With self-meter reading, customers and tenants can conveniently collect their own meter readings at any time, eliminating the need to stay at home and await a meter reader.
However, unlike meter readers, customers might lack the skills to read a meter accurately. While it may seem like a straightforward task, human errors are common, with approximately 5-12% of customer-submitted meter data containing errors. This results in significant expenses and places a burden on back office teams. Correcting errors proves to be time-consuming, costly, and leads to undesired additional interactions with customers.
Blicker has simplified this process, making it as easy as walking over to the meter, capturing a quick photo with a mobile device, and effortlessly clicking "submit" to send the data over to the utility provider. From there, billing can be initiated. This streamlined process removes the need for manual form-filling, erasing potential human errors and guaranteeing that customers or tenants receive a bill they can trust.
Simply integrate Blicker's API into any mobile app, chatbot, or web portal!
There are many reasons for transitioning to self-meter reading through photos. The most important ones include:
Benefits for Customers and Tenants
Benefits for Utility Providers
Stedin grappled with substantial costs associated with visual inspections by meter readers. During house visits, meter readers manually collected meter data, causing human error in the data. To slash costs associated with house revisits and data corrections, Stedin empowered customers with Blicker.
The impact was substantial:
Inaccurate self-meter readings can cause billing discrepancies and lead to bill shock for customers. This contributes to the already high volume of energy customer complaints, emphasising the need for accurate meter readings and responsive customer service.
Unresolved complaints can result in customers switching to a different utility provider. According to a recent study by Energy UK, in March 2023, 175,334 consumers switched to a new electricity supplier, marking a significant 62% increase compared to the previous year. This industry phenomenon is known as a 'Change of Supply Event'.
UK residents frequently switch gas and electricity suppliers, according to a BEIS survey. Around 25% switched within the past year, with an additional 38% switching over a year ago. This reflects a dynamic energy market: empowering customers, promoting competition among providers, ultimately creating a more customer-centric industry.
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