Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has become the first Distribution Network Operator to use the latest smart video technology to improve its service for customers who need to upgrade an electricity connection to support low carbon technologies.
SSEN Distribution has embarked upon a new partnership with the software experts Vyntelligence. This will embed AI-powered video analysis into the customer connections process, to support the uptake of heat pumps and electric vehicle (EV) chargers, as well as the delivery of general upgrades to electricity connections. It will do this by reducing the need for site visits, thus simplifying the installation process for customers.
How this new solution works
SSEN is the first Distribution Network Operator to use this kind of smart technology in this way. Customers will be able to use their smartphones to provide SSEN’s connections experts with high-quality footage of where cables would need to be installed. This means SSEN’s teams would be well-prepared for the job without needing to carry out a site visit beforehand.
Benefits for customers
As the decarbonisation of communities and the economy gathers pace, SSEN Distribution aims to make more use of smart digital technology to support these goals. Such solutions can help customers have a simpler, better, and potentially briefer process.
Video surveys can also be used by customers needing to make various changes to electricity supplies, thus removing the need for them to arrange site visits.
Another benefit of this innovation will be to reduce the number of journeys SSEN’s engineers need to make in and around communities, which will help lower pollution levels.
Eliane Algaard, Services Director at SSEN Distribution, says:
“This partnership – and the new solution it’s literally putting in the hands of our customers – is vital as part of the wider process of decarbonising our communities.
“Thanks to Vyntelligence, we’ll be able to streamline the process of managing the demand for network upgrades. A successful two-year pilot of this technology has proven its effectiveness, so we’re now ready to roll it out more widely with confidence to customers across our network areas.”
With Vyntelligence, customers can now complete property surveys in minutes. It provides intuitive, step-by-step guidance to securely capture the video footage SSEN’s engineers need for their assessments. The results are simpler, potentially faster connections and alterations journeys for customers.
Kapil Singhal, Vyntelligence’s Co-founder and CEO, says:
“We’re delighted to be an early partner to help re-imagine SSEN Distribution’s customer journey. As the world changes and skilled field teams become harder to find, we’ve opened this process to be more inclusive, empowering customers to easily take an active role in the process. Everyone benefits when we collaborate, we achieve faster connections for our communities, a more efficient network, and a healthier planet for us all.”
As part of SSEN Distribution’s commitment to ensure services are accessible and open to everyone, customers who don’t have a smart phone, have difficulty using the platform, or would simply prefer not to use it, can still request an in-person visit.
Vyntelligence uses state-of-the-art AI and security measures to protect all content submitted with full encryption at every stage. Access to this data is restricted solely to SSEN’s authorised personnel who are accountable for making customer connection decisions.
