How UK Power Networks went from 400 to 17,700 pieces of feedback a month
UK Power Networks distributes electricity to about eight million customers across London, the South East, and the East of England. Customers usually only get in touch when something goes wrong, such as a power cut, so it set out to hear from them in the moment and act before an issue became a complaint.
01The challenge
The challenge: customer feedback for an electricity distribution network
Only hearing from customers when the lights go out.
As a distributor in a regulated industry, UK Power Networks is mostly contacted when things go wrong, such as a power cut or an access issue. Getting those moments right, and acting before issues turn into complaints, is central to its mission to be truly customer-centric.
Survey results used to take 20 days to arrive, and it captured about 400 pieces of feedback a month.
Monthly feedback volume, before and after.
02What changed
The fix: a closed-loop call back for every score of 8 or below
A call back for every score of 8 or below.
Feedback now arrives in real time, and the dashboard gives 300 agents one place to track satisfaction scores, call volumes, response rates, and insight. Every agent logged in within the first 30 days.
UK Power Networks introduced a recovery loop: the resolution team calls every customer who gives a score of 8 or below, and Recover shows them which calls to make first.
Lead time from interaction to result.
03The proof
The proof: higher scores in the regulator's customer satisfaction survey
Recovered customers score higher with the regulator.
By tracking an intervention score, UK Power Networks calculated that customers it listened to, acted for, and called back score on average 1.05 higher in the regulator's survey. Its original goal was an increase of 0.20.
Agents can make goodwill gestures, from gift vouchers and head torches to text updates on the football scores during a power cut.
Average score increase for customers whose loop was closed.
04The result
The result: customer satisfaction up from 8.5 to 8.84
Satisfaction up, year after year.
Customer satisfaction rose from 8.5 to 8.84, with a 28% response rate. Of the customers affected by power cuts in one year, 34,000 gave a score of 10 out of 10.
Customer satisfaction score out of 10.
UK Power Networks results at a glance
UK Power Networks is a distribution network operator regulated by Ofgem, whose broad measure of customer satisfaction feeds into how network companies are rewarded. Getting power cut and connection experiences right matters commercially as well as for customers.
| Measure | Before | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback captured each month | 400 | 17,700 |
| Wait for survey results | 20 days | Real time |
| Survey response rate | Not reported | 28% |
| Customer satisfaction score | 8.5 (Year 1) | 8.84 (Year 3) |
| Lift in the regulator's survey after a call back | Goal: +0.20 | +1.05 |
How to run a program like UK Power Networks’s
- Survey after every contactAsk for a score out of 10 after power cut calls, connections, and access visits.
- Set a call back thresholdHave the resolution team call every customer who scores 8 or below.
- Prioritize the call listUse Recover to show which customers to call first.
- Give agents their own numbersLet every agent see satisfaction, call volumes, and response rates.
- Measure the regulator impactTrack an intervention score to see how recovered customers rate you in the regulator's survey.
Voice of Customers runs every step on one platform, from the survey to the follow-up.
Rant & Rave has allowed me to change my business to make it more customer-focused. When you're getting the level of insight and detail that I'm getting out of my Rant & Rave dashboard it's an easy job to convince the company to invest in the customer experience.
What they use
The parts of Voice of Customers behind UK Power Networks’s results.
Every module runs on one platform, with surveys by text message, email, voice, and web form, a sentiment engine that reads every comment, and follow-up that gives each unhappy customer an owner.
- Real-time surveys
- Recover
- Frontline Engagement
- Feedback dashboard
Take it with you
Get the UK Power Networks case study as a two-page PDF.
The results, the charts, and how they did it, in a format you can forward to your team or bring to a budget meeting.
We ask for your work email once. A strategist may follow up about what you read, and nothing else. See the Privacy Policy.
Scottish Water
Voice of CustomersOne question by text the day after a visit: half of customers answer, and complaints fell 29%.Read the case study →
Employment services · United Kingdom50%fewer formal complaints in six monthsReed in Partnership
Voice of CustomersSurveys twice a year gave way to feedback at every milestone, with more than 100,000 responses received.Read the case study →
Social housing · Wales92%customer satisfaction, up from 85%Tai Calon Community Housing
Voice of CustomersFaster responses and clear case ownership lifted satisfaction past a 90% target and cut recovery time to two days.Read the case study →Want results like UK Power Networks’s?
Bring one journey you want to hear more about, such as a repair, an appointment, or a support call. We will show you the survey, the dashboard, and the follow-up built around it.