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CASE STUDY

British Gas digital triage

A digital triage service, launched in 2020, that lets British Gas customers in financial difficulty pay or arrange a plan without speaking to an agent.

CASE STUDY

British Gas digital triage

A digital triage service, launched in 2020, that lets British Gas customers in financial difficulty pay or arrange a plan without speaking to an agent.

THE CHALLENGE

British Gas

Customers who fall behind on their energy bills often put off getting in touch, and a phone call about money is hard to make. British Gas wanted to give these customers a simple, private way to act: to pay, or to explain why they could not, and to be offered the right help. It needed to feel like British Gas, capture each customer's circumstances consistently, and feed straight back into British Gas systems.

WHAT WE BUILT

We built a digital triage journey on a subdomain of the British Gas website, so it looked and felt like British Gas. Customers reach it through personalised links sent by SMS and email, and directly from the British Gas website when they are in financial difficulty. Because each link is personalised, a simple identity check, typically a postcode, is enough. Customers then choose to pay their bill or work out why they cannot pay.

HOW IT WORKS

1. A personalised link arrives by SMS or email, or the customer starts from the British Gas website.

2. A simple identity check, typically a postcode.

3. The customer chooses to pay the bill, or to work out why they cannot pay.

4. A decision tree captures their financial circumstances and any vulnerability, for example the main bill payer losing their job or being in ill health.

5. The customer completes a payment or agrees a plan.

6. All the information is fed directly back into British Gas systems.

RESULTS
81,000+
payments in the first eight months
SOURCE: BRITISH GAS DIGITAL TRIAGE
Almost 10%
more customers paying in the first week
SOURCE: BRITISH GAS DIGITAL TRIAGE
AWARD · BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY, UTILITIES & TELECOMS AWARDS 2020
RESULTS
81,000+
payments in the first eight months
SOURCE: BRITISH GAS DIGITAL TRIAGE
Almost 10%
more customers paying in the first week
SOURCE: BRITISH GAS DIGITAL TRIAGE
AWARD · BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY, UTILITIES & TELECOMS AWARDS 2020
Illustrative worked example - not live customer data
01
Contact
 
Understand (not used in this journey)
02
Verify
03
Assess
05
Route
06
Integrate
04
Pay
 
Survey (not used in this journey)
07
Report
  1. ✓ContactSMS with a personalised link
  2. ✓VerifyIdentity verified without a login
  3. ✓AssessCircumstances and support needs captured step by step
  4. ✓PayAffordable arrangement agreed and first payment made
  5. ✓RouteOption to speak to an adviser offered
  6. ✓IntegrateArrangement written back to billing
  7. ✓ReportAffordability and support evidenced
ACTION COMPLETED
Payment made or affordable arrangement agreed
CLIENT SYSTEM UPDATED
Arrangement written back to billing
OUTCOME MEASURED
Arrangement take-up rate (customers on an affordable plan)
Illustrative worked example - not live customer data
01
Contact
 
Understand (not used in this journey)
02
Verify
03
Assess
05
Route
06
Integrate
04
Pay
 
Survey (not used in this journey)
07
Report
  1. ✓ContactSMS with a personalised link
  2. ✓VerifyIdentity verified without a login
  3. ✓AssessCircumstances and support needs captured step by step
  4. ✓PayAffordable arrangement agreed and first payment made
  5. ✓RouteOption to speak to an adviser offered
  6. ✓IntegrateArrangement written back to billing
  7. ✓ReportAffordability and support evidenced
ACTION COMPLETED
Payment made or affordable arrangement agreed
CLIENT SYSTEM UPDATED
Arrangement written back to billing
OUTCOME MEASURED
Arrangement take-up rate (customers on an affordable plan)
BUILDING BLOCKS USED
01Contact
SMS, email and automated voice, plus AI agents across voice, webchat and messaging. Our AI voice agents are built on Amazon Nova Sonic.
03Verify
No-login identity check through personalised links
04Assess
Circumstances, needs, hardship and vulnerability capture, income and expenditure
07Pay
Card, digital wallet and payment arrangements (PCI DSS)
09Report
Dashboards, outcome reporting and regulatory evidence

Have a similar problem?

A half-day session on one problem. You leave with a solution design and a target outcome.

Have a similar problem?

A half-day session on one problem. You leave with a solution design and a target outcome.

Synteris
ISO 27001:2022 · PCI DSS · UK hosted · GDPR
© 2026 Revive Management Solutions Limited, trading as Synteris. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07881882. Registered office: Walker Begley, 207 Knutsford Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, WA4 2QL.
Synteris
ISO 27001:2022 · PCI DSS · UK hosted · GDPR
© 2026 Revive Management Solutions Limited, trading as Synteris. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07881882. Registered office: Walker Begley, 207 Knutsford Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, WA4 2QL.
Synteris
ISO 27001:2022 · PCI DSS · UK hosted · GDPR
© 2026 Revive Management Solutions Limited, trading as Synteris. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07881882. Registered office: Walker Begley, 207 Knutsford Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, WA4 2QL.