Balancing in the energy market: Pure Energie optimizes with Microsoft Dynamics

Project Developer

Martijn Tielkes, operational director at Pure Energie: "We only supply green energy, generated in the Netherlands, and we have won the title of 'Greenest energy supplier in the Netherlands' eight times. Nowadays, almost only green energy is supplied in the Netherlands. That uniqueness is now gone. Since 2016, we really deliver from pasture to socket. We realize sustainable energy projects in the Netherlands without wind, primarily on land and rooftops. Through our supply company, we deliver this directly to end users. We want to not only supply sustainable energy but also be a sustainable company."

Balancing Energy

"The energy transition has gained significant momentum. As energy suppliers, we will have to offer different solutions. We want to relieve our customers in smartly balancing their energy, thus bringing balance to what they consume and return. We are working on a smart solution so that customers do not have to think about which devices should be on at what time."

Automation

"Pure Energie is increasingly becoming an IT company. Apart from smartly balancing energy, you can also see this reflected in billing, collections, and accounts receivable monitoring. We used to work with Exact Globe. This was fine for us as a project developer, but in terms of billing and real-time insight, it was a disaster. With guidance from Axelio, formerly Newminds, we are now working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. With this ERP solution, we have better oversight and can be closer to the finances. Think of statistical analyses of payment behavior to see what works in a payment process. The better you control this, the better you function as an energy supplier."

Central Role for IT

"IT plays a central role within Pure Energie. Trading energy is all about IT. You can no longer imagine an energy supplier without an app. Our 'customer happiness employees' need to have immediate insight into customer data, including any payment arrears, when they receive a call. Your first advance is calculated based on consumption from a few years earlier. When you install solar panels or switch off gas, that monthly term is completely out of balance. Nowadays, we can adjust this monthly with smart algorithms. This way, the customer gets a much better picture of actual consumption, and we can provide much better budget advice."

Flexible Solution

"It's all IT nowadays. We are really becoming an IT company. Customers want to adjust their advance themselves or quickly access information; they no longer want to call or write. We came into contact with Axelio because we needed to become more flexible. Less risk of outages and being able to handle the bulk of invoices. It had to be faster, as everything took too long. With the old platform, we had lead times of ten days. That became very tight, and the more customers we got, the longer that lead time became."

Growth Ambitions

"The old package no longer matched our growth ambitions, so we started looking for a possible replacement. We spoke with various parties, but the deciding factor for choosing Axelio was the 'down-to-earth' approach. This approach simply fits our Twente pragmatism."

Working More Efficiently

"The solution we were looking for also had to be compatible with Ecedo, a SaaS environment for energy suppliers. We were a launching customer for Axelio when they built a standard connector for Ecedo. They also set up the payment management process for us. We now work much more efficiently, which is already evident in the lead times. When we started an advance batch in Ecedo, you could no longer modify advances from that moment on. That was hard to explain to a customer. Now it is processed almost immediately, so customers no longer experience this issue, and we can continue working while a batch is running. We have a competitive advantage through efficiency improvement. The CTS (Cost To Serve) is lower, which can provide a price advantage for our customers."

Reliable Partner

"The collaboration with Axelio was very good. Axelio really helped us tremendously by involving our financial administration colleagues in all the possibilities and showing them how Business Central could really work for them. They also know exactly what is allowed and not allowed in terms of accounting. That knowledge is indispensable. It's also nice to know that if something happens, Axelio is there for us. Axelio's approach has ensured that we have not had any serious disruptions. The issues that arose were resolved immediately. This shows that Axelio is a reliable partner."