The UK utilities sector stands at a pivotal crossroads. With volatile energy prices, rising customer expectations, and increasing regulatory scrutiny from Ofgem, providers are under unprecedented pressure to accelerate their digital transformation journeys. At the heart of this revolution is Kraken – a cloud-native platform that has rapidly emerged as a key enabler for operational agility and customer-centricity.
But as many providers have discovered, implementing powerful technology is only half the battle. Without the operational expertise to fully leverage these capabilities, utilities risk a significant gap between the promise of digital transformation and its practical delivery. This is where the partnership between technology and experienced operational delivery becomes essential.
Why Kraken Matters: A Platform for the Future
Kraken has become transformative in the utilities space, not simply because it's another billing system, but because it represents a fundamental shift in how providers can operate. As a fully API-driven platform designed with flexibility and customer experience at its core, Kraken enables:
- Real-time interaction with customer data across channels
- Automation of complex back-end processes that traditionally require manual intervention
- Integrated workflows for agents that eliminate the need to navigate multiple systems
- Nearly 40% reduction in total cost to serve through streamlined operations
With over 60 million customer accounts globally and a target of reaching 100 million by 2027, Kraken's market penetration speaks to its effectiveness. Major energy providers, including E.ON Next (migrating 5.8 million customers from 17 different platforms), EDF (completing their migration of 5.8 million customer accounts within 15 months), Shell Energy, and Energy Queensland have all completed successful migrations, demonstrating the platform's scalability and resilience.
What It Takes to Operate Effectively on Kraken
Running customer operations on Kraken demands a fundamentally different approach than traditional utility CRMs. Based on our experience, success depends on:
- Agent Enablement: Training agents on Kraken's real-time data flows and automation logic — a step change from traditional call scripting
- Process Re-Design: Re-mapping journeys to fit Kraken's flexible workflow model, not bolting old ways onto new tech
- Digital-First Mindset: Leveraging Kraken's capability to resolve issues digitally where possible, and escalate to human support where needed
- Data Fluency: Understanding the platform's data outputs and using insights to inform process and people improvements
- Change Management: Supporting internal teams through the operational impact of switching to Kraken, both in tools and mindset
We've built delivery playbooks around these principles, enabling faster time-to-value for our clients.
Insights from the Frontline: Lessons Learned
Through multiple deployments, we've seen what sets successful Kraken transitions apart:
- Invest early in knowledge transfer: Don't assume Kraken will drive change on its own. Operational teams need a deep understanding.
- Embrace iterative improvement: Kraken allows for rapid iteration. Use that flexibility to test and refine.
- Don't skip process simplification: Migrating to Kraken without rethinking your service model leaves value on the table.
- Prioritise data hygiene: Bad data leads to broken automations. Clean upstream, not just in the interface.
- Design for scale: Build flexible operating models from day one — Kraken scales, but your people and processes must too.
Firstsource: Delivering Utilities Excellence at Scale
At Firstsource, we've been delivering BPO services in regulated industries for over two decades, with particular depth in energy and water utilities. This experience has positioned us uniquely to support organizations implementing Kraken, not just as a service provider, but as a strategic partner, embedding platform capability and operational resilience.
Our approach with Kraken partners is built on five key principles:
Deep Platform Understanding
Our teams are trained not just in the interface but in the underlying data architecture and automation logic of Kraken. This enables our agents to understand not just what the platform does, but why and how it works – critical for effective problem-solving and optimization.
Journey Redesign for Automation
We help clients re-map customer journeys to fit Kraken's flexible workflow model rather than bolting old processes onto new technology. This means identifying opportunities for automated resolution and designing seamless escalation paths when human intervention is needed.
Data-Driven Continuous Improvement
By understanding Kraken's data outputs, we implement real-time analytics and insight loops that drive ongoing process refinement and create measurable improvements in First Contact Resolution, Net Promoter Score, and Average Handle Time.
Flexible Resourcing Models
Utilities face significant seasonal variation in demand patterns and regulatory cycles. Our delivery models are designed for elasticity, enabling rapid scaling during peak periods without compromising quality or compliance.
Regulatory Compliance by Design
With Ofgem increasing scrutiny on billing accuracy, complaint handling, and debt treatment, our operational frameworks embed compliance at every step, ensuring regulatory standards are maintained alongside efficiency goals.
Real Results: What Effective Kraken Operations Deliver
When operational expertise meets Kraken's technical capability, the results can be transformative. Through our partnerships with utilities leveraging the platform, we've supported operations that deliver:
- Consistent improvements in FCR, NPS, AHT, and debt recovery metrics through optimized operations that leverage Kraken's integrated data model
- Enhanced customer experience through reimagined journeys that fully utilize Kraken's capabilities
- Improved operational efficiency by leveraging data-driven insights and automation
These outcomes aren't just about efficiency – they directly impact customer loyalty, regulatory compliance, and ultimately, business sustainability in an increasingly competitive market.
For example, in a smart meter adoption initiative, Firstsource helped an energy provider improve connect rates from 10% to 13% and achieve a 12% raw conversion rate for appointments booked, while increasing volumes through inbound channels from 5% to 11% – demonstrating how operational expertise maximizes Kraken's customer journey capabilities.
Similarly, our global workforce management approach for a utility operating on Kraken achieved 99% interval adherence and delivered 25% cost savings through centralized operations while enhancing real-time shift management, creating the flexible operating model essential for leveraging Kraken's full potential.
Looking Forward: The Road Ahead for Utilities
As Kraken's adoption spreads across the sector, providers need partners who can scale operations, adapt quickly, and deliver regulatory-grade outcomes. The future will demand:
- Greater automation and AI embedded into service operations
- Integrated CX and debt journeys built into platform workflows
- Elastic operational models that enable flexibility to handle regulatory or seasonal shifts
- Real-time insight loops that drive continuous improvement
At Firstsource, we're committed to co-creating that future with our clients, combining platform expertise with decades of operational leadership to unlock the full potential of Kraken.
Conclusion: Partnership for Transformation
Kraken represents one of the most significant technological advances in the utilities sector in decades. But technology alone doesn't drive transformation – it takes the right operational partner with deep sector knowledge, proven delivery methodology, and a commitment to genuine business outcomes.
For utilities seeking to go beyond implementation and achieve true operational excellence on the Kraken platform, the right partnership approach becomes the critical success factor. If you want to understand how Firstsource can help you transition to Kraken or support you to resolve some of your challenges, reach out to me at janine.hunt@firstsource.com.