We strengthen the value proposition for our customers
SDG
At Promigas, we aim to strengthen the value proposition for our customers, and we associate this strengthening with the material topic of service quality. We assure the integrity, reliability and availability of natural gas transportation and distribution and the electricity systems through operating practices that meet the highest national and international standards and the effective management of risks and continuous improvement of our processes. The customers are at the heart of our Organization and of our corporate strategy, and for this reason providing them quality service, creating added value and ensuring reliable, safe and timely service are our differentiating factors.
The primary objective of our commercial management is to achieve the loyalty and satisfaction of our external customers during the various moments of truth of service provision, aligned with our internal culture of quality, and we work day by day on efficient and expedite processes that facilitate the life and the business of our customers.
In view of the pandemic and new regulatory provisions, in 2021 we incorporated changes in our commercial strategy, including daily monitoring of customer consumption. During the period, a trend towards normalization was observed, with a 9% increase in consumption by the non-regulated sector due to rebuilding of inventories and a 15% increase in the NGV sector.
This reactivation of consumption, in combination with new regulatory provisions on the commercialization of natural gas supplies and transportation, implied the need to communicate with each of our customers, as well as to restructure internal processes to enable meeting the regulatory time limits and address their requests in a timely manner.
The increase in contracted transportation capacity under the interruptible modality is due to new market dynamics, under which our customers are interested in contracting transportation capacity from different sources to different exit points, in order to cover demand as required.
We held technical-commercial task group meetings; we continuously communicated changes in our commercial policies; we held a Forum on Gas operations with participation by our direct customers, and we carried out the annual study on Internal Customer Satisfaction, in order to establish action plans to address the identified opportunities for improvement.
In 2022, we will continue to implement specific actions aimed at improving the satisfaction and loyalty perceptions of our external customers, by means of one-on-one interactions and maintaining close relationships in order to identify their needs and design suitable proposals.
Reliable and safe operations
The operating variables of our infrastructure are supervised and controlled from our Main Control Center, in order to identify any Abnormal Operating Conditions (CAO, for the Spanish original) that could impact service continuity and to take appropriate action. Guidelines are in place for performing special works on our infrastructure, which provide parameters and recommendations to ensure that operating conditions remain normal during their performance. Lastly, when new infrastructure is put into operation or whenever subsequent major interventions are made, a procedure is in place to avoid affecting service continuity during these activities, which are carried out while the rest of the infrastructure continues to provide the natural gas transportation service. Our professionals at the Main Control Center are trained and assessed on an annual basis through scenarios that simulate abnormal operating conditions, which enables maintaining the engineers’ competencies and skills.
In order to ensure the continuity of our operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the social protests that took place in 2021, a series of measures were adopted for the critical personnel who perform their duties at our various control rooms. These included adjustments to shift schedules, exclusive transportation for control room operations personnel, simultaneous operation of the Alternate Control Center, and operation of the compression stations with our technical staff at home.
We also performed daily monitoring of the health conditions of the operations personnel and periodic lab tests for the detection of COVID-19 for all critical personnel at the control rooms.
In order to maintain and improve our operating processes, in 2022 we will work on:
Our affiliates strengthen their customer relationsTransmetanoin 2021, introduced changes to its know the customer strategy as a result of the 2020 pandemic and the new regulatory provisions that affect commercial relations. As in the case of Promigas, consumption tended to normalize, and thanks to permanent management and expedite and flexible procedures focused on the customer, record average transported volumes were achieved, up
6 % compared to 2020, and one new customer was added
Promiorientethanks to its commercial management and permanent contact with its customers, improved its satisfaction indicators in the most relevant processes, such as commercial relations, from 90% to 100%, even though starting on August 3, 2021, volumes were affected by a force majeure event that took place on the Gibraltar-Bucaramanga section, as a result of the emergency produced by heavy rainfall, which kept transportation over this section out of service until December 15, 2021. Consequently, production of the Gibraltar field maintained its quality index at 89%.
In 2021, contracted capacity sales increased by 1 % compared to 2020, and the outlook for 2022 is to increase contracted capacity through the identification of industries where it is feasible to switch over to natural gas, as well as industries that already use gas and require expansion of transportation capacity.
SPECMaintained its regasification terminal available for providing storage and regasification services 100 % of the time, which provides backing for the reliability of the country’s energy network. Full compliance was achieved with customer requirements through the timely and safe reception of LNG shipments, as well as accurate and timely deliveries of the gas quantities required for thermal generation.
Promisol
has worked in recent years on improving its customer relations and getting closer to its customers. To this end, it conducted a survey to learn of each customer’s needs and preferences, with personalized inquiries and made-to-fit solution offerings.
Regarding our distributors, Promigas Perú improved its customer service and complaints indicators. This indicator improved to 17 per 10,000 users, compared to 145 in 2020.
The introduction of new self-management channels increased the usage of these channels, which now represent a 62 % share of total channels used for customer service, compared to a 38% share in 2020. This was mainly due to the promotion of usage of the new channels and the adequate customer service provided through them.
Surtigasobtained an excellent result of 98% in terms of average fulfillment of legal requests, which has a direct favorable impact on the reduction of claims and complaints. Thanks to the reinforcement of existing contact channels and the introduction of new technologies, response times of face-to-face channels were shortened, and acceptance in Cartagena of scheduling of the face-to-face channels reached 91%
CEOimproved its service quality compared to 2020, with a 24% reduction of SAIFI* and a 29% reduction of SAIDI*, which are within the established targets.
*SAIDI: Indicator that measures the duration of service interruptions. SAIFI: Indicator that measures the number of service interruptions.
GdOin 2021, maintained compliance with emergency response times to requests from users at 100%. Also, 97% of the requests were addressed within the established time frames. Non-controlled events and emergencies were addressed in less than one hour and controlled events in less than 36 minutes.
In order to improve the customer experience, the ‘¡Siempre Cerca!’ (always close by) Project was launched with the implementation of six on-line assistance areas in municipalities with offices, and a transactional IVR was designed to schedule inspections and improvements to the website for payments and refinancing, which enhance the user’s experience.
Enlaceratified the permanence of its customers and expanded the number of users thanks to good management and attention to their needs.
Interruption events attributable to the Company or to third parties
7 Incidents attributable to the Company:
Thanks to the efforts and strategies undertaken to provide timely natural gas distribution services with high quality standards, during 2021 the number of interruption events attributable to the Company remained low.
47 Incidents attributable to third parties:
The reduction of reported service interruption events attributable to third parties in 2021 was thanks to strengthening of strategies and actions aimed at the prevention of damages to the gas pipeline.
Gas leaks
Leaks index
This indicator measures the effectiveness of the maintenance and integrity management programs. The following are the considerations used to calculate this indicator:
The assessment period is 5 years, given that the results of management efforts to control gas leaks are reflected in the long-term.
It takes into account leaks related to external corrosion, internal corrosion, SCC, mechanical damage (interference by third parties) and external and natural forces related to erosion. In other words, it excludes those related to failures of materials, construction defects, operating errors, equipment and the effects of natural forces other than erosion, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, electrical discharges and hurricanes, among others.
Number of complaints
Gas transportation: 3Number of claims and complains per 10,000 customers
Gas distribution: 17
Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data
Number of complaints: 5
These are at Surtigas, and they were addressed within the defined time limits.
Number of complaints: 0
These are at Promigas and other affiliates
