TECHNOLOGY
THE UK ’ S TOP supplier of LPG , Calor Gas is very much a hands-on company that sources , shifts and delivers .
Every day the company provides heating , cooking and energy solutions to homes across the UK and also supplies heating , catering , agriculture and transport sectors with cylinders and bulk tanks . Its parent company , SHV Energy , is an even bigger mover and shifter , turning over more than € 5 billion in 27 countries with 13,500 staff .
But even such a physical operation can feel the rigour and strain caused by pace of technological change . Enter Simon Went , Head of IT for Calor Gas .
“ The pace of change is now relentless , and this is being felt across businesses in all sectors not just Calor ,” he comments . “ There are a number of internal and external factors becoming more complicated , and in the role I play I would say that relationship management is an increasingly vital component .”
The need for sophisticated customer relationship management becomes all the more pressing when you consider the length and breadth of UK geography which Calor covers .
“ We are a very traditional , physical , arguably simple business but also a very disparately located one . We have deployed mobile technology in the field for many years , however I see us using yet more of such technology enabling Calor to be a real time business ,” Went explains .
“ The days when we controlled all things related to IT are long gone . IT is not the sole preserve of the IT department anymore , everyone is into it and it is important that our internal stakeholders see us as a part of their conversations . Therefore , to meet the demands of the business we need the ability and agility to scale up quickly , and to do that we have developed a network of trusted partners .”
SMART MARKETING
Rules introduced by Competition Commission provide the backdrop to Calor ’ s customer retention technology drive . In a bid to remove barriers to switching providers in the LPG sector , gas tanks are now sold to the new provider in the event of a switch , removing the need to take away and re-install . Another key detail is that contracts can last no longer than two years , with companies like Calor having to inform customers when this time is reaching an end , notifying
16 April 2017