The winter break in question
The winter break takes place each year between November 1 and March 31. This is a period during which the expulsion of a tenant is suspended, even if the latter no longer pays his rent.
Created in 1956 following the call of Father Pierre to protect the tenants during the coldest months of the year, it is extended to energy suppliers by Brotte law of April 15, 2013. This law prohibits power and gas cuts , including in the event of unpaid invoices. The reduction in the power of the electricity meter is however authorized, except for beneficiaries of the energy check or the Housing Solidarity Fund (FSL) which must keep their electrical power identically.
The winter break has a significant impact on energy suppliers which must manage unpaids while ensuring the continuity of the service.
Even if it offers a temporary respite to households in energy precariousness , it does not mean the cancellation of debts. At the end of the winter break , on April 1, energeticists were again authorized to take measures in the event of unpaid.
End of the winter break, the difficult balance to find for energeticians
The end of the winter break marks a crucial transition period. The obligation to maintain the energy supply during the truce was able to lead to the accumulation of significant debts. These sums must be recovered to maintain the financial balance of energy suppliers . At the end of the truce, the latter are again authorized to take measures to recover these unpaids. Among them:
- resumption of power and gas cuts;
- reducing electrical power;
- the commitment of recovery procedures, such as reminders, formal notice, seized on wages or legal actions;
- invoicing of recovery costs.
These actions, although necessary, can be complex to implement due to a substantial volume of files to be processed and be perceived negatively by customers.
In addition, the end of the winter break coincides with a period of the year when energy consumption can still be high, especially if temperatures remain cold. Too strict actions, combined with inflation and increase in energy prices, can worsen the energy precariousness of many households.
Energy providers must act with tact and find the right balance between the recovery of unpaids, the preservation of customer relations and taking into account possible financial difficulties in certain households. In a tension market, the end of the winter break should be anticipated in order to set up preventive, flexible and adapted strategies.
Energy suppliers confronted at the risk of unpaid periods during winter post-honeycomes
The winter post-huge period also confronts energy operators at the risk of insolvency of their customers.
This risk is difficult to anticipate with traditional tools, especially when the data collected is limited to the basic information of the contract (name, first name, address, etc.) and are based on the customer declarative.
The classic solvency assessment methods are insufficient to treat the complexity of personal situations. In this context, energeticians have every interest in enriching the knowledge they have of their subscribers with more reliable and more complete data in order to adapt their offers and limit financial losses linked to unpaid.
Beyond this problem, there is, during this period, a risk linked to the arrival of bad payers coming from other energy. Indeed, some customers who have accumulated unpaid people with their energy supplier anticipate the end of the winter break and the risk of cutting and seek to change provider. Suppliers therefore face an influx of new customers, a significant part of which will then have a bad payer profile.
Meelo to the aid of energy market players to combat unpaid unpaid
Energy suppliers are required to provide all households, including the most vulnerable. This obligation, although fundamental, complicates the management of the risk of unpaid unpaid. The end of the winter break intensifies the work of recovery and highlights the importance of identification of customers at risk. With his solution dedicated to energy -fed, Meelo provides an appropriate response by improving financial risk management and optimizing the customer journey.
Optimized customer knowledge
Meelo helps energeticists to better know their customers through risk scores based on enriched data. By analyzing information such as email address, telephone number, banking data and location, Meelo is able to assess the level of risk associated with each customer. These scores allow energy suppliers to adjust the customer route accordingly, by proposing for example suitable payment methods or by requesting additional guarantees to customers with a higher risk.
Fluid and simplified customer integration
The automation of customer integration processes offered by the Meelo solution makes it possible to accelerate the care of new customers and to simplify their course, by reducing the time limits and administrative procedures. It also helps limit errors and fraud, automatically checking the information provided by subscribers.
More targeted risk management
The Meelo solution offers a more targeted risk management , which results in a reduction in unpaids and an optimization of acceptance rates.
Thanks to an identification of customers at risk, energy suppliers can set up more effective recovery actions and avoid unnecessary service cuts. This targeted approach also makes it possible to improve the profitability of the company, by reducing financial losses linked to unpaid.
Convincing results from the first months of using the Meelo solution
From the first months following integration, Meelo energy supplier customers noted a significant reduction in unpaids . This improvement is the direct result of an optimized customer journey, where the risk profile of each customer is evaluated in real time. Customers with a high score are invited to provide guarantees, which secures their contract and reduces the risks for the supplier.
The use of risk scores has made it possible to reduce the risk, by identifying customers who have a high potential for non-payment.
At the same time, the Meelo solution improves the acceptance rate, preserves customer experience and reduces abandonment.
By relieving subscriptions, it finally allows an increase in the lifespan of customers in the portfolio.
