SSE Energy Services CIO Philip Clayson said that opening up digital channels and self-service – with the energy retailer’s app ratings “going through the roof” – had been crucial to keeping phones lines open for the company’s most vulnerable customers.


The former TalkTalk Technology Director said that maintaining the quality and capacity of their phone lines had been a priority for the critical energy retailer, which was recently bought by Ovo Energy. Phone lines were deemed crucial by Clayson because vulnerable or isolated members of the public, and those without an internet connection, would need a reliable line on which to access help should they need it.

By focusing on developing their mobile app, more customers were able to troubleshoot and self-serve without having to try and contact a call centre.

Speaking at NS Media Group’s Virtual CIO Symposium – a gathering of senior business and technology executives by CBR and NS Tech – Clayson spoke about their new app and its success across the various app stores in conversation with Computer Business Review Editor Ed Targett.​

“Our teams have done an absolutely amazing job in the last couple of weeks by opening up journeys that were in the roadmap and pushing forward functionalities to be developed, and clearing the development backlogs,” Clayson said.​

“The amount of downloads of the app from the various app stores have been huge, the ratings on the app stores have gone through the roof. We’ve been super pleased with the result there, and obviously every person who uses the app is one less person who is trying to get through by phone, which frees up the capacity for those who can only really use the phone.”​

You can see the full video interview with SSE Energy Services CIO Philip Clayson at the Virtual CIO Symposium portal.​