Question Details: With much press and tv media coverage and programs such as Watchdog about customer service and in most cases its failings, how do you feel the Water Industry, as a whole, deals with customer service and probably more importantly what is the perception of the general public to the customer service side of the industry.
Do we need to improve?
Consumers in all sectors have the right to the best possible levels of service. In a normal commercial relationship, a dissatisfied customer can take their business elsewhere if they are not happy with the product and service supplied. This is not possible in the monopoly situation which applies almost throughout the Water Industry. However, strong regulation such as is provided by OFWAT exists and can ensure that service levels are maintained. OFWAT operates a formal process by which Levels of Service are assessed and improvements measured. Each year, the Level of Service provided by the Water Industry is assessed by OFWAT who take a series of parameters including unplanned supply interruptions, low pressure, sewer flooding, response times to telephone calls and written communications. This data is provided to OFWAT by each of the twelve Water Companies and ten Water and Sewerage Companies in England and Wales themselves. It is then collated by OFWAT and issued as a formal report towards the end of each year. These reports are all available on the OFWAT website.
The most recent report shows the steady improvement in performance across all the levels of service indicators since 1991. These improvements reflect the continuing efforts by Companies to improve service to customers, and in particular to reduce problems of low water pressure and the risk of sewer flooding. However, in 2005/6, industry performance in two other areas fell away disappointingly. The number of billing contacts not responded to in writing within 5 days and the number of written complaints not responded to within ten days both rose nearly tenfold. This was purely due to performance failures and provision of unreliable data at Severn Trent, Southern and Thames Water. Provision of reliable data is essential to protect consumers'
interests. Company data to OFWAT shapes the future of bills that we all pay and the levels of service that we expect from the Water Industry. The majority of Water Companies are providing a decent service and most of them are rated as ' good' by OFWAT, it is essential that all the Companies maintain their efforts to improve levels of service across all the parameters.
