Creating customer loyalty takes more than ‘being local’
Bristol Energy was doomed to failure because it’s main selling point - being based in Bristol - isn’t important to energy customers, according to South West based energy switching service, Flipper.
Mark Gutteridge, Managing Director of Flipper, the energy auto-switching service, said: “Customers who engage with the energy market only care about 2 things: saving money and customer service. And while the number of customers who also want to be on a green energy tariff is growing, no one chooses their new energy supplier because of where they are based”.
“The tariffs offered by Bristol Energy were never that competitive and their service was OK but not outstanding* so there was no clear reason for customers to choose to move to them or stay with them”, he continued.
Flipper, who search the energy market every month for their thousands of members, and switch them every time they can save on their bills, are also Bristol-based, but Gutteridge says their focus is putting the customer first:
“Bristol is becoming a real tech-hub and it’s an exciting place to have a business, but our number 1 priority is delivering great customer service, as that’s what creates customer loyalty and advocacy. We use customer feedback to ensure everything we develop, every innovation, is relevant to them and will save our members time as well as money”.
This approach is definitely working: 1 in 3 new members sign up due to friends or family recommending Flipper to them, they are rated as ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot and won ‘Best Customer Service Provider’ at the Utility and Telecom Awards last year.
And while Bristol Energy have struggled over the past few years, Gutteridge hopes they survive, “No one likes to see a business fail and we need competition in the energy market to ensure customers have a choice of great deals from great suppliers. I really hope they find a buyer who can take Bristol Energy and create something that appeals to more people”.
For more information go to www.flipper.co.uk
* Bristol Energy are ranked 9th out of 35 by Which? and 30th out of 40 by Citizens advice. Their Trustpilot rating is 3.6/5.0.
