Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1119298
2020 vision The Talk: Interview W ith Ofwat having now brought in its new customer measure of experience for a shadow year, water companies and their contractors are getting to experience a dry run ahead of AMP7. C-MeX involves the regulator survey- ing random samples of water company customers in addition to those who have had cause to contact their water company, while the definition of a complaint has been widened to include those made via social media and other channels. Although no financial incentives will apply to C-MeX performance during the shadow year, the measure will be imple- mented in full from 1 April 2020 and, with contractors o-en finding themselves at the forefront of customer experience, they will need to respond. "As well as value for money and mak- ing sure networks are resilient, customer service is going to be paramount in AMP7 Kier Utilities' Nigel Dyer tells Robin Hackett how the company is evolving to meet the changing demands on the water sector ahead of AMP7 and that's something we're acutely aware of," Nigel Dyer, Kier Utilities' managing director for water, says. "That emphasis on the customer is something we're going to see a major shi- on in the next year or two." Kier's water offering ranges from pumping stations and processing plants to tunnelling, metering and the repair and maintenance of clean water and sewer networks. Given that a sizeable part of its work involves direct interaction with the public, the firm – which has a dedicated cus- tomer experience team – is taking steps to rise to the challenges C-MeX presents. "We're designing new work processes to make sure we can respond to customers in a timely manner, and we've also got to think about how to upskill our workforce to ensure they've got the right customer skills because they are the interaction between a water company and their end users," Dyer says. Part of that includes offering clear explanations to the customer about why the work is required and keeping them informed throughout the process. It will also involve seeking to identify any solu- tions, such as trenchless technologies, that might enable them to reduce the impact on the public. "We will always have to have an inter- vention on the water network because of the sheer complexity of it but, if we can minimise disruption, we'll obviously have a greater level of customer experience," Dyer says. "It's not just about being polite – it's about the technological solutions and work processes we can use to ensure that customers are fully abreast of what we're doing and why we're doing it, as well as keeping our promises on timescales." Kier is also working to expand its capabilities on leakage, which is another www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | JUNE 2019 | 17