Behind So Energy: Dani Mattingly

What is your job title?

Associate Product Manager.

How long have you been working at So Energy?

2 years and 1 month.

Can you tell us a little bit about your career background - how did you first get started working in the energy industry?

I applied for a job at So Energy because I wanted to work at a sustainable energy startup. I wanted a job in a fast-paced environment, on a high-energy (excuse the pun) team! I joined in the Operations team and have since moved to Customer Operations Process Improvement, and now into the Product team. Having worked in a variety of roles, I’ve worked with many different people in the company and have learnt a lot!

My interest in a career in the energy sector can probably be traced back to when I was a kid - I’ve always been interested in renewables, I remember driving around seeing wind or solar farms and being so intrigued! There’s also the fact that, right now especially, there’s so much more we can and should be doing when it comes to renewable energy. I want to play my part in that. 

Can you explain what your role at So entails?

As a Product Manager it’s my job to steer and direct our engineers’ efforts, based on the business needs - with customer experience at the forefront. One of our major priorities is to minimise the need for customers to contact us with queries or issues; we want everything they need to already be clearly accessible and easy to find within their online account. This means making sure that we’re always delivering a really streamlined and efficient online experience.

Lately my work has focused on So Energy’s Priority Services Register, which is available to our customers who have special requirements - for example a physical or mental condition, those who are of pensionable age, or those who live with a child under the age of 5. As an energy supplier, our Priority Services are designed to give customers on the register extra support and peace of mind, based on their needs. For example if  you give us permission, we can send your bills to a relative, friend or carer, or we can provide braille or large print bills. 

The work I’m doing has been about letting our customers know the support we have on offer  - for example through email communication, information via their online accounts and so on. I work with our design and user experience teams to create customer ‘journeys’ before passing that on to our software developers to make it happen.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I really enjoy working with a wide group of people with such a diverse set of skills. I regularly work closely with our software developers and customer service agents, as well as other stakeholders around the business.

I also find it really rewarding seeing the outputs of my work live and on our website, knowing that colleagues and customers are using a tool that I helped create. 

Is there a recent project or achievement at work that you've been particularly proud of? 

It would have to be the work I’ve been doing on our Priority Services Register. It’s been brilliant to be able to focus on that, especially at the moment given everything that’s going on with the energy prices. It’s so important to be able to support our customers in every way that we can. 

What do you like doing outside of work to recharge your batteries?

I love to keep active and running is my go-to. I try to go on at least three runs a week and have recently run a half marathon on a frozen lake in Norway! I also love a bit of tennis or squash, or a game of rounders with friends on a sunny day.

Describe So Energy in 3 words

Real team effort.