Overview
Why is customer service so important to water authorities? Who are our customers? How do we best meet the needs and expectations of our customers?
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Why is customer service important for a water utility? After all, you don’t have to compete with another provider.
Customers deserve value for money from the taxes and charges they pay. They have legal rights to consultation, courtesy, information and the opportunity to express their views in relation to the services they receive.
Customer service involves an exchange between a customer or client and a supplier or provider. However it is more than just face-to-face interaction. Customer service involves processes, management and staff relations, work practices, technology, product knowledge and the culture of the organisation.
Each water authority has to set targets, levels of performance and priorities for customer service as part of their strategic planning process. These standards are the accepted work practices of the organisation.
You will find these standards written into a range of documents in your organisation. They will appear in customer charters, procedures, guidelines, codes of conduct, goals and objectives, planning documents and position descriptions.
Customer service isn’t just about following the standards set by the organisation. It’s also how you think about improving the work you do and the service you provide. It’s about how you answer the phone, the information you provide, the problems you solve, and the service you deliver.
Your input and feedback are important parts of the process of developing customer service standards for your organisation. Contributing to the continuous improvement of service delivery is part of every operator’s work.
