GoCardless enhances partnership with Rebel Energy, introducing advanced technology for seamless and customer-friendly energy payments.
The bank payment startup GoCardless is strengthening its partnership with rival energy provider Rebel Energy in an attempt to “shake up” the energy market with a fresh take on customer service and payments.
Rebel Energy has expanded the financial services it utilises with the addition of Success+, a technology that automatically optimises unsuccessful payment retries using proprietary GoCardless machine learning models. It anticipates that this step will greatly aid in identifying clients who could be having financial difficulties, allowing the business to assist individuals who require more flexibility with their payment schedule while also averting any service interruptions.
The new agreement expands on the partnership that started in 2021 when Rebel Energy chose GoCardless to handle direct debit payment collection. The energy provider clarified that knowing the precise date and amount of a payment gives customers control and transparency.
Rebel Energy has also been able to scale effectively thanks to GoCardless: in just two years, their client base has grown by over 200 times, yet the number of employees in their finance team has only gone from one to four.
Rebel Energy was founded and is led by Dan Bates, who describes the company as a rebel with a purpose. Our objective is to upend the energy industry and disturb the existing quo in order to question the established dynamic between suppliers and consumers. We are looking to collaborate with companies that share our values, and GoCardless is a great fit.
“During our collaboration, we have personally witnessed the impact that an effective payment plan can have on a business that is expanding quickly. We’re eager to continue on and concentrate on serving our clients in the future, secure in the knowledge that our financial obligations have been taken care of.
Allowing clients to see their payments
“We’re proud to support Rebel Energy as it grows, not least of which because we believe in its aim to be the most customer-centric energy company on the market,” said Pat Phelan, MD of UK and Ireland and chief customer officer at GoCardless.
“While our core Direct Debit offering continues to give customers plenty of visibility over their payments, Rebel Energy’s addition of Success+ will enable us to engage with customers right away if they need help.”
Additionally, it has been pleasing to observe that Rebel Energy has maintained a low cost base throughout this time of extraordinary expansion. It’s an efficient scaling master class.
Rebel Energy is searching for additional methods to prioritise its clients as it expands. One such method could be to utilise GoCardless’ “Instant Bank Pay,” which is enabled by open banking and can further streamline the onboarding process for new users as well as the ad hoc payment process.
