The regulator surveyed customer satisfaction across the industry and said water companies achieved an average score of 4.44 out of 5 from customers who contacted them in 2012-13. Ofwat’s annual survey forms part of its service incentive mechanism (SIM), a regulatory tool designed to encourage companies to improve the customer experience.
Water only companies tended to outperformed water and sewerage firms in terms of customer satisfaction, however, Anglian Water was an exception, Ofwat said. The firm topped the customer satisfaction tableand made the biggest improvement alongside South Staffordshire Water. The number of customers satisfied with Thames Water’s service went down.
Blockages, moving property and payments were the most common reasons for customers contacting their supplier, Ofwat said. Call centre staff were positively perceived in terms of their knowledge and professionalism, making promises or commitments in around half (47 per cent) of cases. However, 79 per cent of commitments made were met in full and 7 per cent were not met at all.
On the whole, Ofwat said customers now felt more informed on the progress of their issues and are more satisfied with the time taken to resolve matters.
The regulator said this indicated that SIM had been hugely influential in improving the customer service experience of water company contractors across the industry.