3.1 Customer support

In 2021 MRG digitalised how first-level calls to the call centre are handled. Thanks to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), by using the LEX voice-recognition service from Amazon, we have been able to simplify our telephone service for customers even more. With this new service, our customers do not have to listen to recordings and then enter an option in order to be dealt with. Instead they select the option that best matches the request they wish to make using natural language. The AI helps to manage the call through automated voice recordings, provided it is a query that only requires simple information or IVRs, so that customers can provide the reading from their meter, confirm or reschedule the regular inspection visit or pay LPG invoices via the automatic payment gateway. For calls requiring special attention, the service proceeds to transfer them to the group of MRG call centre agents, from where customers are dealt with in a more personalised way that better suits their needs.

In 2021 MRG digitalised how first-level calls to the call centre are handled

By using this technology, MRG can identify customers who contact the company, as it recognises the telephone number that they have rung from, provided it is included in the customer’s contact data. This another of the advantages of digitalisation, helping to ensure a more satisfactory customer journey. The length of time has been reduced as a result, dropping from 111 seconds to 94 seconds.

On the other hand, and once this first phase of the digitalisation process of its call centre had been completed, in 2021 MRG’s call centre centralised its management and information services with regard to requests relating to the processes with greatest levels of demand that are received via WhatsApp, the virtual office and suppliers. These processes include readings, the regular inspection, home operations and customer support. In unifying how all requests are processed through the channels described, and as a result of our agents’ experience, the unified criteria and the same degree of thoroughness has been applied as in the customer support telephone service. With these changes, at MRG we have been able to optimise not only the productivity of our call centre, but also the customer experience as a whole. In 2021, a total of 26,389 requests were processed.

3.2 Virtual office

The MRG virtual office (VO) came about as a way to modernize our contracting processes. Now that consumers (particularly domestic consumers) operate digitally on a day-to-day basis with most services, our VO has become the main channel for requests relating to connections and documentation from installation companies.

The VO for installation companies and sales associates of Madrileña Red de Gas has incorporated new functions and possibilities, such as registering for and signing up to different campaigns and sales plans to capture and connect new supply points or provide information and documentation to customers of installation companies. The VO is where all this information is contained and where use of this information is facilitated to the company’s different units. Using the VO means that in 2022 it will be possible for installation companies to create their files and records on our website in such a way that they can monitor and provide any process relating to the documentation required for gas installations.

3.3 Website

Transparency has always defined Madrileña Red de Gas; it is something that is applied in what we do, in our processes and in how our management operates. In this regard, and with the purpose of being competitive as a gas sector business, we have gone a step further by creating a new section of our website, titled “Commitment”.

This provides official bodies and MRG customers with the appropriate ratings and action protocols so they can contextualise the company in its sector and make comparisons with other business in the sector, be they Spanish or international. We publish our KPI scores for CSAT, CES, NPS and GMB, as well as our ratings on complaints received. We have also conducted an analysis of the TOP 5 types of complaints, where it is explained what they consist of, how we manage them and what the solution is that we provide to try and minimise them. We have also published our commitments on scheduled visits, customer services, what the MRG process is for managing customer requests, and how our specialists act when providing personalised services.

On the other hand, and due to the fact that frequently asked questions, articles, blogs and news items may not be the best option when it comes to informing us appropriately about a particular matter, in 2021 MRG produced a range of short, simple video tutorials to help our customers understand how to interact with us.

We identified what their main queries are and analysed the contacts made. By extracting the experience gained from dealing with customers, and securing the involvement of all business areas in the company, we produced 14 information videos, using a simple language that avoids technical jargon, and which we promote on the various MRG channels of communication, including the website.

The initiative has been a resounding success. The video “How to send my meter reading via our virtual office” has been watched 48,000 times; “What your gas meter reading is for” has been viewed 31,000 times; and “How to solve anomalies in a regular inspection” a total of 4,000 times.

In 2021 we produced short, simple video tutorials to help our customers interact with the company

3.4 Digital communication

Some years ago we began engaging with our customers through digital channels, mainly email and text messages. The 2021 financial year was when we provided added value for our customers by making it easier for them to deal with the company and by providing them with the information they need for more efficient energy consumption.

We also helped make it easier for customers to send their meter readings, change appointments for field work or report anomalies by digital means. Likewise, after each meter reading period, we have sent the customer a consumption report, which includes a comparison with their neighbours and their municipality as a whole, and information is given on how local temperature has influenced their consumption, how to be more efficient in their energy use and what the carbon footprint is of the gas they use compared with other energy sources.

In figures, this meant 1.9 million actions with a single click, without the need to have a log-in for the VO, nine million emails and texts to our customers, asking for readings, confirming appointments, results from regular inspections, complaints, etc. Another notable figure is the more than three million personalised consumption reports and the increase in digital readings, which went from 65,000 in 2019 and 525,000 in 2020 to 542,617 readings sent digitally in 2021. The success of these channels has motivated us to work towards the following objective: incorporate WhatsApp as a channel of communication in certain processes, as it is one of the most frequently used digital platforms used by people who are less familiar with digital technology.

On the other hand, with regards to communication via social media, the Madrileña Red de Gas profile arose as part of an innovation project that a group of company staff members had developed a few years previously. In 2021 the decision was made to promote these channels, which the company could use to provide users with company-related content. With LinkedIn, for example, we are able to get across the values, philosophy and innovation projects that Madrileña Red de Gas is involved in.

Additionally, three years ago MRG set itself the challenge of being the best utility company on the market, and today we are proud to have 6,085 reviews on Google My Business, with an average score of 4.1, compared with 1.6 in 2018.

We have drawn up a digital transformation plan full of initiatives to learn about customers’ real opinions, measure the quality of our services, establish new communications channels, provide information and make other tasks easier to manage. And we have not stopped measuring the results in order to work on continual improvement based on the feedback received.

As a result of the scores given by our customers, we have been able to evolve and improve all our processes by providing more information and greater transparency, flexibility and safety.

From our various ways of contacting customers, at MRG we offer them the chance to rate us, both at GMB and through satisfaction surveys, where we gather scores on CSAT, NPS and CES. All reviews and scores that reach the company are analysed by our customer experience team and the company’s business areas, which results in value being generated both for our customers and for MRG.

3.5 Customer operations

With regard to regular inspections, in 2021 we were successful in reaching our targets.

From the beginning of the campaign, the volume of inspections remained above budget, and the year ended with a success rate of 97%, which translates into the 10,090 inspections carried out above the target number, and an unpunctuality rate of less than 0.5% (0.31% of inspections were unable to be conducted and 0.05% of missed inspections were able to be recovered on the same day).

One of the challenges for 2021 was to adapt our booking agendas to provide greater flexibility and availability for customers to change their appointment without it affecting the process of carrying out regular inspections. This led to 26,875 appointments being changed (12.8% of the total); the highest increase occurred as of May, when the lockdown came to an end.

As well as making it easier to change appointments, the efforts made to adapt to our customers’ needs have allowed for continual communication through the various channels made available for this purpose.

These communications have undergone constant changes to adapt to meet customers’ needs, which thanks to reviews, surveys and/or complaints we were able to meet. As a result, since from 2021 we were able to resolve all complaints within the established timeframe, and 99% were resolved on the same day.

3.6 Suppliers

Following the liberalisation of the energy sector, with the exception of Gas Extremadura, all other distribution companies exchanged messages with suppliers through the SCTD (Transport-Distribution Communication System).

For MRG the SCTD had a series of limitations, which are described below.

• Rejecting requests: When the system rejected a request, only generic information was given, according to the established formats. This meant that in most cases any communication had to be processed with the supplier’s ATR (third-party network access) department, or issue a complaint through the 48 process, to obtain more information about why the request had been rejected, and then act accordingly. This obviously led to a delay in activating the request that needed to be processed.
• Traceability of a request: In most cases, the only traceability obtained from a request was through the messages established in the formats- The end result was only known when the message indicating the completion of the process arrived. This prevented more detailed information about a request from being accessed when it was still pending and the established timeframes had been exceeded.
• Extracting information: Faced with the need to extract reports autonomously about volumes of requests and/or messages, we were faced with the limitation of not being able to extract information for periods longer than a month.
• Complex interface: The tool used consisted of various sections, which in turn consisted of various screen, which meant that both how requests were made and how information was searched would take a long time; our own system also suffered from complexity when going through the process of making a request.

Coinciding with a crucial moment to embark on a new venture, such as the new formats coming into force for the new tariffs, we decided to implement a platform of our own. That platform is IOGAS, which incorporates new technologies with the aim of providing an improved user experience, greater control and improved visibility, while always respecting CNMC directives in terms of formats and validations.

With the new IOGAS platform, Madrileña Red de Gas provides:

• Operative control: IOGAS is designed to monitor operations in an agile, intuitive way. Using control panels and personalised views, it allows us to determine in real time the requests sent, rejected, in process, etc. It also provides full traceability of the processes and allows for alerts to be programmed depending on the particular user’s needs.
• Validations in real time: Validations are made online for all requests. The platform allows for real-time verification of validation of supply point formats and information in the distributor’s systems, so that errors can be corrected instantly and to avoid any rejections.
• Integration and access facilities: IOGAS has an API for online integration with suppliers’ own systems, so that any system can connect to the platform quickly, simply and securely. It also provides the option of exchanging files via SFTP, which works as it did up to now, i.e. without having to make any changes in the systems.

As well as the integration options, this new MRG platform features a friendly and intuitive user interface that can be accessed online and from any device.

• Improved customer service quality: IOGAS provides more information about the traceability of a processed request. It also provides information on the situation of a supply point, and can be used by sales and customer service channels. The aim is to increase First Cal Resolution for any channel used, minimising the need to transfer calls or process complaints with the gas supplier due to a lack of information to resolve a customer’s complaint and, of course, to improve customer satisfaction.
• Security: IOGAS was developed in line with the latest advances in access, application and data security. This includes two-factor authentication, email and phone verification during the registration process, the secure password policy, communication security and full traceability of requests and modifications. Specific cyber security trials were carried out to detect and correct any possible breaches.

Along with all these improvements, the project to replace SCTD with IOGAS will mean an annual saving of €80,000 for MRG.