Water customers in the non-household retail market must be allowed to have direct access to the “expert knowledge” held within wholesale businesses, Wessex Water has insisted.
“There are a lot of things that wholesalers did well for customers before market opening,” the company’s head of wholesale customer services, Ryan Davies told Utility Week’s sister title Water.Retail.
“In particular managing emergency events such as loss of supply, water quality events or sewage flooding,” he said. “Expert knowledge on these is still held within wholesale businesses and customers having direct access to it and other information is important.”
He said that, wider than this, it is “critical” that customers “continue to have an effortless service” now the market has opened.
Although the retailer ultimately holds the contract with a customer, a wholesaler will “always be closely invested in the relationship”, as its core products need to meet high regulatory standards, Davies added.
“Because of this, it is critical that wholesalers and retailers continue to work together – with support from MOSL – to develop the market and deliver cohesive solutions to problems, challenges and opportunities.”
To coincide with the market opening, Faversham House launched Water.Retail – under the auspices of Utility Week.
This fortnightly, high-value, newsletter-style publication connects brokers to wholesalers, retailers and customers, and provides water retail professionals with high-value business intelligence and market insights.