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Mircea Pătrășcoiu, General Director Electrica Furnizare
The alternative in development consists of innovative and competitive solutions
Rep.: In your opinion, what were the major energy market challenges that forced the company to reposition against competitors in the sense of promoting the concept of an integrated service provider?
MP: If we are talking about market challenges, I would point out: the instability of prices on the electricity market; the unpredictability of price rises; the development of competition, both in terms
of increasing the number of competitors and diversifying the services / products
offered to customers (energy, natural gas, the Internet, etc.); orientation towards distributed production, an example of which is the promotion of solar panels.
Certainly, the process of market liberalization has
been and is beneficial for all consumer categories. Today we are talking about a great competition between suppliers who come with complex products to the advantage
of their customers. At the
same time, we can talk about transparency in the trading of electricity. But there is also a need for consumer involvement.
Consumers need to be aware that, in addition to the obvious benefits of liberalization, the process also presents some risks. I am referring here, for example, to the exposure to price fluctuations that may occur at a given moment, depending on the evolution
of supply and demand on the open market. It is important for people to become aware of the rights and obligations they have when deciding to change their supplier and to pay attention to all the contractual terms of the offers they receive.
For us, it is important to guarantee our customers long- term quality and stability, as well as the feeling of safety, of price predictability. Electrica Furnizare provides services to over 3.5 million customers.
Rep. : What development projects are you considering for the upcoming period for Electrica Furnizare?
MP: : The main development and investment projects that we intend to promote in the coming period are related to: the digitization of business processes and customer relationship, integration of
IT and Telecoms operational systems, the diversification of customer interaction channels. One of the goals of Electrica Furnizare is to turn into an integrated service provider. The company has taken a major step forward when it obtained the license to supply natural gas and then launched the product TOGETHER, electricity and gas.
Also, all customers can have access to consultancy in order to optimize consumption
and reduce energy costs.
The dynamics of energy and natural gas supply generates
a complex competitive environment. In this context, the digitization and automation of business processes
become successful factors for maintaining and attracting new clients in the portfolio.
We are therefore considering major investments towards improving and upgrading
the IT infrastructure, the management systems, and
also towards cyber security and business continuity. We
are aiming mainly at the improvement of data protection and, implicitly, of the quality
of the services offered to our clients.
One of the goals of Electrica Furnizare is to turn into an integrated service provider. The energy market is dynamic and complex, so a permanent analysis of the behavior of consumers and their needs is mandatory. We must always be ready for any change."
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