Powered by Open Banking and enabled via customer consent using app-to-app authentication, the product allows United Utilities’ customers to check if they meet the thresholds for social tariffs while on the phone to a customer representative. The tool detects levels of income and evidence of benefit payments by accessing the applicant’s bank account data and sharing these insights with United Utilities in real-time, so the whole process can be approved during the call.
In UK, water companies are required to ensure a minimum 7% of households are offered a social tariff, and work to identify potentially financially vulnerable customers who meet these criteria. United Utilities is one of the water companies to gain regulatory approval to increase the scale and scope of its social tariff. The company has supported an additional 45,000 customers who were furloughed, claiming SEISS or are now unemployed, reducing their water bill to an affordable amount.
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