Discussing with Paula Ferrando Julià from GNE Finance, who worked on the customer journey, the business model canvas and the economic model of the HORIS OSS
How did you approach the work done by GNE Finance on the business / financial OSS model?
The Business Model Canvas is always the starting point for laying out the key elements a model needs or should consider. However, reality ultimately reshapes the business model. If a model isn’t tested, this is not a real model. It is important to first reflect on what is going to be offered and how it will be delivered.
For the HORIS model, we began by mapping the customer journey, imagining how a user would move from one phase to the next. Then we started asking ourselves what value we were providing, whether we might lose the user at any point, and how to keep them engaged with the platform. This is an imagination exercise, questioning, envisioning, confronting reality, detecting imperfections, and constantly refining the approach.
In any case, reality will always be the final force that shapes the model. The same applies to the financial model. It is nothing more than a hypothesis of how reality might unfold (whether conservative or optimistic), in terms of impact (the desired rehabilitations and therefore revenue) and the cost of achieving those impacts (investments in marketing, salaries, platform, etc.).
In the end, there’s no need to fear building these models. This is true that we commit to implementing certain things, like hiring staff or making investments, but these can always be adjusted over time based on revenue.
How were the country workshops organised, what did you learn from them?
The workshops were organised by country, as the idiosyncrasies and culture of a society shape its way of thinking and delivering services. The goal of the workshops was to emphasize that there are no pre-defined business models, and that each organisation/country had to adapt the HORIS model, thinking beyond the European grant. Questions like: Where are we adding value? Who is willing to pay for it? When will they pay? What benefits will they gain from this digital OSS platform?
The greatest takeaway was seeing how some organizations (like the Spanish consumer organisation OCU) viewed the platform as a connector for internal services, allowing them to better organise what they were already doing. This concept of the platform as a connector was a shift in perspective regarding what the digital OSS could offer.
On the other hand, partner DECOP, the Portuguese consumer organisation, focused heavily on the technical aspect, particularly that the filtering seen in the HORIS platform self-scan* should be handled by local experts with proven skills. They also proposed integrating existing services such as legal support or mediation (which could be an incentive when offering the HORIS service).
Altroconsumo, the Italian consumer organisation, meanwhile, maintained a vision of something that should remain digital and autonomous, aiming to preserve the project integrity. They suggested a CRM-powered by automated emails and a self-scan to gather the necessary information for clarity on the next steps. Their contribution emphasized the importance of clear, concise information, trusting that consumers are capable of learning and navigating the energy rehabilitation process of their homes/buildings independently.
The differing “desires/visions” of each organisation were reviewed alongside DGG, the entity responsible for the platform, which helped shape the final value-added service that aligns with the HORIS model.
Through this reflective process, two potential models emerged:
- One where technicians pay to be part of the platform and gain leads,
- Another where consumers pay for personalised support tailored to their specific needs.
In the latter model, there is a free option for consumers, allowing them to independently carry out the rehabilitation of their homes using the information provided by the platform.
* The Self-Scan offers direct personalised information after visitors answered a few questions about their situation and the building itself: public and private financing schemes available for home renovation, specific energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions per country, and calculation tools that help decide what to implement.
