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April Price Cap rises to £1,849 – tariff changes planned, and billing pressure grows
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Early-life collections – How to optimise your approach
As the demand for debt advice continues to break records (PayPlan, 2024), the pressure is mounting on Financial Services organisations to provide holistic, proactive support for those in difficulty.
Using machine learning to predict and prevent customer delinquency
During a recent engagement with a large Energy retailer, we helped their Debt team to apply machine learning analysis within the customer base, identifying trends to predict (and later prevent) delinquency. With a new insight into which customers may face financial difficulty, the supplier was able to implement pre-emptive support, through improved segmentation and tailored customer journeys.
An update on Energy Complaints Performance
Complaints challenges are set to continue in Q1. It’s a trend we’ve seen in recent years, that customers are more likely to complain during a period of high usage. However, based on current market conditions, this year’s uplift could be more significant than usual.
Could we see a Price Cap of £1,650 from April?
Based on the observation window so far, and a modelled view of the remaining window, we could see a Q2-24 Price Cap of ~£1,650 but a +/- £100 uncertainty. This gives a latest range of £1,550 - £1,760. By mid-January, we expect price uncertainty to be +/- £30 as the window closes out.
Total Ofgem reported debt is now at ~£3bn for Q3-2023
Total Ofgem reported debt is now at ~£3bn for Q3-2023, 50% (~£1bn) higher than Q3-2022. The primary driver is an £800m increase from accounts without No Arrangement in place to repay their debt.
How to build Tiger Teams for faster problem solving
The 'Tiger Team' - what is it? And when is it valuable? By bringing cross-functional experts together, this approach is ideal for tackling critical challenges at pace - such as a sudden spike in complaints volumes, and all the servicing challenges that come with it.
Consumer Standards – How can suppliers rebuild trust?
Following the publication of Ofgem's Consumer Standards decision, we look at the practical steps for implementation, focussing specifically on rebuilding trust with the customer, through the development of specific advisor skills, and tailored customer treatments.
Difficult Conversations – Equipping collections agents for optimal support
With Christmas on the horizon, consumer spending is set to face its usual seasonal increase, adding extra pressure to critical areas like credit card payments and energy bills. Inevitably, some consumers will find themselves in financial difficulty over the coming months, leading to more collections conversations with their service provider.
Most customers worse off due to Jan 2024 Energy Price Cap
OFGEM have released their updated Energy Price Cap figures for Q1-24, and our modelling predicts this will make most customers worse off compared to Q1-23.
BFY Group wins Business of the Year and Outstanding Growth awards
BFY Group celebrated a double win at the 2023 Nottinghamshire Business Awards, picking up the region’s prize for Business of the Year, as well as being winners in the Outstanding Growth category.
Financial Services and Utilities – What unites these sectors?
In recent years, Financial Services and Utilities have become dynamic and fast changing. Customers sit at the forefront of both sectors, with their impact on daily life creating expectations for quick, frictionless, and secure interactions. And with ever-evolving expectation, comes greater challenges for the organisations that provide these services.
Localised Energy Bills – How do they differ to the Price Cap?
We’re all familiar with the headline figure of the Energy Price Cap. Set most recently at £1,834 (following Ofgem's reduction in TDCV's), the number serves the useful purpose of providing an estimated average bill for customers. But rarely is there a discussion about the reality of this figure, and how it can’t possibly reflect the actual bills faced by households across the UK. In short, this is far from the case.
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