Connecting the Northern Irish energy sector with vulnerable customers to help organisations find independent and collaborative ways to improve their services.
The Outside In Project brought together six key players – Power NI, the Consumer Council, NIE Networks, Phoenix Energy, Kinecx, and the Utility Regulator – from across the Northern Irish energy sector. The aim was to help the sector better understand and serve vulnerable households.
These organisations heard firsthand experiences from Lived Experts eligible for the Priority Services Register, known as the Customer Care Register in Northern Ireland. The three immersion sessions covered:
- Experiences and preferences for disclosing ‘vulnerability circumstances’ and needs to energy companies
- Feedback on real communications, which were critiqued by our Lived Experts
- The barriers people face in transitioning to Net Zero
After hearing real experiences from Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, we held an in-person workshop in Belfast. Gathering the key players in one room, we offered a brilliant opportunity to generate new ideas for what each organisation could do – both independently and collaboratively – to improve services for vulnerable customers.
This project came at an exciting time as the sector is beginning work to create a centralised Customer Care Register and we were able to ensure lived experts’ views were considered from the outset.
“The Outside In Project provided our organisation with a host of new ideas and practices that we can put into place going forward to improve our relationship and response to our vulnerable customers. The feedback provided from the lived experts and industry leaders is invaluable as we work to improve our services.”
Natasha Crooks, Vulnerable Customer Manager, NIE Networks
“The Outside In Project greatly improved my understanding of how people have to navigate the system and highlighted the need for us to be better at how we communicate in-person and online. The range of vulnerabilities when dealing with energy issues is very nuanced and we need to constantly be mindful of this.”
Business participant
