Octopus Vitality is made up of 1000+ unbelievable folks engaged on stuff you’d by no means count on, all pushing arduous in direction of a shared objective: driving the worldwide inexperienced power revolution. In our Highlight collection, we’ll introduce you to a number of the sensible folks behind the scenes.
Jackson Howarth, Octopus’ In-Home author right here! On this installment of our Highlight collection, I’m delighted to introduce Octopus Vitality Companies all-star Zoe. I’ve identified Zoe for a 12 months now. We first met on a wet winter’s day, on my entrance doorstep of all locations. I’d been advised I used to be going to be spending a day with Octopus Vitality Companies (OES) – our gifted Octo-Engineers. First, there’d been a knock on the door, and a second later I used to be greeted by Zoe, brandishing a pair of electricians boots to maintain me secure and insulated, and a fluorescent OES jacket to maintain me dry. Over her shoulder, I spied her bright-pink-tentacled Octopus van – my trip for the day.
A time out with Zoe, OES’ all-star engineer and coach
Zoe spent the day displaying me the ropes. We drove throughout London putting in state-of-the-art sensible meters, speaking inexperienced power with prospects and serving to out the odd particular person in a bind. I’d heard that Octopus had created Octopus Vitality Companies (OES), their very personal Octo-engineers, in order that they may guarantee the identical excessive requirements for metering and engineering that Octopus prospects count on from the remainder of the enterprise. Nonetheless, I hadn’t actually identified what that meant till our time out. Zoe was a tour de-force: heat, skilled, and infinitely succesful.
Just lately, Zoe obtained in contact to inform me that she had taken on a brand new position as a Coaching Coordinator, so I referred to as her to seek out out extra!
Jackson: To kick issues off, may you inform us somewhat extra about your story, and the way you first got here to OES?
Zoe: Effectively, Octopus locations lots of worth on softer expertise that are not historically given as a lot consideration because the technical facet of issues elsewhere within the trade, and earlier than I turned a meter engineer, I really educated as a social employee! My expertise in social work – that person-focused strategy – is one thing that I’ve carried with me since. I’ve met folks from all types of walks of life and I’ve spent lots of time adapting to very completely different folks in very completely different conditions and discovering good methods to speak. It’s form of ingrained in me, and I’ve undoubtedly utilized it to my work at Octopus.
My expertise in social work – that person-focused strategy – is one thing that I’ve carried with me since… It’s form of ingrained in me, and I’ve undoubtedly utilized it to my work at Octopus.
After working as a social employee I needed a change of scene, and so I spent two and a half years coaching and dealing as a meter engineer with one other power provider. I got here to Octopus as a result of it appeared like a folks’s firm – it was extra environmentally pleasant and it appeared prefer it actually valued its prospects. I believed that will be mirrored in the best way it valued its employees and it has been 100%, I haven’t been upset. After spending one of the best a part of a 12 months on the instruments with OES, simply after we final noticed one another, a brand new alternative got here up – OES had been on the lookout for a coaching coordinator!
Jackson: So so much has occurred since we final noticed one another! May you inform me somewhat extra about your new position?
Zoe: Clearly OES is a bit youthful than Octopus Vitality so we’re rising tremendous quick to make OES’ ambitions actuality – getting extra sensible meters on the bottom (and shortly, different sensible tech like EV chargers and warmth pumps) as we construct a better, greener power grid. I managed to get the position of coaching coordinator, which is sensible, as a result of now I’m actually concerned within the onboarding course of with new starters, welcoming them to the corporate and introducing them to all of the issues we’re about – the customer support, inexperienced power – I’m actually loving my position.
I work actually intently with our new Octopus engineers, however we even have contractors who set up meters for Octopus. We’re identified for being actually good on the customer support side, and spending that additional time with the shopper going the additional mile. And since we’ve had that from once we first joined, all people at Octopus is on a stage. Contractors, alternatively, are historically targeted on the installations themselves – and getting as many finished as doable. I go to our contractors and provides coaching days with new starters and skilled engineers. I introduce them to who we’re as an organization and what we’re about. We do lots of work with the Sensible Meter Set up Code of Apply (SMICOP), to allow them to work to the identical requirements that our prospects count on. A whole lot of the coaching focuses on gentle expertise, so I train them the processes, and all of the engineering we do on the daily of the job, but additionally the customer support side.
Subsequent week is our first huge set of Octopus Vitality Companies starters to affix for the reason that pandemic so I’m actually wanting ahead to having our new guys on board. The coaching course of is all in-house, we’ve got them for a number of weeks (the coaching for contractors is shorter). To be sincere, there’s a special hype. Due to who we’re as an organization, once you end your day one, and so they’ve learnt a bit concerning the firm that you just’re going to be working for, they’re buzzing!
Subsequent week is our first huge set of Octopus Vitality Companies starters to affix for the reason that pandemic so I’m actually wanting ahead to having our new guys on board. Once you end your day one, and so they’ve learnt a bit concerning the firm that you just’re going to be working for, they’re buzzing!
Jackson: On our time out collectively, I keep in mind the way you used the IHD as a possibility to speak to a buyer about how they could possibly be smarter and greener with their power utilization. Do you get the impression that OES engineers really feel like they’re preventing the local weather disaster on the bottom, is it one thing you concentrate on throughout coaching?
Zoe: Massively. Particularly in latest months. There’s been an rising concentrate on it and I have been making an attempt to push that as a spotlight of the coaching. It’s simple to see that our OES engineers are very aware of why they do what they do – why the installations happen, and we’ve finished a good quantity of additional coaching and crew briefs to speak in depth about local weather points and the way we slot in. We’ve obtained a brand new starter course beginning subsequent week and I’ll at all times begin by asking ‘why are we putting in sensible meters?’ Half of the room will know. They get the significance of telling the shopper about how a sensible meter may also help them watch their power utilization, and use power extra effectively, To start with there’s additionally at all times some who suppose they’re there to place the meter on the wall. So there’s the coaching alternative to clarify why we’re doing it. I’m assured that by the top all of our engineers perceive the significance of what they’re doing.
It’s simple to see that our OES engineers are very aware of why they do what they do – why the installations happen, and we’ve finished a good quantity of additional coaching and crew briefs to speak in depth about local weather points and the way we slot in.
Jackson: Every part’s modified with COVID 19, inform me what you’ve been as much as?
Zoe: Being the corporate that we’re – with the know-how we’ve obtained beneath our belt – as a lot as we’ve been affected, we’ve dealt with it so nicely. All through lockdown the engineers had been solely finishing up emergency installations and severe jobs the place folks had been off provide. We’ve been following the infectious and hygiene protocol for patrons who’ve Covid and are self-isolating.
I additionally helped organise our Covid Volunteers. Within the first lockdown 75% of the engineers had been out volunteering – most of them for about three or 4 days per week. It was such an excellent factor to do – there was such a optimistic angle from the engineers. They had been simply grateful to have the ability to do one thing for the neighborhood. We had individuals who had joined us throughout lockdown and couldn’t start coaching, so their first expertise was to leap on board with volunteering and we’ve got nothing however positivity. It actually helped carry all people collectively. We even had some engineers who fell into the weak class and couldn’t exit however nonetheless needed to assist, in order that they spent their time calling prospects as an alternative.
It’s a disgrace as a result of we aimed to get extra folks from the workplace on days out such as you did! I’ve been working all through. I began my new position in January. I used to be working from residence and creating the coaching materials, but additionally the re-mobalisation course of – making a plan for getting the workforce up and operating once more was fairly a major quantity of labor!
Jackson: That’s actually admirable! I’m going to modify course barely – I’ve heard that Octopus Vitality Companies is planning to develop into a one cease store for all issues sensible and inexperienced – may you inform me somewhat extra about that? Are you excited?
Octopus Vitality have the sensible tariffs, like Agile Octopus and Octopus Go, Octopus Vitality Automobiles have the automobiles, and Octopus Vitality Companies has the technical know-how and the set up expertise. Collectively, we do provide the complete package deal, with Octopus Vitality Companies putting in the tech, and performing as a type of bridge between us all. It’s nice that we’re concerned from the very starting as a result of then we will assure nice customer support from the get-go.
Now we have a gaggle of engineers who’re working with the EV crew in the mean time. They’ll ultimately develop into mentors who can then prepare up different engineers, in order that’s actually thrilling. When it comes to different inexperienced initiatives, it’s nice that OES are starting to get entangled. Lots of people be a part of particularly as a result of they wish to broaden their talent set and work on thrilling new initiatives, like warmth pumps, electrical automobiles, sensible charging, and residential power storage.
Being a start-up, with all of the alternatives and the entire progress, it’s simply actually superior to be a part of a mission that’s transferring like this.
Octopus Vitality have the sensible tariffs, like Agile Octopus and Octopus Go, Octopus Vitality Automobiles have the automobiles, and Octopus Vitality Companies has the technical know-how and the set up expertise. Collectively, we do provide the complete package deal.
Jackson: I noticed just lately that OES now have some actually snazzy wanting Electrical Vans? What are they like?
I’ve one of many electrical ‘taxi’ van’s with me proper now – it was really my taxi that was dropped at the workplace when the Prime Minister visited! That was so… surreal…
It’s like working towards what you preach. Inside a month or two we’ll see all our engineers putting in electrical automobiles and rolling up in electrical automobiles of their very own. It drives fantastically, it’s tremendous clean. I do typically get different taxi drivers asking me if I may also help them be a part of Uber, and I get to inform them that I work for a inexperienced power firm – as if the Octopus Vitality Companies sticker wasn’t large enough! To be working for a inexperienced power firm and driving a inexperienced automobile – particularly one which’s obtained pink tentacles down the facet – it’s simply sensible actually.
