Vizolution is launching its screen sharing solution vScreen into the Utilities sector.

Utility firms have suffered criticism over recent years from both the public and their regulator Ofgem, who has imposed over £100million in fines since 2010.

Criticism has centred on the fact that telesales staff were not providing customers with adequate information on the price of energy, exit fees, unit rates and standing charges. Additionally it has been claimed that incorrect information was being provided to customers over the phone and that customers were unclear about their tariff choices and as a result those customers may not have made the best choices.

The regulator Ofgem’s Standards of Conduct demand fair treatment of consumers, honesty, transparency and professionalism and for information to be clear, easy to understand and jargon-free.

Vizolution has been studying the Utility sector for some time and recognises close parallels with the financial services market where they are working with four of the top five UK banks and two of the top five UK insurance providers.

Bill Safran (pictured), CEO of Vizolution, said: “The main challenge in the utility sector is the need to communicate complex information to customers in a heavily regulated environment. A failure to adequately provide information is a common complaint levelled at utility firms and a core reason of many of the fines imposed by Ofgem. vScreen provides agents with the ability to engage with customers remotely using a visual script over the internet. This ensures that the process is compliant and guarantees that the correct information is provided to the customer at the right time, every time.

“We’re going to be taking a very positive message to the utility sector about how staff using vScreen can show calculators and images to help them illustrate and explain complex information such as product options, billing queries and new technology such as smart meters.

“The experience that we have had with the top lenders and insurance companies has shown that companies can improve compliance while also improving customer experience. Our customers have typically seen over 95% positive customer feedback.”