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 aims to equip our employees with the skills they need to better understand customers' concerns and so enable them to respond to those concerns more effectively.

Bills and statements

Most of our customers have the majority of their contact with us through their bill, with nearly 30 million bills sent out in 2005. Our research has indicated that billing was a major source of customer dissatisfaction, and we have launched a number of company-wide projects to improve our internal processes. Our research suggests that, because meters are read infrequently and bills are often confusing, our customers often find it hard to judge what the 'right' level of costs would normally be for their account and we have already made some changes to the details of our bills to help address this. We are also testing some completely new layouts that should make them even clearer.

Another important process is ensuring that customers who pay by either fixed direct debit or regular cash payments pay the correct monthly amount to keep pace with energy prices. This is particularly important when prices change significantly, as they have been recently, because, if payments are not checked and adjusted as necessary, customers can find themselves owing money despite having made their regular payments. We compare the monthly payments they make with their annual energy consumption over a 12-month period and, if the current payment amount needs revision, the customer is notified by letter and the right amount collected.

Supplier transfers

We have made it easier for customers who want to switch suppliers, partly as a result of an industry-wide project to improve this process which was launched in 2006. We are one of the six major suppliers from the Energy Retail Association who joined forces to launch the 'customer transfer programme'. Customers should now find it easier and quicker to switch suppliers and we expect the number of complaints relating to this to fall. 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 one to two months of the supply end date.