In November, the launch of PIX as a form of payment completed one year. Neoenergia was a pioneer in the electricity sector by offering the service to pay bills, launching the novelty on the same day the modality went into effect in Brazil (November 16, 2020). In this one-year period, the company has already registered 282,687 bills paid via PIX, a number that grew every month, showing the adhesion of digital services by the distributors' customers Neoenergia Coelba (BA), Neoenergia Cosern (RN), Neoenergia Elektro (SP/MS), Neoenergia Pernambuco (PE).

From November 2020 to October 2021, it is possible to clearly see the increase in service use, which went from 1,117 bills paid monthly via PIX to 56,430. In addition to customers who already receive their invoice digitally, consumers using the Flexpag partner payment platform are also able to pay with PIX. Another novelty to be offered this year will be the “copy and paste" PIX service. Thus, it will be possible to serve customers who need to issue the invoice at any time on WhatsApp.  

“PIX comes to improve the digital payment system, bringing convenience, security and ensuring speed. We are focused on providing benefits to our consumer base, as we know it represents an important step in the revolution we are experiencing. We are going to advance even more in digitization and our role is to keep it inclusive at all times", says Rosane Patarra, fundraising manager at Neoenergia.  

One of the steps taken by the company in order to contribute to the digitization of customers was the registration and delivery of the digital invoice through WhatsApp, another first for the company. To take advantage of the facility, just send a message to the distributor's WhatsApp and choose the Digital Invoice option. From there, it is possible to register for free to receive the account by email, SMS or even by WhatsApp.  

“Digitization is one of the main paths that Neoenergia has followed, contributing to the acceleration of the digital transformation in the electricity sector, with new forms of payment and better customer experiences. As a result, it has expanded its digital service channels to further reach its base of more than 15.6 million consumers. The 'Energia para Recomeçar' campaign is an example of encouraging digitization in which customers can earn prizes by participating in the program and still paying through PIX", says Leonardo Moura, Superintendent of Commercial Processes at Neoenergia.  

Trends in digital payment methods  

PIX is one of the tools that Neoenergia provides in order to improve the customer experience with new digital payment methods. Since May 2021, the chatbot from the concessionaires Neoenergia Coelba, Neoenergia Pernambuco, Neoenergia Cosern and Neoenergia Elektro rely on the innovation of debt consultation and negotiation, which allows customers to use the virtual assistant to check the existence of outstanding debts with the distributor and negotiate in the way that best suits their reality.  

In the first five months of operation alone, 46,276 negotiations were carried out and a total of R$23.6 million in debts was negotiated via chatbot, being the channel most used by customers for this type of service. The debt consultation and negotiation service is also available on the distributors' websites, with the same facilities for payment via credit card in up to 24 installments and payment in installments via bank slip, in addition to the Caixa Elo Virtual Card.  

The most recent launch incorporated by Neoenergia is the settlement of the energy bill through recurring payment on the credit card, once again being the first company in the electricity sector to offer this innovation. The novelty, similar to what is already used by telephone companies and streaming services, allows to concentrate the main bills of the customer on the card bill. As a result, every month the energy bill automatically enters the credit card and is debited when the card authorizes the transaction on a monthly basis, without any additional interest. 

Digital Connection 

One of the facilitators to accelerate this process of digitization and innovation in the company is the Digital Connection, considered the most important Brazilian Research and Development (R&D) project focused on the electricity sector customer. Officially launched on March 6, 2020, the project is based on three pillars: modernization of the customer journey, integrated development of digital solutions and digital inclusion. The initiative provides for the offer of 115 products that will be used interactively with constant launches over 42 months.