Customer orientation and satisfaction

For the customers and all other stakeholders of Energie AG, the values of continuity, reliability, safety, sustainability and transparency are at the heart of Energie AG's corporate strategy. In light of unpredictable crisis events, these values have gained enormous importance.

As announced, Energie AG was able to extend its price guarantee on standard electricity and gas products, which has been in place since 2017, to 1 January 2023. Stable prices have only been possible thanks to a far-sighted procurement strategy. Volumes of energy are procured on a rolling basis, i.e. distributed evenly at various points in time to create an average price and smooth out any price peaks. On account of the exceptional market situation, Energie AG was obliged to raise the prices of its standard electricity and gas products for existing customers as of 2 January 2023. At the same time, a wide-ranging package was unveiled to help customers save energy while measures aimed at providing active help in cases of hardship were devised.

To cushion the effects of the necessary price adjustment, Energie AG offered various types of funding for individual customer groups as of February 2023.

Commercial enterprises and farmers who are regular customers were granted up to 50 days of free electricity, starting in February 2023. The discount was applied to annual invoices, with the businesses benefiting from savings of around 14%.

Customers with heat pumps or storage heaters also received support from Energie AG. Those with storage heaters qualified for the Energie AG electricity price cap, under which Energie AG capped electricity prices at 10 cents per kWh up to a consumption level of 2,900 kWh. For heat pump customers with basic meters, Energie AG invested in product development and collected customer data in order to create new offers for this specific group. Participation in this survey was rewarded with EUR 500.0.

For more information on the price adjustments enacted for electricity and gas as of 2 January 2023, see the Group Management Report, Energie AG: A reliable partner to customers.

In June 2023, Energie AG was able to pass on the lower purchase prices to customers as announced, reducing prices for electricity customers with standard products and annual consumption of up to 100,000 kWh. Gas customers (with annual consumption < 400,000 kWh) received a 20% discount on standard products for the period from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2024.

Customers switching to Energie AG after December 2021 were affected by the disruption on the energy markets at an earlier stage as it was not possible to procure their required energy at the lower long-term rates. Energie AG was able to cut prices for these and other new customers in February 2023. Young families among the new electricity customers also received 30 free days as a one-time offer.

The further intensification of the stakeholder dialogue, incl. by directly involving customers in strategy and development processes, is intended to contribute to products and services that are even more in line with the interests and requirements of the different target groups, also see Dialogue with stakeholders.

Customer satisfaction is also increased by an open and transparent communication, initiatives for clean and “affordable energy for everyone”, the further streamlining of administrative processes, the comfortable access to digital services, and uncomplicated and rapid fault repair services.

Since the introduction of the customer forum four years ago, Energie AG has collected valuable feedback from customers on offers and services as well as current themes and general conditions. In the past fiscal year, two focus areas were the changes on energy markets (customer forum, October 2022) and the realisation and communication of price adjustments (customer forum, March 2023). Discussions with customers include professional moderation and the involvement of Energie AG employees to ensure feedback is applied directly to day-to-day working situations. In the reporting period, the customer club “My Bonus” introduced in the 2020/2021 fiscal year grew significantly, with the number of participants doubling to around 29,000. Special customer club campaigns have included the ticket offer for the Energy Saving Trade Fair and discounts on energy efficiency products on Black Friday.

Collaborative generation systems play a major role in the advancement of renewable energies and the minimisation of environmental impact. During the 2022/2023 fiscal year, Energie AG implemented the requirements of the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG 2021), enabling individuals to make shared use of decentrally generated energy. Through participation in citizens' energy communities, the energy generated can be used across Austria’s grid regions, see Energy Communities: Sharing Energy - Netz Oberösterreich GmbH.

Via the eService portal of Energie AG, customers can use the Energy Manager to continuously monitor the energy they generate and consume, and to gain a clear overview of energy consumption. This enables them to analyse patterns of consumption, take specific measures aimed at improving energy efficiency and cut costs in the process. To ensure data is up to date and of high quality, core internal expertise in the areas of consumption records and data management is continually being expanded.

Energie AG's portfolio of digital services was complemented with additional innovative applications that assist customers in making economical use of energy and gaining access to electricity from renewable sources. This includes the development of a WiFi reader unit for smartphones that can detect energy-wasting household appliances.

The Energy Saving Trade Fair, the leading trade event for Energie AG, attracted crowds of visitors in the last fiscal year. Over the three days open to the public, some 2,500 consultations were held at the Energie AG stand (compared to 2,100 in the previous year). At the Energy Saving Academy, which was introduced in 2023, experts on the stand held talks on such subjects as PV plants, e-mobility, heat pumps and the efficient use of energy.

Together with the Province of Upper Austria and their joint venture BBOÖ, Energie AG is responding to the increasing consumer demand for online services by expanding the fibre-optic network in urban and rural areas. 19,495 customers were already actively using the high-speed internet service offered by Energie AG as of 30 September 2023 (previous year: 16,723).

Ongoing monitoring and permanent professional improvement initiatives help to ensure high-quality customer relationship management, whether over the phone, in person, or online.

Netz OÖ GmbH, the electricity grid operator, offers its customers a wide range of information and support in installing their own photovoltaic systems. The steep rise in demand from residential customers who, as a result of higher energy prices, wish to sell the PV electricity produced on their roofs led to a sharp increase in applications for grid access. To cut waiting times for applicants significantly, Netz OÖ GmbH provided full information and online customer support tools via its website www.netzooe.at/photovoltaik. This information and support programme was upgraded in the 2022/2023 fiscal year and now includes more detailed information on energy communities along with a largely automated and digitalised application process for grid access for PV plants. The PV connection assessment was further optimised and sped up, improved and simplified through, among other things, the introduction of a virtual assistant known as Anette to assist with the assessment process.

Digitalisation: a powerful asset

Energie AG places a focus on the digitalisation of services, processes and customer interaction along the entire value chain. For Energie AG, digitalisation presents many opportunities for the future; customers will also benefit from new solutions linked to the development of digital platforms. True to the motto of “secure digital services”, Energie AG is actively shaping Upper Austria's digital future in collaboration with its customers and partners. Therefore key topics and objectives, and a corresponding roadmap have been developed and consistently implemented. One of the objectives of the digitalisation measures is to offer customers flexible, individual, and straight-forward options to get in contact with Energie AG and to offer self-services such as switching plans, registering as a new customer, the Energy Manager, consumption alerts, invoice download etc.

The use of innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and “Machine Learning Algorithms” enable – when applied in consideration of the framework under data protection law – better and more cost-efficient customer services in the area of data analytics as well as more rapid and efficient service and decision making processes. Merging customer data from the Electricity, Gas, Heat and Telecommunications areas while harmonising the system accordingly has created the basis for the best possible service from a single source.

Continual improvements to the Netz OÖ GmbH customer portal https://eservice.netzooe.at were made during the 2022/2023 fiscal year. Several features linked to grid access agreements have been added to the information tool implemented last year (extension of the grid commitment, additional agreements for energy communities). The process is adjusted on a regular basis and thereby improved continuously.

The digitalisation in the Waste Management Segment launched Austria's first waste management online shop back in 2012 (containerdienst24.at). This internet portal enables users across Austria to order containers for clearing out bulky refuse, gardening waste or construction rubble. A regional contact person is available for specific questions and clarifications. In 2016, this service was extended to key account customers, who can now access waste management services, invoices, weighing and freight notices, and check on the status of their orders. The old customer portal was replaced with the new solution (entsorgung24.at). This focuses on improved usability, clearer design and new functions. Individually configurable authorisation settings can be used by key account customers to allocate page- and location-specific permissions for employees. The customer portal enables a sustainable improvement of the waste management processes and simplifies the daily cooperation within the Waste Management Segment.

Customer Phone Service

A fundamental criterion for customer satisfaction is the rapid processing of enquiries received over the phone, which Energie AG handles with the help of service staff that has received extensive training and boasts strong communication skills. The current developments on the energy market are leading to a massive rise in customer enquiries, with various tools being used to process these as effectively as possible. Simple enquiries are handled automatically using artificial intelligence. An additional intelligent “peak management” allows for calls to be rescheduled to less busy times of the day. This increases the availability for the customers and in turn also their satisfaction with the Company. The above-average volume of calls around the turn of the year was managed by deploying additional employees from across the Group (“Team Energie AG”).

In the event of failures, which cause a substantial increase in calls from those affected within a very short period of time, calls need to be answered and processed quickly. A flexible on-call service model for the customer service employees and a suitable infrastructure (remote work) enable an improved handling of unexpected or high call volumes.

Introduction and Use of New Technologies

Energie AG is actively committed to introducing and using new technologies, but always keeps the focus on the customer. Netz OÖ GmbH is among Europe’s leaders in large-scale smart metering. The intelligent electricity meters allow customers to precisely analyse and manage their energy consumption. The proven “AMIS” system features several smart-grid functions that support grid operations and assist in securing a high quality supply with electricity.

To cope with the necessary data quantities, higher data availability and ever more complex demands expected in the future, a suitable new smart metering target architecture will need to be planned and implemented. With this in mind, Netz OÖ launched a smart meter upgrade (SMU) project aimed at equipping smart meters with useful and advanced additional functions.

Energie AG uses the new smart meter technology for developing new business models. The Company views smart electricity meters as the key component for turning a house into a “smart home”. Interaction between electricity meters and home automation systems facilitate an ideal use of energy, which users will be able to generate, purchase or store. This delivers cost savings, lower consumption and greater comfort for the customer. Smart meters are also a prerequisite for the new market models and market roles introduced with the Renewable Energy Expansion Act package. Their benefits include, inter alia, consumption billing within the renewable energy communities, and they can also serve as the foundation for the peer-to-peer trading app “E-Fairteiler”.

Through this future-oriented project, Netz OÖ GmbH, a pioneer in the field, is applying its experience and input to discussions and working groups devoted to the issue. In this way, the company is playing a major part in ensuring the enactment of relevant Community law requirements, something that is seen as a key contribution towards liberalisation and energy efficiency.

The Czech water investments have been using smart digital water meters for several years at this point. The digitalisation projects are focused on smart metering in Beroun, Kolín and other parts of eastern Bohemia. More studies on the digitalisation of control centres and operations are under way. The “digital twin” for a sewage treatment plant was further developed in the 2022/2023 fiscal year. “Digital twins” are models that e.g. virtually simulate the operation of a sewage treatment plant in order to probe the effects of different measures taken within the simulation before they are implemented in live operations.

Customer satisfaction surveys

Contact with customers and partners enables Energie AG to learn about their needs, concerns and ideas and to use these insights for the development of solutions for specific problems and the optimisation of processes. Complaint management is a key mechanism in this area. In the 2022/2023 fiscal year, 600,452 calls were recorded in total (previous year: 369,594). The average length of a call to the Netz OÖ GmbH service hotline was 4.48 minutes (previous year: 5.12), while the average call time to the Energie AG service hotline was 6.13 minutes (previous year: 5.36). The high number is partly due to the willingness of customers to switch from other electricity providers to Vertrieb GmbH, and partly due to uncertainty among existing customers in view of the media coverage of energy and the questions this raises concerning price rises, product combinations, tariff changes, PV issues, etc. In partnership with Customer Service, contacts are analysed on a monthly basis, topics are evaluated and possible courses of action are defined. This includes the cooperation with social services for debt prevention and mitigation of debt-related problems by means of the energy solidarity budget and providing advice on how to reduce energy costs.

The number of complaints in Austria and the handling thereof are reported to the Management Board of the Energie AG Group in the course of the quarterly general meetings of the Grid Segment and Sales unit.

Customers and other stakeholders in the operational units of the Czech Republic Segment can submit complaints either in person at customer centres, or via an online contact form. The number of complaints is reported to the Management Board of Energie AG Oberösterreich Bohemia GmbH.

As part of customer campaigns, the Customer Service specifically analyses complaints from affected customers in order to forward potential for improvements directly to Campaign Management and internal departments.

The continuous evaluation of the needs of existing and new customers has shown that prices are the issue closest to their heart. Greater consideration is also being given to such factors as security of supply, confidence in energy suppliers and the reputation of suppliers. Having offered fair pricing, attractive customer campaigns and numerous additional offers for many years, Energie AG is regarded as a consistently reliable partner.

Regular market studies and customer surveys are conducted among various target groups as a due diligence measure to ensure their satisfaction. Valuable information for the ascertainment of the most important key performance indicators and their development over time was once again collected through basic surveys conducted in fiscal year 2022/2023.

The majority of customers of Vertrieb GmbH continue to exhibit a high loyalty: 83.4% of them, for example, are very satisfied or rather satisfied with the sales unit (previous year: 95.6%). The generally turbulent market situation is also reflected in evaluations, with a brief survey in August 2023 revealing a slight improvement in ratings among electricity customers. Continually measuring loyalty levels in defined categories (e.g. product range, price communication, provision of information, regional commitment etc.) provides specific focal points that allow the company to improve services on an ongoing basis.

Energie AG’s strong customer focus and high service quality was confirmed by a study carried out in fiscal year 2022/2023 by market research agency Jaksch & Partner, according to which new customers were particularly satisfied by and loyal to the Energie AG Group.

The customer satisfaction survey conducted by Netz OÖ GmbH regarding gas grid operators in autumn of 2022 once again delivered a very good result. The highest level of satisfaction was expressed for keeping with agreed dates, followed by the satisfaction with the availability of the gas supply, the performance of works, the technical expertise, and the performance of meter readings. Using a 1 to 5 scale based on Austria’s school grades system, Netz OÖ GmbH’s customers rated their distribution grid operator's reliability (grade 1.35, previous year: grade 1.42), safety (grade 1.50, previous year: grade 1.48) and quality (grade 1.47, previous year: grade 1.54).

Annual customer satisfaction surveys are also carried out at all the Waste Management Segment’s sites. These include a school marking-style assessment system, in which the segment received a 1.37 (previous year: 1.42) during the reporting period 2022/2023.

Online communication

Energie AG makes target group-specific information available via a number of different channels. This includes the traditional website of the Group www.energieag.at, the press portal news.energieag.at, the project websites www.wir-denken-an-morgen.at for children and adolescents, www.sportfamilie.at for sport enthusiasts, the blog pages (blog.energieag.at and hochspannungsblog.at), the Facebook page Energie AG – Energie. Aber Gut. the Instagram account energie.ag and the accounts of the sports family on Instagram (energieagsportfamilie) and Facebook (Energie AG-Sportfamilie). These services are complemented by additional websites for specific Energie AG products such as www.energieabergut.at.

Responding to the customers' needs and preferences, Energie AG offers functional self-service portals, mainly in the mass market areas. These enable customers to independently deal with a number of tasks and issues relating to supply contracts with Energie AG at any time of day.

Social affairs

To meet its moral and ethical obligations to customers and wider society, Energie AG has launched a range of programmes and initiatives to provide support during the energy crisis. These include the forming of a solidarity budget, advice on energy efficiency and help for low-income households in paying their energy costs. Austrian customers who were facing difficulties due to the energy crisis were supported with special arrangements, e.g. a moratorium on electricity disconnections and the option to defer due payments or pay in instalments.

Energie AG prioritised the adaptation of its internal processes so that billing would take account of the financial aid initiated by federal and state governments in Austria at the earliest possible point.

Energie AG Group seeks to position itself as a strong and reliable partner for its stakeholders at all times and especially in exceptional situations. The company has proven its reliability in the past by meeting the multiple crisis situations with concrete actions. In line with its campaign slogan “100% for Upper Austria”, the company stands for stability and security and remains dedicated to social issues and regional value creation.

As in the past, the Energie AG Group has clearly demonstrated its solidarity with customers affected by energy poverty. Support took the form of goodwill offers and a new electricity aid package of vouchers worth EUR 150.0. There were also measures to ease the pressure on gas customers, who were credited with a one-time offer of 30 free days on presentation of exemption of charges from Info Service GmbH (GIS).