Customers on the move: From reactive to proactive

In fact, Digital Mover has the potential to benefit a number of key customer experience areas. “The use case for utilities is in the space around debt recovery, accurate billing, and self-service,” explains Alex Mitchell, head of tracing growth at Capita. “They are all areas where the industry wants to improve.

“But at the moment, the sector’s approach tends to be reactive.”

Digital Mover analyses a range of data in the public domain from sources including property websites, deed transfers and rental contracting data, such as references. The system smartly sifts data from all over the country, asking: Is a property up for sale? Has a house been sold? Are rental agreements changing? Has a deed been transferred? Using all that data means Digital Mover understands behaviours around property purchases and changes of address.

It’s a much more sophisticated approach than relying on credit reference agencies for information and enables the platform to advise the supplier of the key dates about the move. Meanwhile, the customer is informed of the best way of getting in touch with the supplier to let them know their new address. If the customer doesn’t engage with the process, Digital Mover has already provided the key information to the supplier about changes at the property, enabling them to follow up.

Mitchell adds: “When it comes to house moves, utilities tend to be on the back foot, waiting for information to come to them. What Digital Mover does is allow them to be in a proactive space, preparing for events.”

Being more engaged with the customer at a tricky period also provides the opportunity to support vulnerable people who may be more at risk of running up debt, and for the utility, there’s the opportunity to generate an accurate final bill, too. Some utilities could also use this period of engagement with the customer to cross-sell services such as boiler cover during the period of the move, Mitchell suggests.

The technology helps streamline the whole procedure, he explains. “It really aids the process: we can create a quick tick-box for the individual, which guards against nasty surprises later on. You’ve just moved into your property and are getting to grips with everything, and suddenly you get a reminder for an energy or water bill from your previous address that has simply been forgotten about.”

If the technology sounds a little Big Brother, Mitchell stresses that it is information about properties Digital Mover is tracking, not information about individuals. “The fundamental thing we stress is that all of our data is licensed from a number of sources that provide accurate, publicly available information to build up a picture of events.” That might include everything from analysing information on property sites such as Zoopla, Rightmove and Citylets to geographical analysis of the property market, to data from credit reference agencies such as Experian and Equifax and HM Land Registry.

“Gathering information about purchasing or quotes raised for insurance helps predict when an event is going to take place,” explains Mitchell. “What applies to sales applies to rental properties; individuals looking for alternative insurance quotes, for example, or looking at council tax banding.

“But that information will only take you so far. You need to understand how to manage it to determine an accurate moving date, which is crucial for utilities.”

Once the date is confirmed, communications can be sent to the customer inviting them to inform their utility. Regarding privacy, the Digital Mover technology has been independently reviewed using an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Data Protection Impact Assessment [see box, left]. “Because you are just looking at the property, not the individual themselves, that information is in the public domain: if we go on Rightmove, we can see which houses are for sale, and which properties are up for rent.

“It is only at the point where it is deemed necessary to communicate that we marry up the household information with the individual customer. And the only information that is being communicated is a nudge to advise them of the easiest way of changing address with their utility.

“So, from a customer and member communication perspective, we are not selling anything, we are not promoting anything, and we are not marketing – we are just providing a nudge or notification to help raise the profile of key suppliers to avoid challenges down the road.”