Objective 2

Employee training with a focus on customer advisers

Given the approaching opening and deregulation of the Polish gas market, which is expected to affect the business customer segment first, the Carpathian Gas Trading Division has developed measures to ensure that business customers are provided with the highest standard of customer service and that its Customer Advisers are offering highly-specialised technical and sales advisory services.

To that end, the Carpathian Gas Trading Division specified requirements for Customer Advisers and assessed their current professional qualifications and expertise, as well as suitability for the profession, including soft skills, such as the ability to easily establish and maintain business relations or conduct negotiations. The training programme was reviewed to see if there were any other courses which should be offered to Customer Advisers and to ensure that all of them have access to the same resources. The Company particularly needs employees with expertise in the following fields: infrastructure, heat engineering, cogeneration, business and financial research, legal aspects of customer service, modern technologies and individual industries (glass-making and food industry, refrigeration engineering etc.).

The new training package covers two areas:

• Industry-specific training focused on technology, equipment, PGNiG SA’s offer, feasibility studies, and the costs and benefits of using natural gas etc.
• Competence training focused on the quality of service – these courses are intended to fine-tune soft skills, which in turn help to develop a customer-oriented approach and show empathy and willingness in the handling of all matters (irrespective of their importance) etc.

The recommended basic scope of the training courses offered to Customer Advisers includes:

• Energy Law, the TPA principle,
• The basics of Construction Law, including linear investment projects and infrastructure projects,
• Connection processes and procedures between the Distribution System Operator, the Transmission System Operator and PGNiG SA,
• Comprehensive agreements: legal and practical considerations for gas customers and PGNiG SA,
• Take or pay clauses, performance bonds (including payment risk), compensation,
• Basic economic analysis (company value based on balance-sheet data and reports), assessment of a customer’s financial standing,
• Legal bases for the calculation of tariff rates, the rudiments of the tariff calculation process, tariffs for PGNiG SA, the Distribution System Operators and Transmission System Operators, the practicalities of capacity optimisation (in particular, for customers), settlements with customers,
• The efficiency of investment projects (including gas grid connections), investment efficiency studies,  and efficiency assumptions according to the Energy Regulatory Office and PGNiG SA,
• Energy audits – specification of the volumes of gas required by typical equipment,
• Presentation of leading manufacturers of gas equipment, including gas-fired boilers,
• Regulation of restrictions in the gas supply, the Act on Mandatory Stocks, restrictions imposed on customers, relevant arrangements between customers, PGNiG SA and Operators,
• Balancing and nominations, timetables and obligations imposed on PGNiG SA, Operators and customers, and the  penalties for failure to submit nominations,
• Customer relations, wining new customers in a competitive market environment, sales practices, the scope of duties assigned to a Customer Adviser,
• Commercial negotiations,
• Winning new customers, including:
  • Approaching customers (customer-oriented attitude),
  • Impact of non-verbal communication on projected image,
  • The first 30 seconds of a conversation – influence techniques,
  • The selling process – identification of customers’ needs and presentation of products,
  • Making a case in a persuasive manner,
  • Dispelling reservations and creating demand,
  • Effective sales presentations.
• Time management at work:
  • Assessment of one’s time management skills and creation of methods for their improvement,
  • Familiarisation with target-setting procedures,
  • Development of task prioritisation skills,
  • Work planning and organisation methods,
  • Handling of documents.

Additionally, line mangers (Office/GC Department Heads and the Heads of the Gas Sales Units in charge of sales) are required, on a regular, on-going basis, to assess the job performance of the Customer Advisers and their compliance with the requirements referred to above. It is recommended that these assessments should involve regular evaluation of the employee’s familiarity with issues covered by the basic training package.