Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has achieved two service industry standards, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to providing its customers with the highest standards of service.

The network operator's Customer Contact Centres have been awarded with the national standard ServiceMark from the Institute of Customer Service.

ServiceMark is awarded based on customer satisfaction feedback and an assessment of employee engagement of the organisation's customer service strategy, measured through a series of independent assessments, surveys and site audits.

SSEN's Customer Service score of 89.4 would place the organisation at the top of the UK Customer Satisfaction Index. The index, currently standing at an average of 77.7, is a national measure of customer satisfaction across 13 key sectors. As SSEN is a natural monopoly organisation, it does not appear as part of the final ranking index.

SSEN has also achieved compliance with the BS 18477:2010 Inclusive Service Provision standard for the fourth year running, recognising, through rigorous assessments by the business standards company BSI, that its policies, procedures and services are accessible and fair to all customers.

Colin Nicol, Managing Director of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, said:

"We're proud to achieve the ServiceMark for our customer contact centres, helping us benchmark our service against leading customer service providers. Whilst our score only covers one aspect of our customer facing service, it is evidence of our strong focus on placing our customers at the heart of our business."

"We are also delighted to obtain accreditation of the Inclusive Service Provision for the fourth year running, recognising our ongoing commitment to providing a fair, accessible and inclusive service to the 4.1 million customers across our network regions in the north of Scotland and central southern England."

"The achievement of these standards is testament to the hard work our employees put in all year round to ensure all our customers are cared for, satisfied with the service received and supported when they need us most. Importantly, we will not stop here and will continue to work hard to establish new ways of improving the service we provide to our customers."

SSEN's commitment to providing an inclusive experience for its customers has been delivered by the embedding of its internal and external Inclusive Service Panels into the organisation. The panels help inform and influence SSEN's decision making, with a specific focus on the provision of an inclusive service to benefit and support its customers. Both panels guide and support SSEN's thinking and decision-making processes, promoting a truly inclusive culture within the organisation.

This past year alone, SSEN has:

  • Added specialist accessibility and language software to its website
  • Increased functionality to its Power Track app
  • Developed Easy Read versions of its customer communications, including its Priority Services Register leaflet to help ensure the information and communication it provides its customers is more accessible to all
  • Improved its online customer service by creating Facebook Communities to send important information to whole communities
  • Improved its social media service by providing personalised, regular updates on power cuts and public posts on power cuts affecting large areas
  • Introduced Messenger Web Chat for customers who prefer contacting SSEN online

This work, coupled with ongoing partnerships with charities, not-for-profit organisations and local community groups helps tailor SSEN's customer services for all.