Isle of Man Energy is closing its reception to customers next week.

The firm says it's due to to the fact that 'most customers now prefer online customer service interactions to face-to-face ones'.

The company, formerly named Manx Gas, says the small team who worked on reception have been informed and have all been offered new positions at Isle of Man Energy.

It is closing its reception on Monday, November 6, due to a 'significant decline in the number of customers who use the service'.

An Isle of Man Energy spokesperson said 'It's improving the way customers can manage their accounts, pay bills and interact with its dedicated customer services teams based in the Isle of Man and Glasgow to better reflect what its customers need.'

The statement added: 'After increased investment in its online and call centre offerings, customers can now use these resources to access the vast majority of Isle of Man Energy's services.'

The company has insisted that those customers who still require face-to-face customer service can still do so with the launch of an 'appointment service'.

It said: 'For those customers who still require face-to-face customer service, either because they are vulnerable or have especially complex requirements, Isle of Man Energy has launched an appointment service. This enables customers to speak to the team at a convenient time, means no more queuing at the reception area, and provides a guaranteed meeting slot.

Aidan Baglow, managing director of Isle of Man Energy, said: 'We want our customers to be able to interact with us and access services in the most convenient and simple way possible, and that increasingly means providing online services.

'The investment we’ve made in this area of the business has improved our website and our call centre and the vast majority of customers’ needs can now be met digitally or over the phone.

'It was no longer viable or necessary to run a fully staffed reception service, which was inefficient and had seen a significant decline in the number of users. We recognise that a small number of customers still need those face-to-face interactions so have made this far more convenient for customers to book a specific appointment online and come and see us.

'Customers can book boiler services, let us know if they’re moving house, make general billing enquiries and pay their bills either on our website www.isleofmanenergy.im or by phoning 01624 644444. The website has a full list of all the ways that customers can carry on doing what they need to do.'

For more information you can get in touch with Isle of Man Energy at: https://isleofmanenergy.im/contact-us