AWARDS FINALIST: Flick Electric

Flick – the first retailer to offer New Zealanders a way to buy cheaper power direct from the wholesale market – says the business has stayed true to its foundations of fairness, honesty and transparency as it has grown.

It has positioned itself as the conscious choice for consumers. Its value proposition to customers – “being deliberately on your side” – guides the company in providing solutions that are differentiated, disrupted and transparent.

Flick’s long term business strategy includes a vision to “bring smart energy choices to life” and, since 2020, a purpose to “put kiwis in charge of their power”.

‘Flickin’ Best Plan Promise (FBPP)

In June 2022 the company launched its ‘Flickin’ Best Plan Promise – a commitment to help ensure customers are on the best Flick plan for how they typically use power, and their wallets.

FBPP was designed for existing and prospective customers, to provide reassurance that they had made the right choice in Flick and to help breakdown the known barriers to joining a new electricity retailer.

Flick says the plan provides a unique and differentiated experience which aligns with the firm’s Customer Aroha strategy to “create Flick advocates that love us for being caring and transparent and empowering them to make good energy choices”.

Every 90 days, Flick reviews each customer’s power usage patterns. This looks at times of day they typically use power, calculates their variable kWh and fixed daily charge for the previous 90 days, and compares it against the rates of the alternative Flick power plan. From this, Flick can check if customers are on the best Flick plan for their household or could save by changing plans.

For customers whose usage patterns show they’re on the best Flick plan, the company emails them every 180 days to let them know. For customers who could potentially save more than $10 by changing plans, Flick emails them at each 90-day check and recommends they change.

Response

Flick believes they have got to the heart of customer problems and understood switching barriers to create something making a measurable difference to customer relationships.

About 83 per cent of surveyed customers say that FBPP makes them feel valued – a rating of 4 or 5 out of 5 – and 68 per cent are more likely to stay because of the promise.

Between June 2022 and April 2023, FBPP has estimated total potential savings of $100,000 across about 4500 customers.

Flick believes it's delivering ongoing value and empowering customers through engagement.

FBPP has exceeded Flick’s expectations and the company says it has once again disrupted the norm in a competitive industry to deliver a first-of-its-kind experience that puts the customer at the heart of what they do.

The Outcomes Awards is sponsored by the Electricity Authority