Customers in Vulnerable Situations (CIVS) – engagement questions and answers

Three specific topic areas for discussion were shared with stakeholders prior to the event and also on the day. Stakeholders were asked to provide feedback on each of the three areas:

Digital Switchover
Seldom Heard
Winter Readiness

The questions and answers received are listed below:

	Digital Switchover	Seldom Heard	Winter Readiness
Q1	What is your understanding of the Digital Switchover?	What are the biggest barriers to engagement?	What is the highest priority for our vulnerable customers this winter?
	Been delayed thank goodness. Need a plan of how/who it will affect Lots of work to do not even sure third sector get it, never mind vulnerable people Give us the time to put a local plan/info package together Using PSR as much as possible How are customers affected on PSR? Move from analogue to digital infrastructure Improved safety, better supply management. Use digital tools I.e. smart meters	Sharing customer data Trust-confusion in market Conflict of time-carers/young parents Capacity-English as a 2nd language Make the engagement fun. Offer them same thing for engaging, showing them their opinion or info is valued Social isolation-how do we get people back to venues? Identify who they are. Reach them, don’t expect them to reach you How to get to the visually impaired	Support-heating assistance programme, energy advice sessions, proactive comms, financial aid, loans/grants, free safety checks Key connector for households who would otherwise get missed If bills can’t be lowered by price per kWh then support advice initiatives re: other ways to stay warm Emergency crisis assistance that is not too cumbersome Reaching a wider demographic. Educating-lots of people don’t know what help is available
Q2	What do you think NGN’s involvement should be to support customers in the digital switch over?	What can NGN do to remove these barriers and improve engagement with this group?	What do you think NGN’s involvement should be to support customers this winter?
	Help small grass roots organisations or comm buildings to get the word out Rural area power cuts = no phone, poor info on back up Switching off vulnerable people ☹ Not everyone is ready for it, elderly, vulnerable don’t all have 5G phones. Rural areas have no signal. Care homes (fall alarms) won’t work-cost to replace, who will pay? Support for digitally excluded needed Education/awareness accessible info. Explain benefits, how it helps customers Offer dedicated support lines/chat/translation services Not happy about it Personalised visits, additional training. Take feedback and provide feedback methods Collaborate with Community organisations Link to adult social care teams Does not link to alarm call systems Using PSR as a way to disseminate comms to householders Telcom industry falling well short	Early education within schools, making messaging child friendly Network and link policies together “capacity funding” Have advocates from early adopters testimonials Lots of people don’t know who to turn to (educate). More advertisements required to local/national schemes One stop shop-links to advice in 1 place Different ways of delivering-craft/food/advice with social element Those just over threshold of government support eligibility. Reach out-campaign more members of community info sharing Language Reaching people who are isolated and have no internet access Translation services-email is a useful tool and clients have a record Do: Tailored comms for all demographics Visual aids, multiple language. Community collaboration for gaps Use libraries for talks, info, training Language/cultural Spread your network. Every group/org has seldom heard groups Communication-how they like to be contacted Barriers-resistance to change, old buildings not fit for purpose, cybersecurity upgrades, high initial costs, lack of digital skills, regulatory & compliance	Try and get the true messages out. The news just scares people To be warm and feel safe not anxious Access, affordability, reliability, discounted tariffs. Support to change Sign people up to pension credits. Get word out to pensioners Help community organisations to get more energy saving skills, advice, services that really reach people Engaging with private sector landlords This is a great idea Supporting most vulnerable Being able to stay warm without worry Help with costs of energy bills A campaign designed to actually reach people Encourage vulnerable customers to have a plan Practical support - warm packs, vouchers etc.

NGN will use the insights from this engagement to inform our approach regarding the subjects raised, including our approach to further engagement with partners and customers. We will communicate steps that we have taken during future CIVS Workshops within the ‘You Said, We Did’ section to keep stakeholders informed of progress.

Event Evaluation and Future Engagement