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Utility website rankings 2010 Our annual ranking of utility website user-friendliness is out. Is your company riding the wave or wiping out? By Karma Ockenden. 2010 Utility Week/Webcredible utility website league table Rank Company Web address Score 1 British Gas britishgas.co.uk 4.3 1 SSE hydro.co.uk 4.3 2 First Utility first-utility.com 4.0 2 Utilita utilita.co.uk 4.0 3 Good Energy goodenergy.co.uk 3.8 3 EDF Energy edfenergy.com 3.8 4 Npower npower.com 3.3 5 Green Energy greenenergy.uk.com 3.0 5 ScottishPower scottishpower.co.uk 3.0 6 Ecotricity ecotricity.co.uk 2.8 6 Eon eonenergy.com 2.8 7 Equipower ebico.co.uk 2.3 8 Utility Warehouse utilitywarehouse.co.uk 1.3 Energy average 3.3 Rank Company Web address Score 1 Thames thameswater.co.uk 4.3 2 Anglian anglianwater.co.uk 4.0 2 Severn Trent stwater.co.uk 4.0 3 Southern southernwater.co.uk 3.8 3 Yorkshire yorkshirewater.com 3.8 3 South West southwestwater.co.uk 3.8 4 Wessex wessexwater.co.uk 3.5 5 United Utilities unitedutilities.com 3.3 6 Northumbrian nwl.co.uk 2.5 7 Scottish scottishwater.co.uk 1.8 8 Welsh dwrcymru.com 1.3 Water average 3.3 Clear winners and losers emerge from this year's annual Utility Week ranking of utility company websites, graded according to how usable they are for customers. Both the energy and water sectors are starkly polarised in terms of online performance, with high performers approaching top scores and bottom performers clinging to minimal numbers. British Gas and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) top the energy league table, each scoring 4.3 out of a maximum 5 points. Of the big six suppliers, Eon trails with 2.8 out of 5. Factoring in the smaller suppliers analysed, Utility Warehouse is in bottom position, scoring just 1.3. It is noteworthy, though, that two smaller suppliers - First Utility and Utilitia Services - take joint second place, scoring more (4 each) than all but the top two big six suppliers, while Good Energy ties for third place with EDF Energy (3.8 each). Thames Water stands out as the best water performer, scoring 4.3 out of 5, putting it on a par with British Gas and SSE. It is closely followed by Anglian Water and Severn Trent Water, which tie for second place with 4 out of 5 each. Welsh Water languishes at the bottom of the table, scoring just 1.3 out of 5. Two other companies put in below average performances: Scottish Water (1.8) and Northumbrian (2.5). Both the energy and water sectors scored an average of 3.3 out of 5, which is encouraging, according to web user experience specialist Webcredible, which annually conducts the research for Utility Week. Its report says: "With an average score of 3.3 in our study, it's clear that utility companies are becoming aware of the potential cost savings in encouraging and supporting their customers in moving to online services." Webcredible praises the seven utilities that scored 4 or more (British Gas, SSE, Thames, First Utility, Utilita, Anglian and Severn Trent), for offering "a good user experience" and "great usability". It criticises the three companies that scored under 2 (Utility Warehouse, Scottish Water and Welsh Water), noting "these sites lacked in regards to fundamental usability principles". And it urges companies scoring below 3 to wake up and realise they "still have a lot to do to improve their online presence". Full results are shown in the tables, with comments on the best and worst performers in the box, Company highlights. It has never been more important for utilities to get their online offerings right. More and more of the population is going online and using the internet to do more, including finding information, paying bills, switching supplier and completing other key tasks such as providing meter reads. For utilities, this offers the opportunity to reach a wider audience, to fulfil customer requirements, to streamline service, and to reap rewards that go beyond the online channel. According to Webcredible: "Improved usability is likely to lead to an increase in channel loyalty and return site visitors, and an improvement in the perception of the brand as a whole, both online and offline." Conversely, rushing online with sites that prove difficult to use can put both existing and potential customers off a company for good. Because of this growing use of the internet, Webcredible has altered its research methodology this year to factor user behaviour into a straightforward assessment of usability best practice. Each site is measured against four key usability criteria (see box, Methodology) but the analysis also takes account of the fact that users land on sites with different motives, in different places, and at different phases of development towards becoming a customer. Some will be simply browsing; some will be actively researching; some will be directed straight to a particular deal from an aggregator site; while existing customers will need servicing, supporting and rewarding for their loyalty. The report says: "It's no longer sufficient just to offer an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use website, as there are now a vast number of touch-points with the user, where the experience must be considered. It can't be taken for granted that the user will come to the website at a particular point, so the website must fulfil the user need at whatever point in the lifecycle they are at." Webcredible advises utilities to maximise their online performance at every stage. They must ensure they are reaching customers through the right channels (via search engine optimisation, pay per click advertising, or social media). They must provide a smooth, succinct and intuitive user journey through a site, from landing page to purchase confirmation. And once a customer is won, their expectations must be exceeded and their loyalty rewarded. The web specialist also urges utilities to place good site usability firmly in the context of their wider business and in building a great all round user experience. A good impression from visiting a site must be reinforced by good experiences whenever a customer contacts the company, or vice versa. The report concludes: "User-centred design shouldn't just be limited to the website, but should encompass the whole experience including your contact processes and content." Webcredible is offering its full report, usually £475, to Utility Week readers for £250. Visit Webcredible and enter discount code Webcredible1. Sorry sites Utility Warehouse (1.3 out of 5): The site doesn't provide "compare" options or a price savings calculator on the homepage. There are layout inconsistencies and even though all the user requirements are incorporated they're hidden in a complex and multi-hierarchical navigation. The unique selling point of this provider is its money-saving services and this theme has been maintained throughout the site by providing the money-saving calculators and area-specific tariff charts. But the homepage displays weak layout and lacks any information chunking strategies. Welsh Water (1.3 out of 5): On the whole, this website has all the required information that new and existing users need. But the homepage bombards site visitors with a lot of information which could be made clearer using appropriate information chunking and colour coding. The "Welcome" link suggests it leads to a separate site introduction but is in fact a link to the homepage. Rises and falls Results from the 2009 survey are not directly comparable with this year's due to methodology changes (see main article). But in terms of each supplier's position relative to its peers, of note are: Energy: SSE held on to its number one place from last year, although this year's joint best performer, British Gas, rose from fourth place. EDF Energy and Npower have both slipped back, from joint second place last year to third and fourth out of the big six this time. Last year's bottom energy performer, Scottish Power, has switched slots with Eon, which was fifth last time. Water: Thames, Anglian and Southern have held on to first, second and third place respectively. Severn Trent climbed from fifth to take joint second. A website overhaul has worked for Wessex, bringing it up from ninth to fourth. As with energy, the bottom two performers have switched slots, with last year's laggard, Scottish Water, this year overtaking Welsh Water. Company highlights British Gas (4.3 out of 5): The site provides easy access to the most important tasks, scores 5 out of 5 for navigation and is consistent in terms of look and feel. Interestingly, the homepage primarily focuses on serving existing customers rather than encouraging potential customers to switch to British Gas. SSE (Scottish Hydro) (4.3 out of 5): This site has a clear navigation structure, with key tasks easily locatable from the homepage as well as from the primary navigation. The user is given good visibility and feedback on their current location. However, since the site structure is complex, the addition of a breadcrumb would help orientate users. Thames Water (4.3 out of 5): The site has a clear layout and a logical organisation of content. The navigation is consistent and the labelling is clear, making it easy for visitors to quickly find relevant information. The site gives customers quick access to all online self-services and good guidance to complete these tasks. However, since the site does not allow users to create an account, some details have to be input every time a task is completed, having a negative impact on the task efficiency. Methodology Webcredible evaluated 24 utility websites during September and October. This year it added key smaller energy suppliers to its usual assessment of 11 water companies (the ten England and Wales water and sewerage firms plus Scottish Water) and the big six energy retailers. Four criteria, each with corresponding usability guidelines, were used. Homepage: * Identity development (placement of logo; clear explanation of the site offering; tag line to explain the purpose of the site). * Contact information. * Emphasis on site's top priority tasks (get quote; compare; switch info; register options; bill payment options; meter reading; price savings calculator; efficiency tips). * Availability of accessibility options. Navigation: * Key features easily located through main navigation. * Universal navigation (feedback on location within the site). * Site map. * Labelling and terminology. Design & aesthetics: * Clarity in visual display. * Information chunking: whether chunking is based on a similar kind of content for easy identification. * Visual consistency across all pages. Task efficiency * Checklist and instructions requirements clearly displayed upfront that aid proficient task completion. * How easy it is for new site visitors to get: online quote; clear tariff names/descriptions and if current tariff is easy to change. Source: Disconnector © Faversham House Group Ltd 2010. News articles may be copied or forwarded
for individual use only. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent.
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