The EFMP’s Italian partners, Settimo Piano, have been working closely with Italy’s leading multiutility energy providers, A2A, in preparation for major changes within the industry. The Italian gas and electricity market is currently “price protected “which means prices are set by the state. This all changes on the 31 July 2019 when Italy’s electricity market switches from a ‘price protected’ to an ’open market’, effectively allowing private companies the opportunity to compete for part of the electricity and gas market without having to adhere to state-controlled pricing.
Settimo-Piano and A2A are poised to take advantage of the opportunities these changes bring with them. A2A are running a project to help customers switch from the ‘protected’ to the ‘free’ market and are actively educating customers about the changes and signing them up to use their services. In order to achieve this, they had a daily presence in shopping malls, temporary stores, and classic ‘bricks and mortar ‘stores amongst others. Settimo-Piano are currently managing 7 teams with more than 100 employees covering 30 Shopping Malls and 4 temporary ‘pop up’ shops in Milan and Brescia. Each team has a designated team leader and there are also 10 store managers and a project manager on hand to facilitate this large-scale drive to get the Italian people to use A2A’s free market services.
Customers have the right to switch to the "free market", where the customer decides which seller and what type of contract to choose, selecting the offer deemed most suitable for their needs. Each customer has unique requirements, and the Settimo-Piano sales consultants are equipped with all the knowledge required to inform customers about the changes and benefits, allowing them to make informed decisions when switching. Each sales consultant is equipped with a tablet which enables eager customers the opportunity to read and sign contracts there and then.
Settimo-Piano are managing the entire process from the agreements to operate within the malls, sales consultant selection, checking contracts, analysing data, and managing all staff. A project of this magnitude has been all consuming and enlightening, and Settimo-Piano have already shared the wealth of expert knowledge they have gained with other EFMP members as they look to offer similar services in their respective European countries.