The customer has always been at the centre of the attention and daily work of Iren Group. Customer satisfaction, together with a high-quality level of service, are pillars that support Iren’s growth strategies. In its relationships with its customers, the Group has transformed its role from mere supplier to expert in energy services, innovative domestic products and e-mobility solutions, adopting a new customer relations model that is increasingly orientated towards dialogue and advice. A new relationship that evolves and adapts to different lifestyles, offering personalised experiences and services to families.
In 2020, the Covid-19 emergency had a substantial impact on people’s lives, and Iren Group, to provide constructive support, immediately activated a series of measures to reduce the impact of this situation on relations with its customers.
In the first phase of the emergency, the physical contact points that the Group set up within the offices of some of the municipalities in the areas served remained open, adopting specific precautions such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), limited access to the premises, spacing, plexiglass protective barriers, digital systems for managing queues and appointments, disinfectant dispensers, sanitation of the premises and contact tracing of visitors.
From 9 March 2020, as a precautionary measure and in the spirit of the regulations issued by the Government, all the Group’s commercial help desks were closed. In the municipalities where the local authorities have granted the possibility of carrying out the service, the points of contact with residents, necessary for the continuity of essential services such as the Collection Centres or the “Punto Ambiente” [Environment Points], have remained open in compliance with the regulations in force.
Since 5 May 2020, the main help desks in the capital municipalities have been reopened with the new access methods already applied to the contact points in the municipalities, and since 18 May all help desks have normally been operating again.
At the same time, Iren Group has strengthened and promoted the use of digital channels, such as the website irenlucegas.it and the IrenYou App – which allow to carry out operations related to the management of contracts, such as communicating the meter reading, paying bills, etc. – or the Facebook page “Iren luce gas e servizi” to have a first response to the most straightforward requests. Also, to avoid waiting at counters, it has implemented the new UFirst App, which allows scheduling appointments with the Group’s offices and thus avoiding crowds.
Confirming its attention to local areas and people in difficulty, since March, the Group has stopped all new actions to suspend or reduce supplies (gas, electricity, water and district heating) due to situations of non-payment and, in order to deal with problems in the delivery of bills by the postal services, has acted promptly by reinforcing communication on the possibility of receiving digital bills and extending payment terms.
Pending the adoption of specific measures by the Government and the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment (ARERA), the Group has offered all customers, households and businesses, who have experienced objective economic difficulties, the possibility of requesting a 30-day deferral of the due date for payment of their bills or an instalment plan for their gas, electricity, water, district heating and waste bills under a specific fee or commercial tariff. This option was applied, upon request, for invoices due between 13 March and 30 April, without the application of interest charges for late payment.
In support of the initiatives started by the Group, ARERA’s resolutions, subsequently intervened, providing for: the blocking of suspensions for non-payment and the obligation to re-power the utilities suspended from 10 March to 3 May for electricity, gas and water; favourable instalment conditions (for customers under the protection of the electricity service and water users); suspension of the terms of payment of utilities in the municipalities of the “first red zone” with any instalment of the same; the incentive to digitize bills.
Call centre operations were always guaranteed at full capacity. Despite the highly critical moments caused by the situation, the suppliers that support the Group in providing customer services quickly activated smart working for their employees, thanks to which a level of service in line with the parameters of Iren Group was guaranteed.
Business Conduct
Communications to customers comply with the principles of clarity and transparency provided by the Code of Ethics and Code of Business Conduct, with the objective of placing the customer in a position to be able to make an informed choice.
Iren Group fully complies with the guidelines of the Code of Business Conduct for the sale of electricity and natural gas to end customers, formulated by ARERA, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment, which regulates sales outside of the Company’s commercial premises, i.e. activities of physical door-to-door companies and at commercial stands and teleselling and webselling to promote energy contracts.
As part of the contractual relationship, the Group requires external promotion companies (door-to-door companies, commercial stands, telesellers and websellers) to comply with the regulations and procedures of the sector and, more specifically, requires compliance with ARERA’s Code of Business Conduct, the Consumer Code, as well as Iren Group’s Code of Ethics, Model 231 and Quality Policy. In addition, the Group’s control systems on contract promotion are also stricter compared to sector regulations.
Promotion companies are selected according to rigorously applied criteria, which shall include:
- the possession of all permits, licences and registrations for conducting commercial agency activities (including registration in the National Register of Commercial Agents);
- the availability of a back office to monitor and train agents, conduct the preliminary verification of contracts acquired and verify customer awareness via check-calls;
- the knowledge of the local market and technical and organisational expertise.
It is only once the formal and technical verifications have had a positive outcome that an agency contract or a commercial collaboration contract is signed.
All agency collaborators receive adequate training on the regulations governing the sector and the codes of conduct to adopt. This training is divided into different sections (gas market, electricity market, offer type, Code of Business Conduct) and the first session is held in the presence of Group sales staff.
The activity of the companies is monitored and controlled at various levels and in different ways depending on the type of activity performed. In order to verify the correct operation of suppliers, as provided for in the mandate, the Group carries out controls through quality calls on the activity carried out by door-to-door companies to confirm that contact has been made with the agent and that the contractual proposal has been accepted. Alternatively, in 2018 instant calls were introduced, a quality call carried out on average within 2 hours of the contract being signed, for more timely and effective control of the sales activity. With regard to telesellers and activities deriving from webselling, a third party is appointed to make calls to check customer awareness concerning the telephone proposal accepted (welcome calls, courtesy calls and confirmation calls).
Pursuing a policy of transparency and protection of the customer’s wishes, Iren Group offers customers with telephone contracts the option of listening to their telephone recording by accessing a dedicated section on the company website using personal login details.
Lastly, to verify that the companies work in compliance with contractual obligations and, specifically, in compliance with the Company’s self-regulatory documentation (Code of Ethics, Model 231, operational procedures), visits are made periodically to the sales offices, the results of which are presented and discussed at the process committee.
The organisation of Iren Mercato also provides for a specific structure dedicated to analysing customer complaints concerning external channels of sales. These complaints can result in the application of penalties and, in more serious cases, the dismissal of the agent, with a ban on working for Iren Mercato, even through other companies, up to the possible resolution of the agency mandate.
Sales and marketing activities are conducted in accordance with the principles of honesty and transparency and in full compliance with the provisions of EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR), of Italian Legislative Decree 196/2003 and any applicable regulation concerning personal data protection. In order to guarantee compliance with privacy regulations:
- the processing of customers’ personal data in accordance with freely given and collected consents is guaranteed;
- the processing of personal data on behalf of Iren Mercato is permitted only to persons appointed in writing as external data controllers (Art. 28 of the GDPR);
- commercial or promotional actions are carried out exclusively with regard to persons who have given informed consent after reading the specific privacy policy (Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR).
In order to guarantee the exercise of the rights provided for by the GDPR, Iren has made available communication channels and facilities dedicated to the reception and management of requests regarding access, rectification, cancellation, restriction of processing, portability and opposition to the processing of personal data.
In compliance with the principles of anti-competitive behaviour, Iren Mercato does not conduct any commercial or promotional action towards customers who are part of the protected market, limiting its activities to its customers in the free market or prospective contacts acquired under regulations.
Customer health and safety
Iren Group has always put in place solutions to minimize the impacts that its activities may have on the health and safety of its customers and communities. Below is a summary by business segment.
Environment: the Group has developed performance monitoring tools such as environmental impact assessment, analytical controls, internal audits and legislative compliance checks, aimed at monitoring performance also in terms of sustainability and environmental protection. 70% of products and services in the environment sector undergo health and safety impact assessments.
Energy and smart solutions: the management model adopted considers the health and safety of customers, assessing environmental aspects, as well as the analysis and measurement of risks during all stages of the services supplied, from plant planning to maintenance, and the activation of new services and the selection, storage and disposal of materials and products that require specific certificates. Iren Smart Solutions develops and supplies products and services that meet customers’ needs for safety and well-being, such as anti-seismic building interventions and energy requalification; the creation of lighting systems that increase visual comfort; the management of thermal systems that make indoor environments safer and more comfortable, improving heat distribution.
As far as technological services managed for public administrations are concerned, the light pollution of public lighting systems (alteration of the levels of light naturally present in the night environment) and the consequent photobiological risk (damage that the direct vision of light sources, in particular LEDs, can cause to the human eye), are parameters monitored through the inclusion of stringent construction requirements in the purchase of lighting equipment. Moreover, for the public street lighting and traffic light service of the City of Turin, an app is available through which residents can report in real-time any faults or malfunctions.
As regards the global service for the public buildings in Turin, there is a detailed process for reporting faults/malfunctions, call management and problem resolution, with response times for each type of event and analysis and evaluation of the service level. A 24-hour contact line is provided to manage domestic heating systems, with repairs within 3 hours of the report.
Integrated water service: in the supply of water for drinking purposes, the health and safety of customers is the main priority. This aim is ensured through constant monitoring, even beyond legal obligations, of water quality along the entire supply cycle: catchment, treatment, disinfection, distribution.
Gas distribution: customer safety is the main issue in service management. Hiring competent and well-trained resources, together with continuous network monitoring, are elements that contribute significantly to accident prevention. These elements are subject to constant analysis and improvement measures in order to increase their effectiveness while respecting efficiency.
Electricity distribution: initiatives are implemented to safeguard the health of customers to ensure compliance with the limits of electromagnetic fields at power generation and distribution plants. In particular, in electrical substations, measurements are taken on each new substation, verifying the substation’s positioning and the electrical equipment inside it, concerning any adjacent sensitive areas. Similarly, in the plants, measurements of external acoustic emissions are carried out to verify the absence of any noise pollution to the local population.
District heating: since 2017, the Department of Environmental, Territorial and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI) of the Polytechnic University of Turin has carried out some studies on the consequences of the possible environmental benefits, in terms of air quality, of district heating systems in the Cities of Turin, Reggio Emilia, Parma and Piacenza. Analyses were conducted by comparing the environmental impacts of a scenario with a district heating system to a past scenario with a heating system based on decentralized stand-alone systems. The results showed a substantial reduction in the environmental impacts on the atmosphere through the extension of district heating networks powered by cogeneration plants. The magnitude of this reduction and the average concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere were also calculated in economic terms, i.e. by estimating the social costs avoided due to the reduction of adverse health effects.
Market: the whole range of products made available in the commercial offers of IrenGO and Iren Plus, promote the improvement of the health and safety of the customers, starting from the safety of the home to the individual.
Communication and relations with customers
Iren Group devotes significant attention to communicating its development plans, products and services, aiming to provide timely and transparent information through a number of channels.
Iren’s communication in 2020 was strongly influenced by the rebranding launched on 1 July. The new logo, which has maintained traces of the previous one, has marked a decisive step forward for a dynamic Group in which the services offered, symbolized by the variety of colours, are more integrated and connected, with a fluidity of form that symbolizes the ability to adapt to continually changing needs, without forgetting the values and objectives that have guided and will guide the future of the Group: attention to the environment, to people and contact with the local areas.
The new brand and the derived coordinated image have been applied on all communication media, within the company spaces and on contractual and commercial documentation. This activity allowed us to focus on the overall graphic revision of the materials for greater homogeneity and consistency with the new logo.
The rebranding was also an institutional campaign published in the leading national newspapers to support the subsequent television commercial campaign. In 2020, the growth trend of followers on the Group’s social channels and visitors to its websites continued. Product communication during the year was also based on the new national perspective launched with the “Go National” campaign.
In support of the commercial activities beyond the Group’s historical reference areas, a vital communication campaign was undertaken to position Iren luce gas e servizi as a brand at a national level. In July and September, multi-subject television commercials were broadcast on all the major national broadcasters, reaching a wider audience than that of the historical areas. The television coverage was complemented by an intense digital campaign aimed at different audience segments and a significant branding intervention in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, the Roma Termini railway and underground stations, and the Milano-Duomo underground. In the last six months of the year, issues were also planned in the leading national newspapers and the essential local newspapers.
On the occasion of the restyling and the opening of new stores and commercial spaces (Iren store in Sanremo, Green Pea commercial space in Turin and the future opening of a new store in Reggio Emilia in 2021), new guidelines were defined for the in-store communication and the fitting out of the commercial spaces oriented by solid attention to environmental issues.
The choice and use of materials for the fittings, where possible, follow criteria of environmental sustainability, in line with what was done in particular for the new Iren store at Green Pea (the first green retail park), where, in a prestigious context, entirely focused on the theme of respect and sustainability, natural or recycled materials were used.
In parallel with the opening of new stores, the Group continued to set up corners in shopping centres and new display areas focused on selling e-mobility and energy efficiency products.
Constant attention was paid during the year to the effectiveness of all communication channels and contact with customers, which required greater monitoring concerning the Covid-19 emergency.
Universal toll-free number for commercial services: there was an increase in incoming telephone traffic in the year compared to 2019, resulting from the closure of physical counters due to the lockdown. Although the number of calls increased by 22.4% (2,705,887 customers spoke to an operator of Iren Group), the performance respected the targets required by ARERA, with an answer rate of 91.3% on incoming calls, with an average waiting time of 60 seconds.
Also, some projects have been developed to improve the functionality of the telephone service: in order to avoid a prolonged wait for the customer, the Virtual Assistant, an automatic channel of artificial intelligence able to understand the most common questions of the customer, has been integrated into the reserved web area. The use of call back has been systematically adopted, allowing customers to book a call from the call centre operator when the phone line is busy to avoid long waiting times.
Environmental services contact centre: the service provides information to customers on waste collection and management services. All incoming contacts be they telephone, e-mail, web, are tracked on a unique management system that, through its database, allows a subsequent statistical calculation and processing. Reports and requests are automatically transferred to the local Environmental Services. In 2020, the Group carried out extensive customer care and customer satisfaction activity to increase the value of the relationship with the customer and create a direct thread, with the objective of planning actions targeted at specific customer segments and communications modulated according to needs. There were 578,220 calls at the call centre (up 24% from 2019) and 101,744 were e-mail and web contacts (up 26% from 2019).
The significant increase in calls and contacts was mainly due to the management of responses to requests for specific waste collection services in situations of Covid-19 positivity or quarantine and the activation of the collection service using personal badges in some districts of Turin. Despite the increase in incoming calls, 85.4% of customers who contacted the service by phone spoke to an operator, with an average wait time of 54 seconds, broadly in line with 53 seconds in 2019.
The integration of customer care activities aimed at the inhabitants of the municipalities managed by SETA continued in 2020.
Integrated customer relationship management (CRM) system: the new Customer Relationship Management system is integrated with many communication channels, allowing all information relating to each customer interaction to be collected, recorded and managed in a single system. It includes the sending of proactive multi-channel communications (e-mail, text, mail), allowing customers to receive continuous updates on the progress of procedures or requests until they have been resolved, and notifications regarding supplies.
Help desk, Iren space for customers: 2020 recorded a decrease in the number of contacts at the help desks generated by factors arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Iren served 386,090 customers compared to 607,469 in 2019 (-36.4%), in the 82 physical points located throughout the regions.
Despite the critical nature of the period, the plan to optimize the help desks continued, intending to guarantee efficiency and commercial repositioning, transforming a reception and management channel into a tool to strengthen the brand and seize opportunities to promote products and services designed for the customer, while maintaining the objective of continuous improvement in service quality levels. The help desk has consequently evolved into a place for advice, which encourages dialogue and closeness between customers and Iren, capitalising on the role of the human figure as a vehicle for trust, support and specialised experience.
A growing network of Iren Spaces: 82 physical points for managing requests and providing professional advice to customers.
In 2020, the number of help desks increased significantly due to two new points opened by Salerno Energia Vendite, two new openings in Turin, including the store inside Green Pea, two openings in Sanremo and one in the province of Reggio Emilia. In addition, in the Piedmont and La Spezia areas, an integration between the Iren Mercato help desks and the spaces that offer environmental services was launched at the end of 2020.
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
| Help desks (no.) | 82 | 68 (1) | 73 |
| Customers served (no.) | 386,090 | 607,469 | 584,508 |
| Average waiting time (min.) | 5.5 (2) | 12.0 | 13.9 |
(1) The data for 2019 has been restated.
(2) The data is affected by the closure of the help desks for two months due to the Covid-19 emergency and the reopening with access by appointment only.
Direct contact channels: interaction with condominium administrators and consumer associations has been encouraged on an ongoing basis, albeit remotely. In order to deal with the continuation of the Covid-19 emergency, a new informal contact channel was introduced between Iren Mercato and the consumer associations in the area through an e-mail address, which developed a volume of about 500 requests managed.
The Group also continued to promote meeting sessions, mainly with consumer associations, to discuss matters of particular importance, such as promotional activities, compliance with the Code of Business Conduct or free-market contracting arrangements.
Websites: in order to make the irenlucegas.it website more and more usable, the menus and contents have been revised, simplifying navigation and offering the customer more information in a clear and organised manner. The live chat has been optimized to offer assistance in searching for information or in the path to purchase services and products. In order to achieve greater visibility on the network, with a good ranking in the major search engines, all pages of the site have been optimised for SEO.
Social networks: the growth in social networks continued, leading to increased use, especially for caring purposes. Through social channels (especially Facebook), the Group, thanks to a friendly and more informal approach, spreads messages about the world of energy, services, regulations and environmental sustainability. Simple language is used, and quizzes or gamification modules are presented to encourage interaction with customers. Through the social channels, the Group tells its story more directly, through videos and photographs, and responds to customers through quick and easy interaction.
Mobile App: in April 2020, Iren Mercato launched IrenYou, the new application accessible from a smartphone or the web that allows customers to directly manage all supplies: electricity, gas, water, district heating and waste. Customers can download the bill online, avoiding the paper document, check their consumption, communicate their meter reading and be informed about the Group’s initiatives. Among the most appreciated novelties of the new application is using digital payments such as IrenPAY or credit card. The goal is to provide customers with a more intuitive interface with more functionality that offers a personalised experience. There were 457,454 registered customers at the end of the year, up 28% compared to 2019 when the previous application (ClickIren) was still operational. The App, after about six months since its release, has recorded a high level of satisfaction from users, demonstrated not only by an increased number of downloads but also by the evaluation recorded in the leading stores (4 out of 5). To support the use and knowledge of the new tool, a digital information campaign was launched, through which video tutorials were sent directly to customers. The videos were alsouploaded to Iren Group’s website and YouTube channel and projected on the local help desks’ monitors.
EcoIren is the App that provides residents and customers with helpful information on environmental services and Acquapubblica distributors in the area, and also allows a system of photo reporting: photos of abandoned waste, damaged bins and other anomalous situations can be taken and sent, along with text and geographical coordinates.
Digital payments: in 2020, Iren Mercato, following the possibilities granted by the European legislation PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2), developed the IrenPAY service, which allows customers to pay their bills directly through their bank’s online payment account. To help customers understand the simplicity and level of security of the new service offered, a digital campaign has been launched showing through a video how the service works and how to use it.
IrenCollabora.it platform: this is a tool that was created within the context of the Iren Local Committees (see page 108), to establish an innovative channel of dialogue, discussion and participatory planning between Iren Group and the local community stakeholders. The platform collects ideas, proposals, comments and observations to support and initiate environmental and social sustainability projects.
Commercial activities
Iren Group presents its customers with a complete offer portfolio which, starting from historically managed activities, incorporates new solutions and technologies to meet all energy management needs and the well-being of residents, companies and public administrations. The service is characterised by an efficient sales network assisting customers, consisting of a widespread network of help desks and call centres available to households and small businesses, as well as specialists dedicated to large companies, which are also able to support energy supply with consultancy and assistance activities on tariffs and contracts.
The Group also offers its customers certified clean electricity thanks to the procurement of renewable sources.
In the Environment sector, the Group operates according to transversal logic across the areas of interest, via a network that is useful for identifying and assessing business opportunities present on the market, also outside the areas of reference (tenders of national importance).
Retail customers
Regarding the retail segment, commercial activities are aimed at building loyalty and developing new regional areas.
The Group’s strategy, aimed at proposing commercial offers and services throughout the country (Go National), has led to a progressive homogenization of the portfolio of offers and services to customers. Sales activities were consolidated through the already active channels of teleselling and physical companies, with maximum attention paid to the monitoring and control of sales partners.
In 2020, the web sales channel grew considerably, available in self-navigated and chat-assisted mode, reaching a significant share of total contracts. In order to increase the traffic on its website, in 2020, Iren Mercato confirmed the flanking of the advertising campaigns on the Google search engine (Google Ads) with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) activities, intending to improve the positioning of the website in the search engine results. During the year, visits to the irenlucegas.it website more than doubled, and the Google Ads and SEO activities also significantly impacted Iren Mercato’s brand awareness.
Furthermore, with the same aims, Iren Mercato has strengthened its partnership with the main energy price comparison websites, promoting its own offers concerning the new Iren Plus extra-commodity services and products.
Iren Plus
In 2020, the Group consolidated its range of Iren Plus offers: home services, home automation products, internet connection and energy efficiency products. The development of the range of offers continued in line with previous years to offer top quality solutions, with a strong focus on energy efficiency, rationalization of consumption, and environmental sustainability. As part of the home services, several new products and offers have been launched:
- Casa h24, a package of assistance services for the home provided by Covercare with the inclusion of an AXA Assistance insurance policy to cover the breakdown of household appliances;
- Iren Revolution Luce, supply of electricity with the inclusion of an AXA Assistance insurance policy that guarantees 24-hour intervention by craftsmen necessary for minor breakdowns in the home;
- in combination with Casa h24 insurance coverage, boiler maintenance and air conditioning maintenance provide bi-annual maintenance of the boiler or air conditioner to ensure the best level of performance.
Through “Iren casa online”, in partnership with Linkem, Iren proposes itself as a single access point for its customers who wish to have a single supplier for internet connectivity and electricity. The customer who subscribes to the offer thus has priority access to Linkem support.
In the domain of home automation, attention was focused on integrating the latest generation technological devices (Smart Kit) in a home control service. Thanks to a special app, customers can independently and remotely manage lighting, cutting costs for inefficiencies, check for gas or water leaks and verify external intrusions. In addition, there are smart LEDs that can be managed through apps and voice assistance.
In addition to home control and lighting management, Iren offers its customers systems (devices, thermostatic valves, heat pumps, air conditioners, fixtures) for the intelligent management, even remotely, of energy efficiency in the home.
The range is completed by consolidated products such as condensing boilers and the installation of photovoltaic systems.
Iren Plus products and services are offered through traditional sales channels, teleselling, physical companies, e-commerce, call centres, help desks, and products defined as “complex” such as photovoltaic and boilers through a sales network of external agents.
For the launch of each new product, a market test was carried out prior to the release. This methodology has made it possible to fine-tune the distinctive elements of the offer, verify the product’s quality and ancillary services, and finally control the supply chain from the producer to the end customer. During the procurement phase,Iren Group qualitative and quantitative standards were applied to define the parameters for selecting suppliers, with a specific focus on the possession of environmental and product safety certifications. As far as the after-sales activity is concerned, a single assistance channel and a network of partners were chosen to provide the installation service for Iren Plus products.
IrenGO (e-mobility)
2020 was the year of the consolidation of the IrenGO electric mobility business line, which offers not only products and services but also a complete consultancy to all target customers: consumer, business and public administration, in line with the Group’s guidelines for sustainability and innovation.
IrenGO, also thanks to partnerships and specific agreements, has built a wide range of recharging infrastructures (wall boxes and recharging units), with various performances and powers, to which have been added turnkey design, installation and maintenance services through selected companies able to guarantee interventions on the whole national territory. In addition, IrenGO is installing public charging infrastructures in the main cities in the Group’s areas of operation, which will form an essential part of the network of public charging stations. The main projects underway in this area concern the Cities of Turin and Parma, while in Vercelli the installations have already been completed.
IrenGO has also equipped itself with its management software platform, through which it can interact with the recharge systems, and is developing an app for providing the recharge service.
IrenGO offers electric cars for rent, and light mobility means such as pedal-assisted bicycles and electric scooters for the sustainable mobility of customers. Iren Group is also MiMoto’s partner in providing the scooter sharing service in Turin and Genoa, and Dott’s partner for scooter sharing in Turin and, from 2020, in Rome.
The energy that powers the electric vehicles and charging systems is 100% certified renewable. In order to consolidate this element of coherence with the sustainable mobility project, renewable electricity formulas have been developed that consumer or business customers can combine directly with e-mobility product offers, such as the “Ricarica l’auto Luce Verde” [Charge car Green Light] formula.
In 2020, product and service offerings have also been developed that benefit from the tax advantages provided by the government through various programmes such as the 110% Superbonus and Ecobonus. In both cases, the retail customer can apply for the home electric car charging station, including installation, with credit assignment and invoice discount incentive.
District heating
In 2020, commercial development activities continued in the Turin area, both in the new network extension areas (North Turin and S. Salvario) and in the areas already reached by the service, while in the Emilia area, activities continued to consolidate and increase the number of connected volumes and the marketing campaign in Piacenza. Since October, the Group has also been marketing district heating services in Rivoli, Collegno and Grugliasco.
In the coming years, the plan to extend the district heating volume will offer customers the chance to contribute to the improvement of air quality in urban environments.
Business customers
Although the commodity market scenario has been marked by extreme volatility, the Group strengthened its presence in the large-scale gas and electricity customer segment, thanks to an effective dedicated offer portfolio, supporting the promotion of “green offers” for the supply of electricity produced entirely from renewable sources, which allow business customers to promote their environmental commitment.
Thanks to its production assets from renewable sources, Iren can offer “100% green” energy certified through the use of the “Iren Verde” brand and the relative origin guarantee certification, confirming its sustainability policies.
In 2020, Iren ratified the award, which had already taken place in 2019, of a lot of the Consip EE17 Tender for a volume of more than 500 GWh and an estimated turnover of around 100 million Euro, thus confirming itself as the supplier of reference for public administrations in the North West, to which it is offered the possibility of procurement at both fixed and variable prices linked to the “spot” price of energy on the Power Exchange.
Marketing and caring campaigns
The commercial launch of new products for home automation and energy efficiency was a further opportunity to refine and apply the new graphic layout adopted in all post-rebranding communication activities. In 2020, the social media project was also consolidated by developing new campaigns aimed at three different objectives: involvement and increase in followers, marketing actions aimed at potential customers interested in products such as Iren Plus and IrenGO, brand awareness to strengthen the brand identity. These activities will continue in 2021 and with the collaboration of influencers and with programming to reach a wider audience. During the year, the Group organized digital industry events, open to the general public, dedicated to presenting services and products related to electric mobility and energy efficiency, emphasizing the introduction and dissemination of regulatory and process aspects required to access the recently introduced tax benefits.
In addition to the “Iren con Te” loyalty programme, the Group is developing a new loyalty programme, more consistent with Iren’s new positioning, which will be released in 2021 to bring customers closer to the Group’s values.
Customer satisfaction
Iren Group has structured an annual monitoring system to evaluate the quality of the services supplied in order to identify actions for communication and operational interventions for continuous improvement.
Customer satisfaction surveys are assigned to the Corporate Social Responsibility and Local Committees Department, which deal with various Business Units for the definition of the survey areas and sharing the results achieved.
The customer satisfaction survey provides the following for the various sectors::
- an overall indicator (CSI index) that shows customer satisfaction in terms of the difference between perceived service value and expectations in regards various technical and relational aspects, which are weighted together;
- a synthetic overall satisfaction indicator (overall) that is monitored by directly asking the customer to highlight the overall perceived satisfaction level. Elements concerning the image and reputation of the Company are crucial in this question.
The 2020 survey shows overall positive results, broadly in line with past surveys.
Complaints and breaches
The monitoring of complaints is not only an obligation in respect of the regulatory bodies but is also a fundamental management tool for identifying critical issues and defining and implementing corrective actions. The number and type of complaints is, therefore, a key focal point for the Group and, at the same time, attests to the heightened awareness of customers and the growing level of their expectations.
In 2020, Iren Group received a total of 37,214 complaints, of which 14,111 referred to environmental services, 18,137 to energy services (gas, electricity and district heating), and 4,966 to the integrated water service, an increase compared to 2019. With regard to the sale of electricity and gas, there was an increase in billing and contracting matters, while there was a decrease in complaints relating to non-payment and suspension of supply. With regard to the water service, complaints mainly concerned billing, while in the environmental health services, they were mainly related to the initial phase of transforming the separate waste collection services from street to personal. Lastly, during the year, there was a reduction in complaints relating to district heating, where the recurring themes mainly concerned billing and technical aspects of the service.
Following the entry into force of the EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR), the term “complaint”, concerning privacy issues, must be understood to mean requests made by natural persons who are data subjects in the processing of personal data, addressed to the Data Protection Authority in the event of a possible breach of the relevant legislation by the data controller. In 2020, there were 26 complaints relating to customer privacy violations. On the other hand, there were no reports of loss or theft of customer information.
Iren Group did not record any breaches in 2020, in the scope of discriminatory practices against customers. Similarly, there were no cases of non-compliance with sanctions concerning the health and safety of products and services, marketing communications and promotion and sponsorship activities. Following the appeal submitted by Iren Mercato, the decision concerning the proceedings instigated by the Antitrust Authority in 2016 for alleged unfair sales practices regarding the acquisition of some electricity and gas customers is still pending. In 2019, a competitor filed a complaint with the Civil Court regarding alleged anticompetitive practices. The case was heard and Iren Mercato lodged an appeal, which was rejected by the Court. The appellant thus brought a claim for damages against Iren Mercato. The hearing, initially set for April 2020, was postponed ex officio to October 2020, Iren Mercato appeared in court, and the parties were granted permission to file additional preliminary briefs. The next hearing is scheduled for March 2021.
