AER releases Customer engagement toolkit to address vulnerability

The AER has today published a Customer engagement toolkit: Better practices for identifying and supporting consumers experiencing vulnerability.

The toolkit is designed to provide practical assistance to consumer-facing energy businesses, particularly retailers, on the early identification of vulnerability through proactive engagement with consumers. 

Its development has been informed by:

• existing research and guidance
• consumer journey mapping workshops with retailers and financial counsellors
• conversations with select energy retailers and distributors
• workshops with consumer advocates and representatives.

The toolkit outlines 6 better practice principles, which work holistically to improve outcomes for energy consumers. These are:

• Build an organisational culture focused on strong customer relationships and better consumer outcomes
• Design for all consumers
• Deliver customer service that engages effectively with vulnerability
• Collaborate with other organisations
• Use data to improve consumer outcomes
• Commit to continuously improving consumer experiences and outcomes.

The toolkit provides illustrative examples of the better practice principles, including consumer stories and industry case studies. It also includes a poster and a flexible presentation slide deck with targeted exercises, as part of a supplementary materials pack to support teams within energy service businesses to implement the toolkit. 

While the toolkit is not intended to be advice to businesses about their compliance obligations, it does emphasise the importance of proactive and effective engagement with energy customers, particularly those experiencing vulnerability. 

Proactive engagement not only improves outcomes for consumers, but also benefits businesses. If assistance is provided early, consumers are less likely to accrue high levels of debt, be disconnected and experience harm, which also reduces the burden of bad debts on energy businesses. 

Towards energy equity

The toolkit is action 2 in the AER’s Towards energy equity strategy, which aims to help reduce barriers that prevent consumers from getting what they need from Australia’s energy system.