Connecting installers in the digital world

In the fast-moving world of the energy transition, the working life of an installer looks very different than it did 20, 10, or even five years ago. Technology is evolving, systems are complex, and there are more products and solutions than ever before.

For a traditional installer whose job it was to install a boiler in a customer’s home, check in from time to time on maintenance or repair visit, and then not be seen again for 20 years or so – until it came time to install a new boiler – it’s a challenging time as their scope of work shifts.

With the creation of faster and smarter ways to share information and get things done, end-users want service at the touch of a button. They expect installers to fix their problems fast, have an in-depth knowledge of their increasing number of products, help them save time and money, and offer energy advice.

New world, new demands

Installers are seeing new demands and new tasks from their customers. These could include designing a solution such as what heat pump indoor and outdoor combination they would recommend, to more complex types of requests.

“Until quite recently, an installer would install a boiler in a few steps,” says Ignacio Contin, GPM Digital Solution. “Now home comfort products may include a boiler, a heat pump, hybrids, solar thermal solutions - the list goes on, even including new ways of managing installations using Digital tools like apps. The job has definitely become much more complex, and an installer needs to dedicate time to training and upskilling.”

Steven Eales, International Go to Market Manager, Connected Services, points to the energy transition as the starting point of this shift. Many of the installers and the third-party maintenance businesses the group brands deal with are still traditional gas boiler businesses, somewhere in the process of pivoting to greener options. “On the journey to de-carbonising energy and changing regulations, installers are not only needing to upgrade their skill sets but also to start interacting with their customers in a different way to support this change,” he says.

With our strong customer focus, we are constantly innovating to support our installers and specifiers. Our smart and connected tools help them to design the right solutions, and install and maintain our products and systems.

Understanding the customer journey

Across the board, what we’ve seen from installers is that they want the expertise and the knowledge that we have as manufacturers to help them better serve their customers. To get them the right help and right tools, we started looking at the entire customer journey and the challenges installers face.

Steven Eales: “We had to ask ourselves: ‘What are installers struggling with? What have we learnt from talking to them? How can we help them adjust to the energy transition?’ Our starting point always is to hear what our customers are saying and take their needs into account.”

Digital services are the way to go, and we need to create awareness around the energy transition and enhancing operating efficiencies. Digitising services can help installers educate end-users about their energy consumption and how to use the most efficient energy source at any one time.

Then there’s the boost to operating efficiencies. “Enhanced connectivity means installers can be more effective and efficient in their jobs, because they know what to expect, and they can offer better customer service to the end-user for the same reason,” says Ignacio Contin. “They can plan their jobs better improving their operations, which allows for a smarter use of time and saves money.”

Going digital to better serve our customers

In this new digital world, installers need to be prepared and understand how to best help our customers. Customers who demand immediate fixes and services at the touch of a button. Helping our installers be ready for the digital world is one of the things we are focusing on at BDR Thermea Group.

Learning through listening

“Where some installers may have been resistant to some of these digital innovations, there is increasing acceptance,” says Steven Eales. “As with end-users, technology is moving them that way. They’re also seeing the benefits of the tools that are there to make their lives easier.”

In their development efforts, teams learn from face-to-face workshops, voice of the customer sessions, and hard data and analytics, to help identify installers’ needs. “It’s about being able to identify obvious pain points for customers – ones they didn’t even know existed – and acting on these to find solutions,” says Ignacio Contin.

“We’ve adapted our ways of working to support installers better. We’re constantly developing new solutions and functionalities, with weekly product sprints and building Minimum Viable Products (MPV’s), which allow fast learning and improving quickly,” added Steven Eales.

The result is the steady rollout and piloting of innovative solutions for installers. It’s a constant process, in different countries, at different speeds, but always close to our customers.

Looking to the future

One of the breakthrough solutions currently in development is a dedicated installer app that will serve as a one-stop shop for installers. It will streamline the functionalities of a series of existing apps into a simpler, more user-friendly product.

The digital possibilities are endless as the world becomes ever more connected and connectivity increasingly plays a role in the energy transition. “But,” cautions Ignacio Contin, “it’s not a goal in itself ‘to be digital’, but for it to be harnessed as a tool to improve processes. Digital solutions are there to help the installers to create a positive customer experience, by enhancing Customer Services and improve its Operations.”

We’re already living in a connected world, and this will expand more and more into the world of heating. “The connected heating appliance will be the norm a couple of years from now,” says Ignacio Contin. “Installers will adapt and benefit from this technology. Our responsibility is to make sure these valuable solutions are safe, easy, efficient and fun to use.”

Supporting installers across our markets

• We train tens of thousands of installers every year. This helps them to advise end-users, and ensures they safely install and service our products.
• Our Baxi heating business in the UK offers a connected remote service proposition that harnesses digital technology to deliver more effective and proactive customer support for one of its most popular boilers. The subscription-based service enables 24/7 monitoring and remote maintenance, and keeps customers – both installers and end-users – up to date on upcoming services or maintenance needs.
• Smart technology drives remote maintenance with Baxi Spain’s smart room unit. Connected wirelessly to the cloud via Bluetooth, it monitors boilers and heat pumps 24/7. The tool can also indicate when the boiler or heat pump is due for maintenance, allowing for predictive rather than reactive maintenance.
• Our Remeha Business in the Netherlands is building API solutions which enable the integration of Appliances DATA into customers systems which allow them to monitor the performance and improve their operations by integrating it in their unique system.
• In most of the countries, we offer smart commissioning wizards that save installers time and ensure the system achieves maximum efficiency and performance of heat pumps.
• We offer the tens of thousands of installers servicing our products every day apps such as the Smart Service Tool in selected markets. This tool enables them to read out the product, set parameters and identify any issues using their tablet of smartphone.