We sat down with Mala Morris (Head of Marketing and  Partnerships, vyn) and Sabya Kar (Head of European Sales, vyn), to get the inside story on the Future of Utilities Summit 2019 in London last week. Spread over two days, attendees heard new ideas to future-proof their business on topics including:
Powering Innovation to nurture the future of UtilitiesCustomer Service TransformationDigitalisation of Asset ManagementWhat are the 3 (or 4) most significant industry trends that you identified from this year’s Future of Utilities Summit?
Engaging better with customers and listening to the voice of the customer emerged as a key theme during the summit.  According to Steve Roberston - CEO of Thames Water - "The biggest barrier to long term investment is gaining the trust of customers".
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There is significant investment in Digital and AI to improve how utility companies communicate with customers. However, as with any industry, there is recognition of the need to complement digital with human interaction and drive a balance.

There is a need to provide more channels for customers to interact with utility companies. Cross-utility digital platforms will emerge to provide a seamless way for users to report their problems, irrespective of whether it’s about water, gas or electricity. Those platforms could also be a great way for utility companies to communicate back with their customers on issues that could impact them - from weather change to local activities.

3: Providing a new channel for asset management - surveys, condition reports, repairs and maintenance - driving reduced costs and also better predictive maintenance

All in all, we gained some valuable insights and perspectives from leaders, innovators and regulators at the Future of Utilities Summit.
We learnt that...

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