On the front line for an entire industry

The energy industry and -market has undergone major transformations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the imposing high electricity prices throughout Europe.

Customers have been both distraught and frustrated, and electricity has gone from being a low-interest product to something "everyone" are talking about.

On the front line of these questions are customer advisors who have been through vigorous training to be able to answer complicated topics in an understandable way.

Want assurances

“People are calling, not because they can’t be bothered to find answers, but because they want to understand, and can’t find the right answers. That’s when speaking with another person is more helpful than articles and chatbots,” says Sanjin Pekusic, Customer Service Manager for Fortum, in Norway.

“Especially in times when the prices are volatile, high, or when new rules are being introduced, customers feel the need to get assurances about their choices or that complicated issues are explained in an understandable way,” he continues.

Example norgespris

One example is when norgespris was introduced in Norway in October. Norgespris, the government subsidiary scheme providing a fixed price every hour, every day throughout 2026, has caused a significant need for information.

“During the first weeks of October, more than 23.000 people called us. Most of them wanted assurances whether norgespris was the right choice for them, or not,” Pekusic explains.

Even customers who are not even Fortum customers called. In times when increasingly many electricity solution provides are moving away from offering customer service, customers seeking information googled their way to Fortum.

“We decided early that we would provide service to anyone who called us, whether they are customers or not, he says

Customer interaction

Pekusic further explains how it seems logical for customers to call their supplier.

“Many simply needed to know if norgespris was a good solution for them. Others needed help ordering it,” he says.

“It seems only natural for them to call us. It is our logo they see on the invoice and it is us they are used to interacting with. Despite the fact that norgespris is ordered through Elhub. But how many people knows what that is?,” he asks rhetorically.

"Why does my friend pay less than me?"

"I have a friend up north. He pays almost nothing!”

Pekusic recognizes the question. The answer is somewhat complex.

"Many people think that it is mainly the elderly who call us. But that’s not necessarily the case. A student who had recently moved to Oslo called and wondered why he paid so much more for electricity than his friend who had moved to Trondheim.

"Then we had to explain that Norway is divided into five price zones and that the price is different in these zones. How much power is produced locally, how much is exported, transmission capacity in the grid between price areas, temperature and consumption – everything affects the price where you live.

"Often it's about explaining complex things in an understandable way," says Pekusic.

“I struggle making the payment this month”

Not everyone who calls has questions about kilowatt hours and grid fees. Some are struggling to pay the bill.

"We have had a lot of focus on finding solutions for customers. Help to split invoices, repayment plans, deferrals," says Pekusic.

One day, a distraught customer called. He had ended up in hospital, and several electricity bills had gone to debt collection.

"During the conversation, we discovered that he had a service with us called Payment Protection Insurance," says Pekusic.

This is an insurance that allows you to have your electricity bill covered for up to four months, if you or your partner are on sick leave, hospitalized, laid off or unemployed.

"It was a wonderful message to give to a customer: You know what, you don't have to think about this at all. Your insurance through us covers the outstanding amount, and we remove the debt collection case,” Pekusic concludes.