Building the Government's Simple Energy Advice Service
The Simple Energy Advice service, endorsed by the UK Government, aims to provide personalized recommendations for enhancing the energy efficiency of homes. Its purpose is to motivate individuals to undertake improvements that contribute to the country's low-carbon goals. During a successful alpha phase conducted by Softwire, it was determined that the existing call-center-only service needed to be replaced with a digitally-driven self-service option. Additionally, we outlined the structure of the new service. The Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) chose Softwire to implement the beta phase, which involved developing the service and creating all necessary content. This was a prominent public project, included in BEIS ministerial discussions, and was heavily promoted during the inaugural Green Great Britain Week in 2018. Thus, it was crucial that we met deadlines and ensured a reliable service.
Our approach included continual user testing, which led to the creation of a user-friendly and engaging service, while thorough load testing confirmed its capability to handle expected traffic volumes. We conducted weekly user testing sessions, both through hands-on lab testing in various UK regions and remote sessions where target users completed tasks at their convenience. This mixed approach helped us gain a realistic understanding of our diverse user base. We initiated a private beta with 1,000 users, allowing us to collect in-depth analytics on website usage. Given that the service revolves around users answering a series of questions for tailored advice, user testing and analytics highlighted which questions were causing delays. Our content team dedicated time to refine and retest these elements to enhance user experience.
Additionally, user feedback indicated a preference for video content in certain areas, prompting us to oversee the production of video clips to enhance the site's engagement. To keep pace with constantly changing energy legislation, we designed the website for easy updates, allowing BEIS’s team to modify most content through a content management system (CMS).
We conducted rigorous load testing to guarantee that the service could handle the expected user volume, especially with anticipated media scrutiny. Utilizing various features of cloud platforms enabled us to create a scalable and robust infrastructure, supported by best practices and thorough load tests.
Recognizing the need for additional support, we incorporated a small contact center to assist users, ensuring that customer interactions could be smoothly transitioned from the website to a contact center operator when necessary. We also advised BEIS on forecasted call volumes and training requirements, enabling them to hire and train an adequate number of staff.
The outcome of this project has been positive, with user numbers doubling compared to the previous service, and a significant number of visitors completing the full process to receive personalized energy-saving advice. Following a successful private beta, the public beta launched on schedule, just before Green Great Britain Week, allowing BEIS to replace the outdated call center with our more cost-effective solution. In its initial months, the digital service has seen a consistent increase in usage, with twice as many people accessing it monthly compared to the call-center-only model. Also, the average time spent on the site is sufficient for users to complete the questionnaire and review their suggestions. With 25% of visitors completing the entire survey and receiving their individualized advice, the service is achieving an impressive conversion rate, fulfilling its objective of helping a growing number of people access customized energy-saving recommendations. Softwire continues to provide ongoing support for the Simple Energy Advice service.
