Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | july 2014 | 9 Comment A smiling face. Definitely some- thing we all want to see in our daily lives. It's also the outcome every customer service department (and sales department) is aiming for. Smiles are a good thing. However, there's one place I'm not sure a smile belongs – or at least I didn't – and that's in business communication. I'm talking here about the ubiqui- tous 'smiley' face that has crept into our everyday personal communica- tions, from texting to twitter, and now appears to be finding its way into more corporate communications. What started as an infrequent oc- currence, in informal email exchanges, internally or with close contacts, is now increasingly being used at much higher levels if my inbox is anything to go by. Yet I still find myself holding back Say it with a smile from using 'colon, closed bracket' while at my desk. There is perhaps still a whiff of the unprofessional about the emoti- con for me to be entirely comfortable, a fear of being seen as too light, not serious. But I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't a little shortsighted. It seems the smiley is now somewhere between a kiss and 'kind regards' – less overtly intimate than the former, but creating more of a con- nection than the latter. It's familiar, it personalises and, crucially, it implies a sense of understanding – a link be- tween the sender and the recipient. The smiley has become the ulti- mate shorthand in a world of ever shortening communications. It's a re- assurance, a signpost that the sender is pleased, is joking, is being ironic. But crucially it adds tone in a morass of communications without context, without a voice and without a face, smiley or otherwise. There is no room to misinterpret a smiley face, it's universally understood. Nowhere in the world does a smile im- ply anything other than happiness. It's clear, concise and conveys meaning, so perhaps my aversion to it is misplaced. WILL PARSONS MANAGING EDITOR wwtedit@fav-house.com Clear communication is critical when dealing with any stakeholder, made even more intricate when dealing with multiple groups. The investment world may not yet be ready for analyst ratings based on 'smilies' or 'frownies', but I'd be willing to bet some customers are open to it. Using a language that they under- stand, be it plain English as Simon Cocks points out on the previous page, or using references and devices that chime with them, is a crucial element in effective, engaging communication. And tailoring not just what you say, but how you say it, can make the difference between understanding and confusion, engagement and disinterest. Businesses need to use every tool at their disposal in order to connect with their target audiences, and for the water industry it will become even more business critical as retail compe- tition offers successful companies the ultimate communication prize – new customers. And that's an outcome that should be enough to put a smile on any sales director's face. Follow us on twitter @wwtweeting Industry view sponsored by Keith Hayward, National sales and marketing manager Hydro International's UK Wastewater Division. The uK Water Industry has been long been looking for ways to demolish the barricades to innovation that have grown up as a result of a restrictive regulatory framework and a risk-averse culture. Now that the Water Act 2014 has gained Royal Assent and competition is on its way, we can start to feel more optimistic that a climate for innovation is evolving, which encourages greater trial- ing and adoption of new, or just simply different, technologies. Why is innovation so important? Professor Martin Cave's seminal review of competition and innovation in water markets in 2009 laid down a roadmap for change, predicting that climate change and population growth would be the Water Industry Innovation – the Roadmap for Change imperatives that demand new thinking about accepted water processes. High electricity usage and conse- quent carbon emissions are the price we have paid for progress in water and wastewater treatment in the uK since pri- vatisation. The water industry is amongst our country's biggest users of energy. That's one reason why the focus for water company investment priorities are shi ing from capital expenditure to totex (total expenditure) approaches so that consumers benefit from a growing commitment to achieving operating efficiencies. If innovation is to play its full part in the water/energy nexus, then we must continue to encourage not only energy reduction, but also more use of energy- from-waste processes like biogas and sludge incineration. That means more collaboration and knowledge-sharing throughout the supply chain; learning from other industries and retaining skills and knowledge within the industry by smoothing the fluctuations of AMP cycles. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophisti- cation", leonardo da Vinci once said. Success is less is likely to come from sur- prising technology breakthroughs and more from simple process improve- ments, or from rethinking approaches that have become the established norm. Encouraging open minds, testing new ideas and even a little risk- taking will reap dividends. Take a new technology recently launched by Hydro in the uK for circu- lar sludge settlement tanks which has the potential to achieve major operat- ing and energy-savings. The Zickert Rotating Sludge Scraper is a new way of removing sludge from without the need for a bridge or moving electrical connection point and builds on a prov- en process for rectangular tanks. With the vast majority of sludge settlement tanks being circular, the opportunities for lower-energy operation and higher sludge output are significant. It's not rocket science – just a great example of a simple and elegant solu- tion that could bring real benefits to the whole industry. For more information please email enquiries@hydro-int.com, call 01353 645700, or visit www.hydro-int.com

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