At Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) we take pride in powering our communities and empowering our 3.8 million customers within those communities across the north of Scotland and central southern England. We live and work in these communities, so we understand the needs of our neighbours, friends and colleagues and how those needs can change when the power goes off.
Year on year, SSEN spends millions of pounds reinforcing the electricity network and our power supply is more resilient than ever, but we live on an island that can be battered by some of the worst possible weather conditions; gale force winds, flooding, lightning, snow storms and freezing rain. That's the kind of adverse weather that can leave our customers without electricity and that's why we have measures in place so they feel reassured, safe and informed while we work to get their power back on.
So, how do we do that?
We make it a priority to communicate with our customers - not just through email, our social media platforms, updates through the media and broadcast services, our PowerTrack app and our Storm Live website, but through direct contact, over the phone or door-to-door. By monitoring the weather we know when a storm is coming and there's a chance of power cuts, so we draft in additional engineers to the areas we expect to be worst hit, at the same time we bring in hundreds of our specially-trained staff to answer calls and to call out to our most vulnerable customers.
Our call handlers are available 24 hours a day and with the addition of the recently launched, free-to-dial 105 number for power cuts and electrical emergencies, we're easier to reach than ever before. We can even text you the latest information, if that's the way you'd prefer to be updated.
But not all of our customers' needs are the same and that's why SSEN has its Priority Services Register; enabling you, a loved one or someone in your care to sign up and receive extra attention in the event of a power cut. Throughout the year, we highlight the register, encouraging our customers who might need a little extra help to get in touch and sign up, so they feel reassured that if the electricity goes off we're aware of their needs and able to provide extra care. We know that during a power cut a household can become vulnerable for a variety of reasons - the arrival of a new baby or the onset of an illness requiring medical equipment - so, even if you're not signed up for our Priority Services Register, you can let us know your circumstances have changed and we'll do all we can to help.
And, while you know we're at the end of the phone, or replying to you through email or social media, we also know it's vital that we're present in the community and that's when our community advisors - quite literally - hit the ground running; knocking on doors, identifying vulnerable customers, providing updates on the progress we're making to get the power back on and helping with the welfare vans that can supply hot food, hot drinks and somewhere to charge your mobile phones and tablets. We know that a friendly face and a warm meal can make all the difference, especially for our customers who might be living alone in the more rural communities we serve.
It's easy to think that in the calm after the storm, we could draw our breath and relax a little, but that's when SSEN starts working to let you know what we've done and what you can expect from us in the event of a future storm or possible power cut.
Each year, we make improvements to our resilience plans, building on the experience of everything we've done and everything you've told us we could do, so that you know - whatever the weather - we're prepared to put our customers and their needs at the heart of all we do.