Balance Tracker: From Bill Shock to Always-On Clarity

Clarity for Customers, Confidence for Suppliers

For years, Direct Debit has been a guessing game for energy customers. You pay each month, hope you’re on track, and brace yourself for the annual review – when surprises are more common than reassurance. It’s a system that leaves customers in the dark and suppliers fielding avoidable calls.

Balance Tracker changes all that. Built for Lives not Just Loads, Balance Tracker is ENSEK’s answer to a long-standing industry pain point: it brings always-on clarity and actionable choice to Direct Debit customers, while delivering measurable benefits for suppliers and support teams.

Why We Built Balance Tracker

The story behind Balance Tracker is rooted in real customer research and industry challenges. Many people paying by Direct Debit want confidence that their payments are right – but too often, they’re left guessing.

Direct Debit should be the “hero product”: a low-effort, cost-effective way to spread the cost of energy. But in reality, it can leave customers uncertain. Monthly or quarterly statements don’t explain if you’re on track. Annual reviews can bring “bill shock,” and legacy balances roll over, leaving customers unsure what they actually owe. When the review comes, customers are often surprised – and support teams see a spike in calls and complaints.

Balance Tracker was born from a simple vision:
Give customers confidence in what they pay and how they pay for their energy.

 

Always-On, Actionable, Human

Most suppliers review payments once a year. Balance Tracker can check every day. That means:

• No more bill shock: Customers know where they stand, always – and by engaging with Balance Tracker, they can self-solve and help smooth out payment changes, reducing surprises at Direct Debit review time
• No more support overload: Fewer “why has my payment changed?” calls, more empowered customers.
• No more guesswork: Suppliers get better forecasting, more stable plans, and happier customers.
  
  

How does it work?
Balance Tracker constantly monitors a customer’s Direct Debit plan against expected usage. If you’re on track, great. If not, you’ll see a clear status – underpaying or overpaying – and get tailored options to act:

• Increase or decrease your Direct Debit
• Spread the cost further
• Request a refund (with eligibility checks)

The goal is to keep customers in control, not “done to.” Every outcome is tailored, and the system can nudge or, if needed, intervene to keep things on track.

Built on Real-World Learning

Balance Tracker isn’t static. It’s designed to learn from real-world use and get smarter over time. The current beta trial is focused on understanding how customers interact with the feature, what actions they take, and whether plans become more stable.

This insight will shape future enhancements – refining the logic, improving forecasting, and optimising when and how nudges are delivered. Our goal is simple: make payment adequacy easier, clearer, and stress-free for everyone. 

Who Benefits (Beyond Customers)

• Customers: Get control, confidence, and fewer surprises.
• Suppliers: Over time, see reduced contact centre demand, more predictable cash flow, and stronger retention.
• Support teams: Spend less time firefighting, more time helping.
• Product and delivery: Gain real-world feedback to keep improving.

When you make things clearer for customers, you make life better for everyone.

What Makes This an ENSEK Project

• Customer-first, always: We start with real pain points and build solutions around them.
• Iterative by design: We learn from real-world use, refining logic and nudges as we go.
• Collaborative at every step: Product, delivery, support, and data teams all contribute.
• Clear communication: We use plain English so everyone can understand their options.
  
  
  

What’s Next

Balance Tracker is live in beta, and we’re learning.

As we gather more insights, we’ll keep refining – making payment adequacy even simpler, smarter, and more human. This is just the start.