Vicky Houghton-Price

Register for extra support at Bulb

I advocated for, researched, designed and implemented an end to end service for customers in vulnerable situations to request additional support from their energy supplier, Bulb.

Context and the need for change

As a medium sized energy supplier, Bulb had to maintain a register of users in vulnerable situations. This is called the ‘Priority Services Register’ (PSR).

By "Vulnerable situation" that could be something that made it difficult for them to pay, or a disability that made them be particularly unsafe if they lost gas or electricity connection.

Bulb were obliged, by regulation, to have 7% of their customers on the PSR, but Bulb only had 0.17%. They needed to develop a way to identify these users and support them.

An excerpt from a memo I wrote convincing the exec team of the need to act on this problem quickly
An excerpt from a memo I wrote convincing the exec team of the need to act on this problem quickly.

Prototyping with the customer service team

We began by sketching the registration flow and developing prototypes using Figma and JotForm. The initial design was tested with energy specialists who accepted registrations over the phone, allowing us to refine the questions to fit their workflow better.

A customer service specialist on the phone with a customer
I was working in the same office as our customer office team, so we could prototype and iterate together on an internal registration process.

Testing a coded prototype with real users.

We conducted usability sessions with six customers in their homes, using their technology. These customers had different accessibility needs and were eligible for the PSR. Their feedback was invaluable in shaping the final design, ensuring it was both accessible and user-friendly.

research participants using assitive technology to read their bills and our website
Seeing participants use our products using assitive technologies flagged issues we needed to address across our design system.

Explain what you're offering before asking what needs someone has

We initially asked eligibility questions first, and what services they wanted second. But our research revealed that asking users about their conditions before informing them about available services was perceived as intrusive. We revised the flow to first ask what services the users needed, followed by eligibility questions. This change resulted in a more respectful and user-friendly experience.

"I find that question very intrusive. I don't even know what services you're offering yet, so I don't know if my disability is relevant." - participant with limited mobility

a design iteration from asking for needs rather than eligibility first.
The change of order meant we weren't asking questions about someones personal situation unless they actually wanted the services on offer.

Making our content simpler and more inclusive

The language used in the registration process was carefully adjusted to avoid triggering discomfort or anxiety among users with disabilities. Terms like "priority" were perceived negatively by some users, leading us to adopt simpler, more inclusive language.

a screenshot of a question asking what services the user is interested in.
We removed words like 'priority' from our service where possible, as it made some users feel like a burden, prioritising themselves over others who may need support sooner.

Designed internal tools and training to ensure a positive end-to-end experience

We also designed internal tools and training programs to ensure staff were prepared to support customers effectively. These tools included features like flags that allowed consistent support across different communication channels.

a screenshot of internal tool sidebar so cx teams can see quickly if a user has registered for additional support.
Adjustments to our internal tools so it clear to CX teams when a customer has registered, avoiding customers having to tell us their situation multiple times.

Outcome

Within 5 months of launching the new registration system, the proportion of members on the PSR increased from 0.17% to 7%. The system received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with minimal defects reported. The project also led to improved accessibility across Bulb's services and established a framework for identifying and supporting customers in vulnerable situations.

The research led to umprovements in accessibility that were rolled out across all of Bulb's digital products.

The project also raised awareness of the needs of vulnerable customers within Bulb, influencing training programs and the design of future services​

2 phones showing screens on the Bulb account with a call to action to register for additional services
The final service was embedded in the account and app so that users could access it via all channels, phone, email, chat and directly using customer tools.