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UTILITY WEEK | DECEMBER 2020 | 27 Customers Interview Emma Clancy is only the second chief executive of water watchdog CCW, formerly CCWater, since it was formed in 2005. On joining the sector aer 14 years at Certsure (the electrical industries equivalent to the gas safety register), Clancy spoke to the chief executives of each of the water companies for feedback on their impressions of CCW and says one consistent message was that the watchdog could be a bit "one note". "They all said we provide the important element of challenge, but we could be 'problem admirers'," Clancy says. "We want to move to a position where we are part of the solution as well as pointing out the problem." She adds: "It's right that we are strong in our chal- lenge, but we also have a role to play to help provide information. Shouting from the sidelines doesn't change anything. If we want to deliver more for customers we have to reposition ourselves." Her first move was to offer tailored programmes for each company on the back of the household complaints report, depending on their respective position, detailing how CCW could help with specific issues. This, Clancy explains, started conversations about best practice and provided the basis for virtual assess- ments and a conference for customer service directors to talk about their experiences and journey. "It has been really positive. We are in a great position to help and it's right that we should." She is also calling for greater coordination between CCW and other regulators to more effectively address shared concerns, such as leakage. "The joy of being new is I get to ask questions and pose fresh challenge to the way things have always been done," Clancy says, and adds that there is "a strong spirit" to work more collaboratively. Although her feet have not been long under the desk and that time has been dominated by responding to coronavirus, Clancy has spotted scope for modernisation to the way some customer services are delivered. "There are a lot of hand-offs where water companies rely on third-party suppliers to deliver in-home support, such as addressing sewer problems. From a customer perspective that supply chain is not very joined-up. There are examples of good practice, like Bristol brand- ing their subcontractors, but there should be more man- agement and scheduling done in-house so customers have a joined-up experience. Seeing it through the eyes of the customer needs to have greater amplification." A more immediate concern is the response to sup- porting billpayers who are struggling financially so Clancy is pleased CCW was asked by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Welsh government to review the support available to consum- ers in different parts of the country. "The government is pleased with the provisions companies have made to date, but looking forward it is asking, will that be enough? There is a variation in avail- able support which means not everyone will get the help they need." At present, social tariffs and financial support are dependent on where customers live and the willingness of other billpayers to fund such schemes. In areas of greater deprivation that can mean there simply is not be enough money available. "People could be eligible for 90 per cent help, 20 per cent help or no help at all. It doesn't feel like it's working and is something we should address. Companies set their own social tariffs, which naturally means there are inconsistencies." Working with the non-household sector, Clancy sees the difficulties from both retailer and wholesaler posi- tions and describes the task of improving the market as "just huge". "From a customer point of view it just isn't working. Both parties point a finger at each other, and nothing gets sorted. Some problems just sit there for months and for our complaint handling teams the issues are very complex to address and resolve," Clancy says. "It's a difficult set of circumstances and challenging market to be in." These problems, she says, are damaging for the whole sector and she urges all involved to put their dif- ferences and difficulties aside. Ruth Williams, water correspondent "Shouting from the sidelines doesn't change anything." Emma Clancy, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CCW For Ruth Williams' full interview with Emma Clancy, visit https://utilityweek.co.uk