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 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 2021 survey shows overall positive results, in line with past surveys.
Complaints and breaches
The monitoring of complaints is not only an obligation in respect of the Regulatory Authorities 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 2021, Iren Group received a total of 42,582 complaints – of which 17,651 referred to waste management services, 19,538 to energy services (gas, electricity and district heating), and 5,393 to the integrated water service – an increase compared to 2020. With regard to the sale of electricity and gas, the increase was seen above all in billing and contracting issues, with an increase, in particular, in requests for the prescription of electricity and gas consumption, which more than doubled compared with last year. Moreover, the volume of direct contacts managed by the channel between Iren Mercato and the Consumers’ Associations has doubled. On the other hand, complaints regarding billing adjustments and double billing fell sharply, following the fine-tuning and streamlining of the customer acquisition process. As regards the water service, the complaints mainly concerned prescription requests, while in the waste management services, in particular in the city of Turin, they were mainly related to the initial phase of transformation of the sorted waste collection services from street to door-to-door and collection centres. Finally, during the year, there was an increase in complaints relating to district heating that mainly concerned billing and technical aspects of the service.
Following the entry into force of EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) relating to the protection of personal data (privacy), the term complaint means requests submitted by natural persons concerned by the processing of personal data to the Data Protection Authority, in the face of a possible violation of the law by the data controller. In 2021, 18 complaints and one GDPR violation penalty in the amount of 1,428,085 Euro were registered. On the other hand, there were no reports of loss or theft of customer information.
In 2021, Iren Group did not record any violations regarding discriminatory practices towards customers or instances of non-compliance regarding the health and safety of products and services, marketing communications and promotion and sponsorship activities. Following on from 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. The judgement for damages following the action of a competitor against Iren Mercato for alleged anti- competitive conduct is also pending.