New research suggests that over a third (37 per cent) of UK water and energy utility customers would willing to pay a little more on their bills to protect the environment – rising to 57 per cent among the 18-24 age group.

Customers would be willing to pay more for suppliers to invest in becoming more environmentally friendly – and 70 per cent of domestic water and energy bill payers feel it is important that their water or energy provider is helping to protect the environment/reducing its carbon footprint.

The findings are based on two surveys of over 1,000 UK domestic utility bill payers commissioned by Macro 4, a software company that helps enterprises accelerate digital transformation.

Other key findings from the study, which polled domestic utility bill payers about their attitudes to UK water and energy suppliers, include:

• 73 per cent of those surveyed have doubts about the accuracy of their bills - 42 per cent of energy customers and a third of water customers said their supplier could improve their service by making sure their bills are accurate
• 62 per cent of survey respondents said they regularly check their energy and water bills for mistakes (rising to 73 per cent after the energy price cap rise was announced)
• with regard to contacting customer service, 60 per cent would prefer not to speak to a live agent if they can resolve their queries using online resources
• 80 per cent of respondents said they are very concerned about the impact of rising energy bills on their household finances - on the back of February’s new higher energy price cap announcement around half plan to switch supplier to save costs as soon as a better deal becomes available
• 31 per cent of energy customers and 26 per cent of water customers want their providers to make their bills easier to understand

The full results of the research, which is based on two separate surveys of over 1,000 bill payers each, have been published in a new report, Giving UK Utility Customers A Voice.

Customers want self-service and digital interaction

According to the report, customers are becoming more open to digital interaction, including using self-service systems. The trend has intensified by COVID-19 lockdowns, with 61 per cent of utility bill payers in the survey saying they have become more used to interacting digitally since the pandemic.

72 per cent now want utility companies to provide online resources that make it easy to find information and resolve their questions themselves. In fact, 60 per cent would prefer not to call customer services at all if they can solve issues themselves using online resources.

In view of this trend, the researchers are suggesting that utilities should consider extending self-service to include providing easy online access to a broader range of customer data and documents (including bills, correspondence and contracts) as well as tools to help customers analyse their own usage and interact in a more connected way across digital channels.

Environmental and social responsibility increasingly important

The report says that environmental issues are now ever-present in many customers’ minds and 70 per cent of bill payers who were questioned said it is important that their energy or water provider is helping to protect the environment/reducing its carbon footprint.

Commenting on affordability, 90 per cent of customers surveyed said it was important that a water or energy supplier provides support for people who find it hard to pay their bills. 22 per cent say they want their energy supplier to provide financial support with paying their bills and 19 per cent say they want their water supplier to do the same.

Jim Allum, Director, Commercial and Technical at Macro 4, said:

“With this research we wanted to get a sense of the voice of the utility customer and what’s important to them, since we work closely with water and energy utilities in supporting their digital transformation.

“What’s clear is that customers now have very high service expectations. For example, they want more transparent billing and a joined-up customer service offering. They also insist that companies demonstrate social and environmental responsibility. And when they interact with their suppliers, they want a choice of ways to get in touch, incorporating digital self-service, while knowing that their queries will be dealt with quickly.”

Macro 4 commissioned two online surveys of 1,193 and 1,312 domestic utility bill payers (Aged 18+) throughout the UK via research company Censuswide. The survey was conducted in January and February 2022.

Click here to download the full report Giving UK Utility Customers a Voice