Website spreads the word about Green Energy   (16/09/2002)

For a company that does not advertise, Green Energy plc has been surprisingly successful in recruiting customers in the competitive energy supply market. Customers arrive via the company's website which was designed, implemented and hosted by Chameleon Net or are recommended by friends.

Green Energy offers green electricity from wholly British renewable sources to both domestic and business customers. The electricity is generated from solar, wind or hydro-electric sources and 50% of the company's profits are invested back into renewable electricity generating projects.

Given that Green Energy, unlike many companies in the energy market, does not employ doorstep salesmen or run direct mail campaigns, the role of the website in attracting customers is crucial. The brief to Chameleon was to design a website that an 'Auntie Joyce' would be able to understand and use. In other words, the site had to be simple and straightforward, assuming no particular computer experience on the part of the user. In particular, the process of signing on as a customer had to be simple, clear and unambiguous.

The finished website has received many compliments from visitors. As well as enabling those interested to sign up as customers, the site provides a wealth of information about global warming problems, the current state of the renewable energy industry and hints on how to save energy, all of which can be updated and managed by Green Energy in-house.

A particularly useful feature for the company is the report generator which monitors how the website is being used. For example, if a potential customer begins to sign up but fails to complete the process, the company can identify the point at which they aborted the sign-on and offer assistance.

Ramsay Dunning of Green Energy is pleased with the response to the website. "Customers find us by recommendation or by visiting our website or one of the environmental sites such as Friends of the Earth which link to our site. We have had a very positive reaction so far and the website will play a significant role in our future marketing plans."

Visit the website at www.greenenergy.uk.com