Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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UTILITY WEEK | 1ST - 7TH MAY 2015 | 27 Customers Leah Fry, head of customer experience programme, customer care, Severn Trent Water "There is now a greater emphasis in the sector on the qualitative side of customer experience, what's important is how customers feel rather than just count ing numbers. From a streetworks point of view, how does it feel for the customer? Forget our processes, forget some of the constraints, forget our systems. How do we make it better for indi vidual customers and for communities?" Andy Hunt, head of innovation, Morrison Utility Services "We're in the middle of a revolution that's going to help us – the digital revolution. Right now people are carrying super computers in their pocket and we've got a massive opportu nity to reach people who need to hear and understand what we're about." Shane O'Neill, chairman, Elgin "There is dissonance between the tradi tional perception and the improvements that have happened in the industry, but there is not a lot of data in the industry for which you can measure things." Graham Bond, streetworks manager, Wales & West Utilities "You've got to do it right from the very beginning. That's why you need to have a communications string that runs all the way through the plan ning process, rather than it being an after thought." Stuart Donaldson, engineering manager, contract management and control, National Grid Gas "We need to get our branding and identity right. The public could see four differ ent vans doing gas works, so we need Five key points 1. Behaviour. Incentives in new regulatory frame works are driving changes in utilities' behaviour and there has been significant improvement in their approach to street works. 2. Collaboration. Utilities must work with other stakehold ers to minimise the impact of unavoid able streetworks. 3. Keep in touch. Customers must be kept informed about what is happening and when. 4. Use multi-chan- nels communica- tions. Everthing from pad and paper to social media is relevant. 5. Innovation. Utilities must inno vate so they can fix problems without digging up the roads. In the meantime, they must find ways of lessening the impact of road works on the public. understand who it is that is working on the highway, why they are there and how long they are going to be there. Complet ing works efficiently and communicating this well with road users is important for company brand and reputation." to tell them who we are, and be proud of who we are and the essential works we are undertaking." "Streetworks is a term we understand as sector, but the public would describe them holes in the road, road works or even, 'bloody road works'. To the public, these road works are a point of inconvenience and they're also a point of potential danger with little or no under standing as to why they are there." Brought to you in association with: