Severn Trent is offering a video calling service which allows its customers to report leaks to engineers “face-to-face”.
The new system, which is part of the company’s effort to reduce leakage, allows engineers to assess the leak at the first point of contact and to raise the correct type of work that will be required to fix it. This will help the company cut response time as it removes the need for an initial site visit.
As part of the trial the company said its teams have been able to review three times as many leaks compared to engineers who would have had to travel to each leak location.
The new systems means a “virtual leak team” is available to take video calls between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Severn Trent says since launching the service in September, more than half of its customers reporting leaks are choosing to use the video call option and that the average time to fix a leak reported through video call is now half the usual time.
Rob Ryder, technology and data lab manager at Severn Trent, said: “Nearly everyone now has access to a smartphone, so it’s only right we take advantage of any technology that offers us the chance to improve the way we interact with our customers.
“Sometimes explaining a water leak in detail can be tricky but, by using the video call service, our virtual field team can see the leak right away, assess it and get a job raised straight away which allows us to fix it even more quickly.
“We’re always looking at new, innovative ways to reduce leakage. Video calling not only allows us to fix leaks more quickly, it also means we’re improving the service customers receive.”
The company is exploring how video calling can be used across a range of other services.
In September, Yorkshire Water announced the first stage of its £300,000 satellite leak detection trial had been “hugely successful” and saved 0.5 megalitres of water per day.
The company has been using satellites normally used for detecting water on other planets to detect leakages in its area.
Northumbrian Water meanwhile announced it was working with Newcastle University on a virtual system which could help protect people and the environment during an incident.
They are exploring the potential of using “digital twin” technology – a virtual model of the real world, to help predict the impact of a burst pipe or heavy rainfall.
The “Twincident” idea would allow Northumbrian Water to run simulations of an area during an incident to show what could happen over a 24-hour period, in just a couple of minutes.
Northumbrian Water’s “Utiliteyes” app, which allows technicians to make a “virtual visit” to a customers’ home, was recently named Customer Service Initiative of the Year at the 2018 Water Industry Awards.