Deregulation pushes utilities to offer online care

NEWS The Internet will be an important tool for utilities looking to hang onto their customers as deregulation rolls out across Europe, according to the latest research by Datamonitor. The study claims utilities will have to take advantage of the Web to improve customer service, offer customer information and add services. Author of the report and Datamonitor analyst, Michael Evason, said only 4 per cent of European utilities had online services, but 75 per cent planned to offer them within the next three years. UK and Scandinavian utilities already provide facilities for customers to email queries rather than phone the company but response times are causing concern, Evason added. While a few of the more progressive companies offer "call me" buttons enabling customers to schedule appointments with utility staff.