It’s time to re-imagine innovation in utility management. While this is not a sector often associated with innovation, new ideas are transforming how contractors and customers interact with their utilities. These ideas are changing the way solutions are developed and managed and they focus on building relationships with contractors that allow them to grow their businesses and change the ways in which they engage with their customers.
“Innovation is extremely important,” says Carel Scheepers, General Manager: Sales at Citiq Prepaid. “It’s key to ensuring that companies like Citiq Prepaid are always paying attention to what customers want. For us, innovation sits at the core of our business and forms part of every decision we make and solution we create.”
Citiq Prepaid is a market leader in South Africa because of its commitment to new and inventive solutions and ideas. One of these was the first of its kind in the country – the Citiq Installation Club (CIC). This loyalty programme, designed specifically for electrical contractors, retailers and wholesalers, is designed to give back to the installer. Installers earn points for every meter installed, and once they reach. Once registered, installers get a point for every Citiq Prepaid meter they install and they receive a R500 voucher to redeem at their selected wholesaler once they reach 20 points.
“Our loyalty club was designed with three core values in mind – easy to use, relevant to the market, and valuable to members,” explains Scheepers. “Joining is easy with minimal paperwork and admin, and earning rewards is as simple as installing a certain number of our prepaid sub-metering solutions. That’s it.
In addition to the CIC, Citiq Prepaid has invested in high-quality prepaid sub-meters that assure users and contractors of longevity and sustainability. These are further supported by one of the largest networks of recharge points in the country. Currently, Citiq Prepaid has the biggest national network of recharge points that include handy physical locations such as well-known retailers, as well as mobile and virtual recharge points for those who are concerned about their health during the pandemic.
“We allow for our users to recharge using their mobile devices and our online platform,” says Scheepers. “It’s extremely quick and easy, designed to make the purchasing of electricity tokens an experience, not an ordeal. We believe in providing exceptional customer service, not just to the contractor, but to their customer as well. This forms part of our core innovation focus and informs our plans for the future.”
“Our online platform has been developed to provide customers with access to full reporting capabilities and the ability to track and monitor their prepaid sub-metering investments,” says Scheepers. “This service is of immense value to stakeholders who want to engage with different markets and customers and want to provide solutions that add value throughout the supply chain. With us, your customers are looked after and so are you.”
Over the next year, Citiq Prepaid is set to reveal some new and exciting developments in its utility management portfolio. These are aligned with changing market needs and deliver the kind of quality that electrical contractors have come to expect from the company. The future may be uncertain, the world may be facing a new normal, but Citiq Prepaid hasn’t changed its commitment to the contractor and to ongoing innovation that matters.
