24 August 2009 10:40 Central Neworks earns customer service accolade from Ofgem

Central Neworks, the distribution company for central England, has earned a top award for customer service innovation from energy regulator Ofgem, in its annual Customer Service Reward scheme.

 

The award highlighted the company's work with vulnerable customers, particularly its provisions for the blind and visually impaired.  By undertaking a ground breaking training programme for its staff provided by the Royal Institute of Blind People, the company has been able to understand these customers needs more closely.

 

Phil Wilson, Customer Operations Manager at Central Networks, said: "Imagine your power goes off without warning. You phone Central Networks and you're asked to carry out some ‘simple' checks of your trip switches by the meter. Now imagine doing that if you're blind or partially sighted.

 

"At Central Networks our aim is always to put ourselves in our customers' shoes and we believe that initiatives such as this will make a real difference to these people's lives."

 

This is the second consecutive year that Central Networks has been recognised in the scheme, designed to reward innovation in customer service and sees the company competing against other UK Distribution Network Operators.

 

In addition to their commitment to visual awareness training, Central Networks' new advice leaflet for customers with priority needs has been assessed by an independent panel of visually impaired individuals to ensure its clarity.

Central Networks remains the only Distribution Network Operator to hold the Royal National Institute for the Deaf's nationally recognised ‘Louder Than Words' charter mark of best practice for the provisions they have in place for deaf and hard of hearing customers.

 

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Central Networks brings power to 4.9 million customers across central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
• Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

 

For further information contact:

Victoria Blake on 02476 181 304

A selection of Central Networks pictures is available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and looking under Distribution.