The year 2024 has been the period in which Madrileña Red de Gas has received its highest customer ratings, achieving excellence levels (above 50) on the NPS scale for many of its key processes.

During this time, special emphasis has been placed on proactively engaging both with direct customers and with the various organisations that represent them. Additionally, a deeper analysis of the customer experience has been conducted, enabling a significant transformation in customer service.

Regarding home operations, high levels of quality and service have been further improved.

3.1 Gas Demand

In addition to temperatures, other variables that affect consumption include economic variables such as the price of gas and household income, social and demographic variables such as the number of household members and the usable floor area of the dwelling, as well as government policies.

According to data from recent years, consumer response to these variables has been a decrease in natural gas consumption.

In 2023, despite being a colder year than the previous one, consumption declined, coinciding with an environment of exceptionally high natural gas prices and high inflation. On the other hand, in 2024, even with slightly higher temperatures than in 2023, according to the degree-day metric, gas consumption was slightly higher, but demand levels did not return to pre-2022 levels, despite similar temperatures.

The sector uses the degree-day metric (days below 15ºC) to model the temperature associated with demand.

3.2 Customer Service

During 2024, Madrileña Red de Gas has undertaken a comprehensive transformation of its customer service model, integrating the service function directly into business units and fostering a culture in which all teams feel involved and jointly responsible for customer service.

The main objectives of this reorganisation were the following:

1. Full control of the service
   The new model enables complete control over operations, including staff training, process management, and quality oversight. This facilitates the implementation of continuous improvements and a swift adaptation to the evolving needs of customers.
2. Greater knowledge of the product and the company
   Customer service managers now have a better understanding of the company’s products, services, and policies, enabling them to provide more informed and accurate service to customers.
3. Long-term cost reduction
   Although initial costs may be similar or even higher, the new model can generate significant long-term savings, particularly by reducing call volumes through process improvement and digitalisation, decreasing the percentage of repeat calls and customer complaints from dissatisfied customers, and promoting customer digitalisation to enable 24/7 autonomy.
4. Improved communication and coordination
   The new model facilitates communication and coordination between managers and other departments within the company, resulting in a smoother and more satisfying customer experience, as well as an increased awareness of service quality among members of the different work teams.
5. Increased customer satisfaction
   By providing a more personalised, coordinated, and efficient service that is aligned with the company’s culture and values, this new model helps to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
6. Implementation of a new training methodology
   Training is centralised in the Excellence Department, involving the rest of the company’s units in the process, empowering service managers with an initial training program lasting close to three weeks, alongside continuous training linked to daily service management and ongoing feedback between the new service and the units.

There is a significant increase in the «Web (no login)» channel, rising from 27% in 2021 to over 60% in 2022, remaining the dominant channel in 2024.

Regarding the existing customer service channels at Madrileña Red de Gas, it has been possible to see how user preferences have shifted between various contact methods with the company.

There is a significant increase in the «Web (no login)» channel, rising from 27% in 2021 to over 60% in 2022, remaining the dominant channel in 2024. This trend indicates a clear preference for fast and accessible solutions without the need for authentication.

The latest implemented measures, such as improved service, digitalisation, and greater customer autonomy, may be having a positive effect on reducing customer requests, as customers can address their needs more efficiently and proactively.

During this financial year, the request resolution rates stabilised above 90%, reflecting a significant improvement in the system’s responsiveness and efficiency

During this financial year, the request resolution rates stabilised above 90%, reflecting a significant improvement in the system’s responsiveness and efficiency. This trend suggests that the corrective actions implemented have been effective, enabling the recovery and maintenance of high service levels in request resolution.

MRG’s objective is to ensure that customers remain permanently informed, providing them with value not only in relation to the company’s own processes, such as meter readings or periodic inspections, but also regarding the requests received by Madrileña Red de Gas from gas retailers.

Administrative disconnections

Madrileña Red de Gas continues to work proactively to mitigate the situation of customers who, despite having terminated their contract with the gas retailer, remain connected to the gas network. This situation is referred to as an administrative disconnection.

It is important to remember that this abnormal situation, caused by a change in criteria by the regulator (CNMC), poses a potential risk both to safety and to the integrity of the gas system, potentially leading to cases of fraud. from an initial total of 3,421 to the current 1,291.

The set of actions implemented by Madrileña Red de Gas has made it possible to reduce the number of supply points in a state of disconnection by more than 60%

The set of actions implemented by Madrileña Red de Gas has made it possible to reduce the number of supply points in a state of disconnection by more than 60%. This means that, from an initial total of 3,421, the figure has now fallen to 1,291.

Customer analytics

During 2024, Madrileña Red de Gas has focused on implementing customer analytics across all its processes and customer interaction channels. As a result of this analysis, a detailed map has been produced, allowing for the precise identification of areas where efforts need to be concentrated.

Specifically, the service is analyzed by both process and communication channel. At a more granular level, monitoring is carried out on metrics such as compliance rates, complaints per 1,000 operations, repeat calls, reworking, and average response time.

Artificial Intelligence

Throughout 2024, Madrileña Red de Gas has conducted its first proof of concept tests using artificial intelligence tools, with the aim of supporting the analysis of the context of customer calls and interactions through the various MRG channels.

Throughout 2024, Madrileña Red de Gas has conducted its first proof of concept tests using artificial intelligence tools

The first test aims to comprehensively assess a customer’s context, with the purpose of identifying pain points and predicting potential situations that could lead to complaints or requests for action.

The second use case focuses on leveraging unstructured information collected in the field by technicians and recorded in remarks fields: information that is currently difficult to utilise effectively.

This learning process will enable the company to continue improving its customer experience. Additionally, the deployment of user-oriented artificial intelligence tools has begun, with the goal of enhancing individual productivity.

3.3Digital Communication

Madrileña Red de Gas reminds its customers of the importance of providing an actual meter reading at least once a year, as well as the convenience of basing billing on actual readings, whenever possible.

In order to guarantee accurate billing aligned with real consumption, the company offers its users various channels to communicate their meter readings, thereby promoting a more transparent and efficient management of the supply.

Customers have shown a clear preference for autonomous digital channels, especially the virtual office without login, to communicate their meter readings. This trend reflects the success of Madrileña Red de Gas’s strategy to promote self-management, with minimal participation of agent-assisted channels and stable use of other digital means such as the virtual office and telephone IVR.

Specifically, in the customer-facilitated reading process, the channels chosen during 2024 were: Virtual Office without login (63.3%), Virtual Office with login (15%), WhatsApp (17.7%), IVR (voice prompts) (3.8%), and calls to call centre agents (0.2%).

On the other hand, the monthly complaints received during 2023 and 2024 in relation to the meter reading process show a significant and sustained reduction in the volume of complaints in this financial year compared to the previous one, with a much more stable and controlled trend throughout the year.

This development provides clear evidence of the positive impact of the improvement measures in the meter reading process. By strengthening transparency of information towards the customer, a clear schedule of meter readings and the values that will be used for billing by the gas retailer have been provided. This measure has contributed to a better understanding of the process by the user and has led to a decrease in the volume of inquiries received.

Additionally, the standardisation and enhancement of responses to complaints have been crucial in reducing recurrence of incidents, ensuring more consistent resolution criteria and improving the overall perception of the service.

3.4 Loyalty

The average CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), which measures customer satisfaction across the range of services offered by the company, shows a clear upward trend in service perception. This sustained improvement is the result of a strategic approach focused on operational excellence, user-centric digitalisation, and increasingly close, proactive, and multi-channel customer service.

The new website design was based on a mobile-first approach, given that most visits to the site are made from mobile devices

During 2024, Madrileña Red de Gas identified WhatsApp as the most accessible and user-friendly digital channel for senior users, significantly outperforming other traditional means such as email and SMS.

As part of its customer-centric digital transformation strategy, the company implemented WhatsApp use in 100% of its customer service and management processes. The results were stunning: WhatsApp now accounts for more than 45% of all interactions recorded through the telephone channel, establishing itself as a growing medium that will become one of the preferred channels for users in the coming years.

The response from customers has been outstanding, both in terms of usage and satisfaction. According to the latest measurements, the WhatsApp channel achieved a Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) of 9.1 points, significantly higher than the average of eight points recorded by traditional channels.

This success reflects Madrileña Red de Gas’s commitment to providing a closer, more efficient and inclusive customer service, and strengthens its goal to continue innovating digital solutions that enhance user experience.

Based on a thorough analysis of browsing behaviour and main customer demands, in 2024 Madrileña Red de Gas launched a new website aimed at facilitating access to the most frequently consulted information. The redesign was conceived under a «mobile first» approach, responding to the fact that 85% of visits to the site come from mobile devices.

The new portal not only optimises the user experience, but has also demonstrated significant improvements in key digital performance indicators:

• 23% decrease in bounce rate.
• 12.5% increase in interaction with site elements.
• 18% increase in average session duration.
• 61% decrease in same-day repeated visits.

This redesign represents a key step in the company’s commitment to providing more intuitive and efficient digital experiences that align with the current consumption habits of its users.

Furthermore, in line with its commitment to transparency, Madrileña Red de Gas publishes its main customer service performance metrics in an accessible manner on its website.

Madrileña Red de Gas strengthened its commitment to customer closeness and service through a series of visits to the Municipal Consumer Information Offices (OMIC) responsible for 80% of its customer base

Throughout 2024, Madrileña Red de Gas strengthened its commitment to customer closeness and service through a series of visits to the Municipal Consumer Information Offices (OMIC) responsible for 80% of its customer base. These visits, organised as a roadshow and real-life case studies, were very well received by both technicians and municipal representatives, who highlighted that it was the only company in the sector to carry out such an initiative.

Along the same lines, the commitment to customer service has been maintained with the Directorate-General for Energy Transition and Circular Economy (DGTEEC) and the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs (DGC), promoting meetings and participating in information days, such as the one organised by the DGC early in the year, where we presented our operations and approach.

In the field of consumer service, the company positioned itself as a benchmark in complaint management. According to the ranking published by the Consumers and Users Organization (OCU), Madrileña Red de Gas was one of the top-ranked companies in the sector in 2024, standing out for its efficiency, clarity in communication, and swift resolution of incidents.

Additionally, the overall user perception is also reflected on open and democratised platforms such as Google My Business, where the company maintained a solid average rating of four stars at year-end, based on over 14,000 anonymous reviews.

3.5 Customer Operations

Field excellence

Field excellence is not limited solely to the correct execution of technical tasks. Madrileña Red de Gas firmly believes that delivering quality service also involves understanding customer needs, anticipating their difficulties, and acting proactively to improve their experience.

For this reason, the company has been systematically evaluating key indicators related to the most significant pain points for its customers over the years. This approach has enabled the identification of areas for improvement, the implementation of effective solutions, and the measurement of the real impact of its actions on the ground.

One area where this effort has yielded particularly significant results is consumption readings. Thanks to improved planning, the use of technological tools, and more efficient management of visits, a record low of 1.8% of customers without an annual reading has been achieved.

This milestone not only reflects operational improvement, but also strengthens customer trust by ensuring actual readings and more accurate billing.

Customer experience depends not only on the final outcome but also on how moments of contact are managed. In this regard, one of the objectives has been to provide users with greater flexibility and control over scheduled visits. Currently, 18% of visits are rescheduled directly by the customers themselves, within a time window of just 2 hours.

At the same time, the company continues to strengthen its commitment to punctuality and reliability. Madrileña Red de Gas has succeeded in reducing missed scheduled visits to a minimum of 0.29%, a key indicator of operational efficiency and respect for the customer’s time.

Additionally, the company leverages field visits to perform fraud checks through gas flow testing. This procedure is applied to 90% of meters identified as a priority.

One of the main challenges in carrying out field operations continues to be accessibility to meters and the presence of the customer on site.

Despite these inherent limitations, Madrileña Red de Gas has managed to maintain high success rates in key operations (Figure 40), thanks to careful planning, proactive customer contact, and the constant adaptation of its teams to the realities of the operational environment.

Periodic inspection

Every five years, customer installations must undergo a thorough inspection to verify compliance with current safety regulations. This process not only ensures legal compliance, but also protects users and extends the lifespan of the installations.

Madrileña Red de Gas was able to carry out 98% of the inspections planned for the 2024 campaign, detecting anomalies in 9.45% of the installations

At Madrileña Red de Gas, significant effort has been put into optimising every stage of this process. Intensive work has been done in planning, personalised service, and operational efficiency to make the customer experience as smooth, clear, and satisfactory as possible.

Thanks to this dedication, the five-year inspection process has become one of the most valued aspects by customers (Figure 41): they see it not only as an obligation, but also as an opportunity to improve and secure their installations, guided by a professional, approachable team committed to service excellence.

Madrileña Red de Gas was able to carry out 98% of the inspections planned for the 2024 campaign, detecting anomalies in 9.45% of the installations. Proactive monitoring of anomaly corrections has made it possible to recover 92% of correction receipts, thereby avoiding supply interruptions for safety reasons.