Many elements of our customer service are genuinely market-leading. For example, we are the only energy company to offer a free 24-hour customer helpline and we are one of the few companies to read household meters four times a year, which means fewer estimated bills and more accurate budgeting for our residential customers. We have also pioneered the development of 'empathy training', which enables our employees to better understand customers' concerns and respond more effectively.

Bills and statements

For most customers, their main contact with us is through their bill. We sent out nearly 30 million bills during 2006. Our research shows that billing was a major source of customer dissatisfaction, so we have launched a number of Company-wide projects to improve our internal processes. When bills are based on estimates rather than actual meter readings, customers can be confused as they find it hard to judge what they would normally use. So we've taken steps to make our bills much simpler to understand. It's important that customers who pay by either fixed direct debit or regular cash payments pay the correct monthly amount to keep pace with energy prices, particularly when prices change significantly, as they have been recently. If, payments are not checked and adjusted as necessary, customers can find themselves owing money. So we periodically review customers' direct debit payments, examining the payments they make and comparing these to a forecast of the annual bill. If the current payment amount needs revision, the customer is notified by letter.

Supplier transfers

We have made it easier for customers who want to switch suppliers, partly as a result of an industry-wide project launched in 2006. We are one of the six major suppliers from the Energy Retail Association that joined forces to launch the 'customer transfer programme'. Under the programme, the six suppliers will aim to improve the accuracy of the customer's first bill, bill all new customers within three to four months of the supply start date, and all old customers within 30 working days of the supply end date. As a result, we expect the number of complaints in this area to fall.