Your guide to using the ‘Ideas’ area of the OVO Forum

We want to build fantastic products and tools with our customers, not just for them. If you use our online account, our app (download for Android or iOS), the OVO Help or Forum site, and you’ve spotted something you think we could do better, OVO Forum ‘Ideas’ is for you.

Ideas allows you to browse, comment and vote on existing ideas and submit new ones that could help to create a better online experience for your fellow OVO Energy customers. All suggestions are carefully reviewed by our product teams. By submitting and voting on an idea, you can show the level of interest and popularity that idea has with our customers, which helps to shape what we prioritise and work on next.

So how does it work? We’ve run through a few FAQs below.

How can I check if my idea has been posted before?

Great minds think alike. Before submitting a new idea please use the ‘search’ function to see if anyone else might be thinking the same. This saves you the effort of writing out your idea when a handy upvote on a previous post works the same.

 How do I submit an idea?

Head over to our Ideas area here. The ‘create idea’ button will let you share your light bulb moment and allow other customers to vote on it!

What should I include in my idea?

As much detail as possible. If your idea involves improving an existing feature, a screenshot can really help us and other customers to understand which page you’re looking at - just make sure to avoid any account numbers or personal information like names and addresses. An explanation of why and when you’d use the new or improved tool increases the chances others might agree and give your idea a vote too.

What if I have more than one idea?

The more ideas the merrier. We just ask that you post each suggestion separately. This makes it easier for others to comment on and vote for each of your ideas.

What happens to my idea once it's been posted?

All ideas will have a status which shows where it is on its ideas journey. Freshly posted ideas will have the New status. The team will aim to check all new ideas within 2 weeks of posting, to make sure we understand what you’re suggesting. Once its reviewed and understood, the status of your idea will change depending on what we think:
 

• Open for votes - Your idea has potential. We’ve opened it up for voting and comments to find out what others think of it and evaluate whether there’s demand to add it to our product roadmap.

• Completed - We’ve looked at the feedback and worked to make it a reality. Any feedback on the end result can be posted as comments on the idea thread.

• Can’t be done yet - We’ve considered the idea but unfortunately won’t be able to take it forward at the moment. It might be too complex or not in-keeping with our aims or values. We will aim to provide details whenever this option is used so you’re kept in the loop. 

 How often are ideas reviewed?

We’ll check all ideas posted, including comments and votes they’ve received every 3 months. You might notice the statuses are updated if things have changed since you first posted.

How many votes does my idea need to be considered?

This one’s tricky to answer. We’ll judge each idea on a case by case basis depending on the interest shown here as well as the technical work needed to put it in place. You might find that small or simpler ideas will be worked on with fewer votes collected than more complex ideas requiring more time to create.

Why has my idea been made a topic instead?

Your idea suggests something isn’t working as it should be, or you might need help using an existing feature. We’ve moved your idea over to the main forum area so other community members and moderators can offer advice. If we suspect there could be a technical issue with your account we’ll work with you to make sure the Support team is made aware.

Why has my idea been merged with an older idea?

We’ve had a similar idea posted here before, so have made your idea a comment in that thread. This allows you to discuss and vote on the idea in one place.

Why have you closed my idea?

We welcome all ideas here and would love to be able to make as many updates and improvements as possible. But sometimes we need to think practically and be realistic about what the team is able to do. We’ll still keep a note of all closed ideas and may reconsider them again in the future.

 Can I see which ideas were successful?

We’ll update the ideas which have been launched with the Delivered status. You can see all successfully completed ideas via the Ideas area. You can filter ideas based on the status the ideas has, or which product area it relates to. We’ll also be reviewing how many of your votes led to a fully realised new feature, so watch this space for updates.

So head over to OVO Forum Ideas and let’s work together to build something great!