LONDON, 2016-Dec-14 — /EPR Retail News/ — Two of Britain’s biggest brands have announced a partnership to create a ‘one-stop’ solution that will give customers access to all the support and services they need to manage their homes, from boilers to laptops, dishwashers to wifi.
As the home becomes increasingly connected, energy provider SSE and retailer Dixons Carphone have joined forces to develop a unique solution that leverages their existing expertise. This includes SSE’s highly skilled engineers, Dixons Carphone’s leading after-care service from Knowhow, and honeyBee, the market-leading digital platform from Connected World Services. This combination aims to bring connected home benefits to everyone, not just the tech savvy.
The partnership will be able to support all vital service requirements customers may have in the home. It will bring nationwide support to the UK & Ireland through the two brands’ combined customer base of around 10 million households, supported by a 4,000-strong workforce of highly skilled engineers and technical advisers and 1,200 stores.
Customers will be able to control connected devices in the home, purchase a wide-range of recommended products, arrange installation of smart thermostats or security systems, get peace of mind cover and help to troubleshoot technical and maintenance issues.
Together, SSE and Dixons Carphone will be building and trialling new connected product and service propositions through 2017, paving the way for a consumer launch thereafter. The combined customer base will be the first to benefit from a range of exclusive deals.
Will Morris, SSE MD Retail said:
“Together, we are developing a solution that isn’t just focused on launching the latest technology, but on meeting customers’ desire for a simple, flexible way to control, manage and maintain their homes. To do this, we are taking a customer first approach, leveraging SSE’s expertise and proven track record in providing essential services in the home. The powerful combination with Dixons Carphone’s unique platform, leading customer support function via Knowhow and high street presence puts us in a strong position in what is a nascent market with significant potential.
“This is another big step on our journey towards becoming a market-leading retailer of energy and essential services, by digitising and diversifying our business and consistently delighting our customers.”
Andrew Harrison, Deputy CEO Dixons Carphone said:
“We live in an increasingly connected world, where keeping our devices working at home, at work and on the move, with busy family and professional lives can be a minefield. CurrysPCWorld and Knowhow are out delivering, installing and fixing these products 365 days a year and our market leading honeyBee platform provides an easy way to monitor and control these devices, so we are incredibly excited to partner with SSE and extend our relationship with customers further into the home.”
About SSE
SSE plc is one of the UK’s leading energy companies, involved in the generation, distribution and supply of electricity and in the extraction, storage, distribution and supply of gas. Its core purpose is to provide the energy people need in a reliable and sustainable way. It supplies energy and home services to around 8.14 million customer accounts throughout Great Britain and Ireland, is frequently ranked number one for customer service and is the UK’s leading generator of electricity from renewable sources. It was accredited with the Fair Tax Mark in October 2014.
About Dixons Carphone and Connected World Services (CWS)
Dixons Carphone plc is Europe’s leading specialist electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company, employing over 42,000 people in eleven countries.
Connected World Services (CWS) leverages the Group’s existing expertise, operating processes and technology to provide a range of white label services to businesses.
honeyBee™ by Connected World Services, is the global industry standard for building, delivering and managing digital customer journeys. Consisting of four core platforms; Sell, Activate, Create and Home, honeyBee™ simplifies complex sales and support journeys, provides home technology control, easy activation of carrier and digital connections and creates unique back-end IT interfaces that deliver 360-degree visibility, real time data analytics and an intuitive end-user experience. Backed by Accenture, honeyBee™ currently has agreements across Europe and in the US with major blue-chip carriers and retailers.
Dixons Carphone’s primary brands include Carphone Warehouse and CurrysPCWorld in the UK & Ireland, Elkjøp, Elkjøp Phonehouse, Elgiganten, Elgiganten Phonehouse, Gigantti and Lefdal in the Nordic countries, Kotsovolos in Greece, Dixons Travel in a number of UK & Ireland airports and Phone House in Spain. Our key service brands include Knowhow in the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, and Geek Squad in the UK, Ireland and Spain.
Dixons Carphone was voted ‘Retailer of the Year’ at the Retail Week Awards 2016.
Contact:
Dixons Retail switchboard on 0844 800 2030
Carphone Warehouse switchboard on 0370 111 6565
Source: Dixons Carphone