and energy trying to chase up the correct information – a needless waste of time and money.”

“So although our field sales team were doing brilliantly, our processes were holding us back – we needed a system that would help us become more efficient and provide a better service to our clients.”

The move to instant data capture using PSI has greatly increased the efficiency of back office operations for the Electric Ireland account. Instant upload of data means that agents can begin the transfer of utilities provider in as little as thirty minutes, greatly improving the service they can offer to clients. In the event that there is a problem locally, head office can deploy updated work plans within a few minutes. There is never any wasted days for the field agents, who can adjust their schedule accordingly. The PSI system has also helped to reduce the instances of data errors. By having field agents collect data on site, and enter it directly into the backend systems, the margin for error has been reduced.

“We don’t have any more problems reading our field agent’s handwriting for starters. So there’s much less chance of it being transcribed incorrectly.”

Exploiting mobile technologies has had some unexpected benefits too:

“We had an agent accused of fraudulent activity recently, and PSI allowed us to provide a conclusive resolution. Using the geotagging features built into the PSI mobile client helped us prove where the agent in question was at the time of the alleged infringement. Happily we were able to clear him of any wrongdoing, because we managed to avoid upsetting a client and firing a valuable employee.”

The field sales team is responsible for converting leads and signing up new residential customers to one of Eir’s telecoms packages. The six regional managers would assign a batch of leads to their team, and each rep would make a house call to complete the relevant paperwork.

The paper-based application was relatively quick to complete while on site, but the process slowed to a crawl as soon as the rep left the customer’s house. Forms took 24 to 48 hours to arrive back at head office — an unacceptable delay for customers expecting their new telecoms service to begin quickly.

There were further complications when it came to processing direct debit details. Although customers completed the relevant details as part of the sign-up process, they would have to be re-verified by phone once the paperwork arrived at head office. The entire process was time intensive, costly and prone to error as information was entered into Eir Billing, the contract management platform used to track customer contracts and accounts.

The PSI toolkit helped Eir achieve their initial goal — to speed up the customer onboarding process — and delivered a number of additional benefits in the process. Data is more accurate and more transparent, allowing the sales team to monitor performance and enact improvements in real time.

The Eir field sales team is also better equipped to meet the needs of their customers, thanks to instant access to training materials and documentation. If they have a 3G mobile signal, they can upskill themselves, improving their chances of closing more deals.

“The PSI platform was an instant improvement. Not only are our reps better equipped, but I now have instant insight into sales. I can see which bundles are selling well, which regions are hitting their targets and the progress of orders. All in real time. The simplicity of the system should not be ignored either. The PSI interface is simple, data is easily accessible, and the customer sign-up wizard straightforward. This means that our reps can give more of their attention to clients, further smoothing the sales process and raising the quality of service we give them.”

Ogi’s mission is to take fibre to the door of houses for the first time, in areas of Wales that are typically fibre to the cabinet, with telephone lines connecting homes to a local fibre box.

Alexander Breverton, Telesales Manager at Ogi, says: “The more people we can reach, the more we can get connected, and the more we can educate on the difference between fibre to the cabinet and fibre to the door and the impact that can make, not just from a cost perspective but also to future-proof the technology and make it greener.

“The company’s goals are to connect as many customers as possible to the new infrastructure, and to support local communities that have been passed over by other providers.”

It was important to move fast on this greenfield opportunity but that was not the only part of the task that was new.