# Origin Energy Bill Relief Pathway: Hardship Innovation
> Explore Origin Energy's proactive hardship model designed to resolve bill debt, reduce customer stress, and eliminate wait times through retailer-led support.

Tags: origin-energy, hardship-innovation, debt-resolution, financial-counselling, business-strategy, customer-experience, utility-billing
## Bill Relief Pathway Overview
* A proactive hardship model by Origin Energy aimed at moving from debt assessment to resolution in a single interaction.

## The Problem: Current Process Gaps
* Existing 6-8 week wait times for financial counselling.
* Lack of engagement visibility and rising balances during deferrals.
* High customer stress and abandonment rates.

## The Solution: Retailer-Led Submission
* Shift to retailer-led hardship assessments and direct referrals to counsellors.
* Faster access to assistance by eliminating manual customer follow-through delays.

## How It Works: Six-Step Process
1. **Identify & Optimise:** Staff identify eligible customers.
2. **Obtain Consent:** Verbal data-sharing consent.
3. **Complete Grant Packet:** Detailed assessment of income and hardship.
4. **Customer Submits ID:** Direct secure upload to NGO.
5. **Counsellor Verifies:** 5-minute verification call replaceing 45-minute assessments.
6. **Track & Hold:** Shared platform for status updates.

## Compliance and Funding
* Focus on informed consent and zero document handling by Origin to reduce data liability.
* Recommended 'Service Agreement' model to ensure compliance and measurable performance outcomes.

## Business Impact and Pilot Results
* **Trial Size:** 200 targeted customers.
* **Financial Result:** $100,000 in immediate debt resolution ($500 average per customer).
* **Operational Benefits:** Reduced debt aging, improved recovery, and lower workload for staff and NGOs.
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