Neoenergia S A : In Brazil, it is the first company to offer this model for new connection requests, reinforcin...

Neoenergia launches another novelty for requests for new energy connections. The service, which was already accessible online through the virtual agency for residential urban customers, now also includes rural units and low-income consumers. Combined with this, the digital request form became simpler and the future customer does not need to make a statement of charge with the relationship of all the equipment he has at home, as happened until then. In the new portal, you can choose from combos that vary according to the profile of each consumer. In Brazil, Neoenergia is the first company to offer this model for new connection requests, reinforcing the company's commitment to delivering services that privilege the customer at the heart of the business.

Innovation works as follows. By entering the virtual agency, the customer can hire the service according to its level of consumption, similar to what is done in mobile and cable tv plans. In this way, Neoenergia created four combos for residential customers, which simply relate the main equipment used - television, refrigerator, iron, washing machine, fan - and the average amount of each. The main difference between the combos is the use of air conditioning and electric shower, which further modify the energy demand. From this information, the distributor can appropriately scale the power-tied power of the unit, enhancing the safety of the installation.

Until then, this step was done through a load declaration, in which the consumer needed to individually select the items from a list, filling out an extensive form with the list of all equipment and sockets in the residence. In this new model created by Neoenergia, just select one of the combos to proceed with the order, something unheard of in the Brazilian electricity sector. 'This is a disruptive action by Neoenergia in order to create a service journey that seeks to meet customer needs, making the process more dynamic and objective,' says Renato Suplicy, Neoenergia's corporate Manager of Digital Strategy and Services.

In addition to choosing from the variety of combos, the customer can also choose to customize their package. Allied to this, there is a field where he selects a tariff type - conventional, social or white. 'To reach this model, the company made a study that allowed to create the different combos safely, following the rules of regulation of the area. Within the new connection portal, the client still has access to other important information, such as the necessary preparation for the property to receive the new connection', says the analyst and product manager at Neoenergia, Laís Lamana.

The initiatives are part of The Digital Connection,considered the most important Brazilian Research and Development (R&D) project aimed at the client. In addition to the launches, the innovations for the request for a new connection add to the existing facilities. In September 2020, Neoenergia launched facial recog​​nition technology, which allows the request for a new power connection without the customer having to move to the distributor's service store. This is possible because of the system that comcants the person's selfie with the photo in the document and checks the data from wherever they are.

The novelties are already available to the urban and rural residential customers of Elektro - neoenergia concessionaire that serves part of the states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. Also in the first quarter of 2021, the online request for a new connection can be made by commercial, industrial and units that have rural benefit. In the same period, the service will be expanded to the other concessionaires of the company - Coelba (BA), Celpe (PE) and Cosern (RN). Accessible by the distributor's website, soon the service may also be requested by the application and WhatsApp.