Portsmouth Water agrees landmark deal to license Kraken

Bob Taylor, Matt Hamilton and Deepak Ravindran at Kraken Office

  • Portsmouth Water becomes first water client of tech platform Kraken
  • Move allows Portsmouth Water to speed up smart meter rollout, provide vital products and build on its already leading customer services score
  • Deal comes year after Kraken announced expansion into other utilities

Portsmouth Water, the company in charge of ensuring safe, clean water is provided throughout Portsmouth and the surrounding area, becomes the first water utility to adopt Kraken to oversee all its 324,000 customers.

Ranked in the top three water companies on Ofwat’s league table for customer service, Portsmouth Water plans to enhance its already impressive rating. By implementing this revolutionary tech platform, Portsmouth Water aims to empower its customer-facing team to deliver the finest overall service in the industry.

Kraken was built by Octopus Energy Group and has already transformed the energy sector. It is contracted to serve over 30 million energy customers globally through deals with companies such as Plenitude, EDF and Origin Energy.

Octopus Energy was Kraken’s first client and rapidly grew because of its quick and efficient service enabled by the platform. It is now the UK’s second largest energy supplier and the only one that has been recommended by consumer champion Which? for six years in a row.

The partnership with Portsmouth Water is Kraken’s first deal outside of energy and a landmark move towards digitising the water industry. It will allow the company to drive down per capita consumption (PCC) within the water stressed region. This is an important regulatory target for the water industry and something that Kraken already enabled for 700,000 energy customers this winter.

Leveraging Kraken will allow Portsmouth Water’s smart meter rollout to begin, improving water efficiency and reduce leaks; a proactive move to address the challenges posed by climate change and a growing population.

The innovations delivered by Kraken will enhance the speed to serve for vital services such as its social tariff for those on low incomes, and the Priority Services Register.
This register allows Portsmouth Water to identify customers who may need extra support in an emergency, such as young families, those recovering from an accident or illness, or living with physical and mental disabilities.

By implementing Kraken, Portsmouth Water can offer customers greater support, while simultaneously promoting responsible water usage.

Kraken will also enable the replication of Octopus’ famously efficient operating model which reduces the cost-to-serve by up to 40% and leads to better client and employee satisfaction.

Commenting on the partnership, Bob Taylor, CEO of Portsmouth Water, said:

“We are thrilled to be the first non-energy utility to license the Kraken platform, which we believe will provide our customers with a more efficient and transparent service, meanwhile ensuring our systems are safe and secure. Most vitally, Kraken will allow us to supercharge the smart meter rollout in the water industry and will help our customers understand their consumption and identify leaks quickly and easily.”

Deepak Ravindran, CEO of Kraken for Utilities, said:

“Portsmouth Water has proven it is one of the most forward-thinking utility companies in the UK, and is committed to improving the water industry through better customer experience and products. By partnering with Kraken, Portsmouth Water will be able to unlock new levels of efficiency and benefit from a formula that has seen countless energy companies improve their relationships with customers and regulators.”

Matthew Hamilton, Chief Customer Officer at Portsmouth Water, said:

“I am thrilled to embark on this journey with Kraken. This is a transformative step forwards for Portsmouth Water that will further enhance our customer experience. By embracing this new CRM technology, we’re not just enhancing our team efficiency; we’re crafting memorable interactions with our valued customers that will leave a lasting impression. Together with Kraken, Portsmouth Water is playing a key part in shaping the future of customer service in water; and it’s a bright future ahead .”