Our strategies and plans

Customers told us:

• Speed up how long it takes to fit a water meter or process all the paperwork when moving home.
• Make it easier to report a leak
• Communicate using their choice - whether that’s a text update, phone call or through an app
• Keep them updated at regular intervals, so they know we are working on resolving the query
• Offer a wider range of slots for booking engineer visits, 9am-5pm (Monday-Friday) is not good enough
• Offer more choice of digital services to make it easy to contact us when they want – e.g. whether that’s taking a picture of a leak

We are using the feedback to:

• Make it quick and easy for customers to report a leak and how we can respond quicker
• Explore opportunities to offer early morning engineer slots for customers
• Reduce the time it takes for a customer to have a water meter fitted at their property
• Further improve our staff training, so they can offer a great, personal service to customers
• Develop an app to give customers more choice and control over their experience
• Improve our Alexa Voice-Activated Assistant service for customers who want to contact us this way

Who we spoke to:

30 customers discussed how we can improve our service at a four-hour interactive workshop

386 customers took part in a telephone survey to understand how quickly they wanted us to respond to different types of queries and which communication channels they prefer at each point of contact.

Customers told us:

The most popular services customers are interested in are:

• An improved website experience that gives them more control over how much water they are using and the impact it has on their bills
• More regular meter readings, so they can compare their water usage over time and to other similar-sized households
• A wider range of options for how and when they are charged for their water
• To reward them for using less water
• Receiving updates and advice on how they can use water more responsibly

We are using the feedback to:

• Make our MyAccount online service more relevant to customers
• Review ways to better provide more water-saving recommendations to help customers save more water
• Make everyday transactions easy to complete on our website (e.g. making a payment, providing a meter read)
• Investigate how we can provide customers with more regular meter readings
• Offer customers more choice of when and how much of their bill they need to pay to suit their lifestyle
• Develop our social media presence to give customers better real-time information when there is an issue with their water supply

Who we spoke to:

515 online and phone interviews to understand customers’ views towards water

35 customers attended 4 focus groups to discuss their thoughts on a range of new services we could offer them

270 online and phone interviews to understand which services are most appealing to them

Customers told us:

Customers found the following services most appealing:

• A dedicated team with the knowledge to offer the right support
• An app/or online portal to allow them to select the type of support they need
• Flexible bill payment options to get them through any tough periods

And that:

• Training our staff is vital. They must be able to listen, show empathy and be able to spot what support is best to offer a customer
• We must recognise that people can be facing a range of issues and these can change over time
• We need to communicate with customers using a range of channels, as everyone has different preferences
• Many feel the support we offer is hidden, or they did not expect a water company to offer it

We are using the feedback to:

• Explore if we can open more Community Hubs to give customers more opportunity to talk to us face to face
• Develop a ‘Here for you’ care service that will allow customers to choose the level of help and support they require from us
• Set-up an ‘Extra Care’ team, to better support customers
• Be more effective in how we communicate the help and support we offer

Who we spoke to:

10 in-depth home interviews with customers facing a range of difficult challenges to understand what services they need

3 in-depth phone interviews with community support groups to identify opportunities for improvement

8 customers took part in a two-hour workshop to help shape how a tailored support service should work

Customers told us:

• Bill information needs to be clear and obvious, particularly the amount owed
• Designs that are uncluttered, with an obvious flow and lots of white space are preferred
• Using shaded boxes makes the bill more readable and helps highlight important messages
• A modern looking and clear bill is desired, rather than anything too radical
• Having prominent reference on page one to highlight ‘help with paying’ options, seen as important  

We are using the feedback to:

• Develop a new bill based on what customer say they want

Gain further feedback from customers who have particular needs, such as those with visual impairments

Who we spoke to:

4 focus groups involving 30 household customers

600 online interviews with a wide range of household customers