Water Company Complaints Central and Eastern Committee Meeting in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Water Company Complaints Central and Eastern Committee Meeting in Public

23 February 2016 Walsall Central Library

Agenda

Welcome and Apologies Bernard Crump Declarations of Interest Bernard Crump Helping Vulnerable People Severn Trent Water South Staffs Water Water Quality Severn Trent Water South Staffs Water

Refreshments Break

Customer Education Severn Trent Water South Staffs Water AOB All

Helping customers

Our approach

To deliver great customer service and customer care to exceed your expectations We recognise sometimes it’s difficult to find the money to pay your water bill We recognise that your needs may change Make it easy for customer to access information and to access the measures of assistance

Assistance Register

If you have difficulty reading or understanding your bill we can arrange for information to be delivered in the following ways:

• Braille
• Large type
• Read out to you over the phone
• Send your bill and other correspondence to a relative or friend
• Password registration
• Bogus caller advice
• Special needs
• Nominated contacts
• Dialysis

Easy Ways to Save - Request a meter

Water meters can be installed for free in most homes. Because you only pay for the water you use many people find their bill is cheaper. You may also be eligible for special tariffs Find out if you would be better off by completing the water meter calculator available on our website.

Easy Ways to Save – Free water efficiency devices

Reducing the amount of water we waste is easy and doesn’t mean settling for lower standards of living. Every day millions of litres of water disappear down the drain unnecessarily.

Easy Ways to Save - Watch out for leaks

An unusually high meter reading may indicate a leak is present. Customers are advised to: 1) Turn off all taps 2) Read the meter including the red digits 3) Do not use any water (eg overnight) 4) Read the meter again If the second reading is higher there may be a leak.

Available Tariffs - WaterSure

This is a tariff for customers who are on a low income and use a lot of water. It works by putting a cap on the charges for water and wastewater services. To be eligible customers must: 1) Have a water meter 2) Be in receipt of certain income-related benefits or tax credits 3) Have either:

Three or more children under the age of 19 living in the household for whom the person receiving benefit also claims child benefit

• r

Someone living in the household who has a medical condition which means they use a lot of extra water.

Available Tariffs - Assure

In April 2016 we are introducing the ‘Assure’ tariff to assist customers :

• Eligibility is based on effective disposal income
• Assessed by a third party & supported with budget and debt advice
• Discounts awarded of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% off their bill
• Open to both metered and unmetered customers
• Reciprocal process with our sewerage partners
• Keep it simple

Partnership working

We also work in partnership with organisations to help you manage your water bill

Help Making Payments

• Flexible Payment Arrangements
• Places to pay
• Direct Debit
• Water Direct
• Charitable Trust

Charitable Trust

It can help customers who are:

• Unemployed
• Receiving very low wages
• Have a chronic and/or serious illness
• Are being made redundant
• Suffering from a relationship breakdown or

bereavement Priority is given to applicants who are willing to make regular contribution towards the cost of their bill

www.sswct.org

Our Commitment

From 2015 onwards, we are measuring our performance against 15 different outcome delivery incentives (ODIs). The ODIs cover all aspects of our operations and have been split into five main outcomes:

Our Commitment

One of our metrics is our ‘Support for Customers in Debt’ ODI This includes:

• Payment plans
• DWP
• Watersure
• Assure Tariff

We have made a commitment to increase this from 17,000 to 30,000 by 2020

How will we do this?

We will build a programme:

• We will empower our staff through training to help you
• We will build on our partnership working for signposting
• We will work with your communities
• We will raise awareness of the assistance available and make it accessible
• We will have a service that is inclusive and accessible to all

We’re here to help

01223 706050 www.cambridge-water.co.uk Bill enquiries: 0845 60 70 456 Difficulty paying: 0800 09 30 610 www.south-staffs-water.co.uk

WHAT IS OUR AMBITION?

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By 2020 to be the most trusted water company

Delivering an outstanding customer experience, the best value service and environmental leadership

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE: DELIVERING FOR OUR CUSTOMERS

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711 460

Internal Sewer Flooding (Apr-Oct)

• 35%

360 240

Supply Interruptions (Apr-Oct)

• 33%

Improved year on year performance on 83% of our operational measures, including:

5,145 3,905

External Sewer Flooding (Apr-Oct)

• 24%

318 261

Category 3 pollutions (Jan-Oct)

• 18%

2014/15 2015/16

Complaints (Apr-Oct)

• 35%

2014/15 2015/16

Escalated Complaints (Apr-Oct)

• 41%

We are now expecting a £15m reward this year

BUT WE WANT TO BE EVEN BETTER…

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Against a background of reduced customer bills:

2016/17 2015/16 2014/15

£333 £329 £329

Deliver operational excellence Embed customers at the heart of what we do Protect our environment – aiming for 4*status

And with your help we know we can be. We will continue to:

£333

HELPING VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS

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WE PUT OUR CUSTOMERS FIRST

• What do we mean by this?
• We’re here for our customers 24/7
• We want to create a relationship based on

empathy and respect

• We go the extra mile for our customers
• We want to create a better future for all
• We’re committed to a cleaner, greener future,

protecting and improving our environment for generations to come

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LOOKING AFTER OUR CUSTOMERS, EVERY DAY

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• We are not standing still, we want to do more for our customers
• We have a programme to build on our activities and develop a new personalised

service for our customers

Team training Priority register

Single

• ccupier

tariff

Severn Trent Trust Fund Water Health Checks Pro-active metering Alternative bill format Nominee scheme Water Direct

Partnership working

Big Difference Scheme WaterSure Flexible payment

• ptions

THE NEXT WAVE OF SUPPORT FOR OUR VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS

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2016 2016/17 Feb Mar April May June & July August Autumn 2016 Winter 2016/17 Spring 2017

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WATER QUALITY

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IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• Everything we do is impacted by the

weather.

• Climate change means we have to prepare

for hotter & drier summers, wetter winters and increased storminess.

• The two of key risks with climate change
• n water quality are:
• Decrease in raw water quality – resulting in

increased water treatment costs and risk to meeting our water quality regulations.

• We need to work harder to keep levels of

bacteria down to maintain our compliance with water quality regulations.

• We must prepare for climate change to

ensure a seamless service for our customers.

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PROTECTING OUR RIVER WATER QUALITY

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.

• We have an ambitious £21m programme to

work with farmers and land managers to tackle the root causes of water quality issues.

• By working in partnership we can protect the

catchment areas that supply our drinking water.

Improved drinking water quality Wider environmental benefits Reduction in additional water treatment

PARTNERSHIP WORKING

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Our catchment programme is based on implementing enhanced good agricultural practice to improve water quality.

Water Company interventions Rivers Trust, Wildlife Trusts, CSF Agri

• environment

schemes Cross Compliance – Single farm payment Guidance – Codes of Good Agriculture Practice Legislative/regulatory baseline pollution and compliance

STW working in partnership STW encouraging enforcement

POLLUTED CLEAN

THE CLEANEST WATER

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• We are committed to providing a dependable,

high quality drinking water supply which fully meets all European and UK standards and the standards of our customers.

• Every day we work hard to ensure that the

quality of the water you receive complies with these water quality standards, managing and maintaining 185 water treatment works and

• ver 46,000km of water mains 24 hours a day.
• We continue to invest to protect and maintain

the quality of our water supply.

• And we are all committed …

Over £460 million investment

Water Quality

Dr Andrew Lobley Head of Water Quality and Compliance

Acceptability of Water to Customers

A key driver for our business, essentially a measure of our customers perception

• f the water we supply everyday.

Recent improvements delivered:

• Getting the right team, with the right expertise, to solve the issue first time
• Using our data better to target a rapid response to customers concerns
• Increased root cause analysis to target investigation and rectification of issues
• Improved training of our staff to reduce the impact that our operations have

the network

• Improved training of our call centre staff to up skill them in water quality

understanding

Investing in Water Quality now

• We are currently installing a multi-million pound ultra-violet treatment process

at our Seedy Mill WTW in Lichfield to ensure the highest water quality standards

• Started the work in 2015 and due to be completed in mid-2016

Emerging Pesticide: Chlorthal

• Identified through extensive monitoring undertaken throughout the year
• Detected in a number of groundwater sources in 2014, resulting in them

being removed from supply to safeguard water quality

• No risk to public health, however a breach of the pesticide standard to removed from

supply

• Planning new treatment process to remove to allow the sources to be

returned to supply

Safeguarding Water Quality for the long term

• We are focusing on the long term needs of our assets to ensure a clean and

safe water supply for the next 25 years and beyond

• Wide ranging feasibility studies being undertaken considering future asset

needs, potential regulatory changes and future demands of our customers

• Thinking broader than the

5 year planning cycle to ensure we make the right decisions for our customers

We are here to help

• Our website has a great deal of

information regarding water quality

• Videos regarding Water Quality
• Advice regarding safeguarding Water

quality within the home

www.south-staffs-water.co.uk

Customer Education

www.south-staffs-water.co.uk

From Source To Tap in a sustainable community

How do you use your water?

The water cycle

• 1. The sun heats up water bodies
• 2. Water evaporates as water vapour
• 3. The water vapour cools and

condenses into clouds

• 4. As clouds move over land they cool

further, releasing water as rain

• 5. This rain falls into rivers, reservoirs

and soaks into the ground where we are able to collect and treat it

Why should we reduce waste and save water?

Using less water and reducing waste saves money

• Metered water charges are based on the amount of water used; however,

not everyone is metered.

• Reducing water that has been heated reduces energy bills

Using less water saves energy and reduces carbon footprint; water efficiency

• ffers easy win-win-win
• Energy pumping costs
• Increasing changes in water use and water awareness

Building partnerships with Walsall Housing Group and the ‘Plug in’ project to achieve carbon reductions beyond compliance

• Metering on change of occupancy
• Extending water efficiency retro fit devices
• Education and debt management support

Water efficiency strategy

From April 2015 the Company has committed to positive customer engagement and volumetric water savings

• Reduction in per capita consumption across both regions
• Proactive segmentation strategies – effective water efficiency promotions

AMP6 Water efficiency strategy

• Fit and Forget retro fit device installation
• Cistern displacement devices
• Shower savers and flow regulators
• Partnering with social landlords and project based initiatives
• Behaviour change and education
• Proactive promotion of metering and self awareness of water use
• Digital interaction with customers
• Toothy timer and shower timer, ‘Leaky Loo’
• BEC education programme including outreach and educational

material

Water efficiency strategy

• Environmental
• Promotion of re-usable water bottles
• Tap water cheaper than bottled
• Embedded environmental impact of bottled water
• Bio-diversity and National Environment Programme
• Water Framework Directive
• Protection and enhancement of surface and groundwater sources
• Positive and proactive customer engagement

CUSTOMER EDUCATION

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WORKING WITH SCHOOLS

• 61,000 school children
• 269 schools
• 30 visits to education

centres

• 9 counties

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“My son mentioned Severn Trent visited his school today and mentioned your name, he said he enjoyed it so thanks for that. “

WORKING IN OUR COMMUNITIES

• Focus on sewer misuse ‘hotspots’ – when we were

in Welshpool we found 9 sewer blockages (one was 120m long and made the national press)

• Since April 2015 we have spoken to 634 food

establishment owners and 3,170 of their staff on good kitchen practices

• In the last year we have given over 1828 hours of

volunteering to community groups, this will increase with the introduction of Dolly – Delivering

• ur Lasting Legacy for You..

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WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

• 18 partnership workings:
• 8 Universities
• 3 councils
• 2 sports clubs
• 3 major food chains
• 1 Letting Agent
• 1 Housing Association

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WATER EFFICIENCY

Our free water saving products are the easiest way to help you save water. Order a full kit or individual items, including:

• ShowerSave flow regulator
• Shower timer
• Save-a-flush or Hippo bag
• Toilet leak detection tablets

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Finding, fixing and preventing leaks

• We’re saving water by replacing old or

damaged pipes, using better ways to spot leaks and repairing them faster. But we still need your help. Fitting water meters for free

We’re doing everything we can to save water. By March 2016 we should be saving 3.5 million litres of water a day.

HOME WATER EFFICIENCY CHECKS

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HOME WATER EFFICIENCY CHECKS

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So far this year, 127,077 litres of water have been saved… …which is saving £109,076 on utility bills It is a wonderful system and the team who do it are excellent

The technician did an amazing job, he was on time, called to let me know he was

• n his way and completed

the job very efficiently

It was so good I have recommended it to a friend

He answered all my questions in a polite and positive manner. I couldn’t be happier with the service

For 2015-16 we are on track to deliver 4,000 home checks Next year we plan to deliver 10,000

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THANK YOU WITH YOUR HELP WE WILL BECOME EVEN BETTER

By 2020 to be the most trusted water company

Delivering an outstanding customer experience, the best value service and environmental leadership