To support customers with this industry change, EDW Technology has launched a new solution to automate the switching process.
What is the Switching Programme?
Ofgem’s Switching Programme, launched to the energy industry on 18 July 2022, provides a faster and more reliable way for businesses and consumers to switch energy suppliers. Ofgem has introduced a new Central Switching Service to manage the process and interaction between market participants. By reducing the time it takes for energy suppliers to move consumers to a different provider from 21 days to up to 5 working days, the programme aims to provide reliability, and certainty. Through this transformation, Ofgem is aiming to remove barriers to moving energy providers by improving the experience, by becoming more customer focused and reducing errors in the switching process.
What are the benefits of the Switching Programme?
The main aim of the Switching Programme is to transform the current switching process to be much more reliable and faster. With the previous switching arrangements developed in the 1990s, it was complex and often caused delays, errors and unnecessary costs. The introduction of the Switching Programme should reduce errors in the process, save consumers money on their energy bills, increase the choice consumers have and improve customer service for all involved.
These benefits are important for not just the consumer, but also energy suppliers in reducing administration time and costs and increasing confidence from their consumers.
Enabling the Switching for B2B suppliers
To support the industry with these changes, EDW Technology has developed a Centralised Switching Service (CSS) adaptor solution, the CSS Gateway, to provide secure, real time, automated integration between the CSS and supplier systems that will help to significantly reduce the time it takes to move consumers to a different energy supplier.
Through working with the Switching Programme, EDW has developed a transformative initiative which enables energy suppliers to meet their obligations to enable switching via the Central Switching Service. Guaranteeing three key capabilities will be delivered to the industry; flexibility, security and insights, and enabling the orchestration of new key industry processes.
Paul Dowling, Head of Business Solutions at EDW Technology said;
The implementation of the Central Switching Service represents a big change in the industry utilising modern technology and integration patterns to deliver benefits to end consumers. It has been great to collaborate with the industry and customers to provide a solution which delivers significant benefit to energy suppliers and end consumers
Transforming the energy industry
The introduction of the Switching Programme impacts the entire energy industry and marks a step change for the industry as Ofgem puts consumers and their expectations first. Through introducing a modernised and robust switching system into the way consumers move energy suppliers, the industry is embracing reliability and certainty for all parties involved in the switching process.
EDW Technology and the team behind the CSS Gateway has developed a product that can support their customers with adhering to the new process, guaranteeing that their customers can support consumers with switching energy suppliers faster and easier in line with the new industry standard.
As TEAM Energy’s sister company, EDW Technology develops software that empowers business electricity suppliers to transform their customer experience, improve business efficiency and profitability. You can find out more about EDW by visiting their website.