Data Drought: When Energy Swine Get Lost in the File Quagmire
Behind the curtains of the UK energy crisis is a quieter but no less deadly villain: bad data. Sagacity, the data‑savvy power‑house, is sounding the alarm that a whopping 10 % of customer records could arrive on the wrong street, with mis‑spelled names and phantom meter readings.
Who’s Facing the Chaos?
- 12 energy companies have slammed the brakes and gone out of business in the last two months.
- Ofgem is turning over 3.8 million household accounts — the largest customer‑records shuffle since dial‑up.
- After such a shuffle, £380 million of revenue could evaporate if the papers are wrong.
Why Bad Data Matters
Picture this: a bill lands on a random postbox because the address database was looking at the wrong customer. The consequence? A customer that never paid out of pocket, plus a spike in debt, sudden “bill shock”, and a bruised credit score. With the average household annually splashing £1,042, that isn’t just a pound a minute.
And if repayment plans for the vulnerable customers slip over the migration bridge? That is not just business as usual. The “safety net” promises price caps, but the ethics of keeping plans intact are in the spotlight. Over the last year, Universal Credit cuts have already thickened the living‑cost stew, making this a tough spot to trap any oversight.
Anita Dougall weighs in
“Every episode of this saga throws another 3.8 million customers into our laps,” says Sagacity’s founder and chief “Dad” of data. “We’re wading through the wild, and if we let a slip slipthrough, it’s a bullet for the bottom line!”
What does the rollout mean for your daily life? A sudden fifteen‑minute delay in billing could shove you into the “payment crisis” theatre. In truth, the problem is very simple and dreadfully big: improper data formats & mismatched systems.
Why A Clean Sweep Is Needed
- We’re living in a world where software & data morph like cities: order last name → first name vs. first name → last name changes your entire call‑center’s muscle memory.
- Call centre chaos: Inaccurate records mean frantic calls, dozens of escalations, and a “missing‑in‑action” time lag. If you’re on the waitlist, the mid‑resolution is not funny.
So how do we keep the “dear customers” jolly? Data cleansing. It’s the unsung vigilante of the energy industry. The transition works only if the old data is cross‑checked, tangibly verified, and then re‑fashioned for the new system.
Sagacity’s Blueprint for a Smooth Switch
Don’t rush the switch. Adopt a data strategy from the moment you say “Welcome!” to each customer. Identify:
- Current active customers and under‑used social tariffs (remember, they’re essential).
- Where repayment plans should float homes.
- What to doom and what to rescue amid the data torrent.
If you tick these boxes, you’ll not only dodge data‑driven denials but also cement belief & trust with the customers you’re serving. This is no less important than the RoR pot alone.
Time to Join the Data‑Frontline
All of us in the industry: Blend, collaborate, hammer the processor, and know the game. Energy data quality isn’t just a bandwidth flick; it’s the survival card for the industry’s future.
Key Takeaway: Combine good data with user‑centric patience, and you’ll keep the customers from stepping into the “bill‑shock” abyss.
