"2019 was a year that gave us significant satisfaction, but 2020 will be even more crucial for us, as the definitive transition from 'multi-utility' to 'smart-utility' will take place. A project that represents an expansion from a business point of view, but also an evolution of the positioning of our brand to make all our stakeholders correctly perceive the values that distinguish the Optima universe on the market and which have contributed to the success of the company".
To speak is Francesco Caliendo, CEO of Optima Italia, an Italian company – based in Naples – active in the energy and telecommunications sector, which caters to business customers, but also to families. And he explains, below, the main new arrivals starting with the rental of electric cars and bikes.
In 2020, having completed the transition to smart-utility, Optima Italia will further expand the services. In the domestic sector, Optima has long been offering solutions for Light, Gas and boiler maintenance, in the field of communication, offers Fiber and Mobile and in the area of safety, in 2019 it introduced su insurance formulas home, accidents, RCA and Life. During 2020 the catalog of themobility offer with long-term car rental and electric bikes. The evolution path continues in 2020 through a constant scouting of innovative services and solutions that strengthen the "smart choice" by the customer.
Founded by Alessio Matrone and Danilo Caruso in 1999, Optima Italia has always based its entire philosophy on a linear and direct concept: simplification. “That necessary simplification – continues Caliendo – which allows companies to remain focused on their core business and families to manage the utilities of their home in a simple way”.
The idea from which Optima Italia was born, in fact, is precisely this. Offer your customers the opportunity to take advantage of all the services – electricity, gas, internet, fixed and mobile – in a single bill, with a stable fee over time, and personalized on the consumption needs of each individual customer.
“A formula that proved us right and that has allowed us over the years to achieve an increasingly distinctive positioning in our reference sector”, adds Caliendo.
In terms of revenues from "core" services, the company recorded an increase of +33% from 2018 to 2019, going from 189 million euros to 251 million euros, bringing total revenues to 280 million euros. The actions carried out by the company during 2019 to optimize the operating leverage have allowed a +51% increase in EBITDA.
The the pool of active services has grown in the last few years. The increase is 31%, from 220 thousand in 2018 to almost 300 thousand in 2019. During 2019, approximately 2 thousand customers were added to the Energy (Power and Gas) and Telco (Fixed and Mobile) services, who have taken out Life, Auto, Home/Accident insurance. Growth is also evident in the continuous innovation process carried out by the corporate functions.
During 2019, among other things, Optima Italia signed a agreement with Open Fiber to offer its customers the fiber optic network, which allows you to surf the Internet at a connection speed of up to 1 Gigabit per second. The ultra-broadband connectivity services in Fiber To The Home (FTTH) mode will be integrated into Optima's existing offer.
"Continuing to invest in technology to offer our customers increasingly innovative and latest-generation services is one of the fundamental guidelines on which Optima's strategy has always been based", underlines Francesco Caliendo. In 2020 Optima will continue its digital transformation journey through the enhancement of digital channels of contact with the customer.
Finally, the opening of new physical points in the area is planned to meet the need for direct contact with customers. “We forecast for the end of 2020, over 800 points of sale throughout Italy, to strengthen the presence of Optima in large urban centers to complement a strong presence in the area”, concludes Caliendo.
