E-on Next is a sister company of E-On, one of the largest energy providers in the UK. The E-on Next band was created to be customer-centric and bring personality to the energy market.
The primary touchpoint for E-on next customers is the website; there was no mobile app. The purpose of this project was to deliver a new native mobile app that would give customers greater visibility and control over their energy usage.
I led a two-week conception sprint to create a digital product that would serve direct debit and on-demand customers, with features for billing, readings, and usage.
To start the project we have conducted user research based on a sample size of 1000 UK utilities customers, 500 of which are existing E.ON customers & 500 of which are split across all other major suppliers.
An App is the primary digital engagement for customers with their energy account. Thus it cannot be seen as an adjunct to a website; it is an essential offering.
Expectations for an App features are high across all segments of customers. We can categorise these features as:
In particular, PAYG customers are slightly more engaged with App features and are more demanding in comparison to DD customers.
Ease of use: An overarching theme was feedback on the application being easy to use, customers being able to access the information they look for it to be presented clearly & for them to be able to perform the tasks they need at a time convenient to them.
Money Management: A key theme, particularly for PAYG customers (SSE), is the ability to manage direct debits and/or top ups. It’s clear that when this feature was not present,or that it was overly complicated/unclear customers became very annoyed.
Understanding Usage: A lot of positive sentiment came from those users who had the ability to at a glance understand their usage & linked with money management, adjust their payments accordingly avoiding bill shock (SSE & Bulb).
Submit a meter reading: Perhaps the most obvious piece of functionality, but a clear indicator that users are not looking for overly complicated products - there are probably no more than 5 features they really want.
Communication: It was clear to see that customers responded well to direct communication (either as an email or notification) that prompted them to do something in the app. Most users found needing to log into the website tedious/more complicated.
The three main pillars of the experience are meter readings, billing, and usage tracking. With the app, users can easily submit readings, view their previous readings, pay their bills, and understand their energy usage.
Our target audience includes customers who make direct debit payments (fixed and variable - monthly) or one-time payments (cash/cheque/card - monthly). We do not cater to prepayment customers, PAYG customers, or business customers (SME).
Must-Have:
- Viewing the current balance
- Submitting meter readings
- Viewing the bill
- Logging in with Face ID and Touch ID
- Accessing help and FAQs
- Providing feedback
Should have:
- Contacting customer service
- Retrieving a forgotten password
- Obtaining details about my tariff
- Personalizing the app
This process culminated in the successful sign-off of the development phase within the agency. The work we produced laid the foundations for what E.ON Next customers experience today when they interact through the mobile app.
