We started a conversation…
The pandemic has changed all of our lives: it has affected our families and our finances; our physical lifestyle and our mental wellbeing; who and where we meet and how we work.
From the practical to the emotional, nothing has been left untouched by the events of the past year. And some commentators believe that the full impact is yet to be felt.
As a sector, we are committed to providing greater public value – making a positive difference for customers through the way in which water and wastewater services are delivered.
To do that we needed a deep understanding of the key problems and a rich insight into what customers have experienced throughout the pandemic.
We wanted to pull together different strands of conversations that are happening in isolation to help on both fronts.
Read more about Listen Care Share, or watch the video .
In July 2021, we published our report, Listen Care Share: Water customers’ experiences during Covid-19, reflecting on the conversation and looking ahead to what the water sector and beyond can learn.
You can read more about what some of the water companies are doing to support customers in their regions.
Find out more about the great examples of water companies quickly adapting to changing circumstances and stepping up to support customers during the pandemic in 2020-21.
#ListenCareShare
We listened to water customers to understand their experience during the pandemic, what happened to them and what it felt like. We also listened to companies and to experts to get a richer, rounder picture informed by their insight.
We care about the water sector doing all it can to support and deliver for customers. So we explored what more could be done in these unprecedented times to make sure customers get the help that will make a difference for them.
And we wanted to share what we hear – the good ideas, the areas that need attention, and the learning that we and others pick up. Through an open and collaborative approach, we want to help to make sure that customers across the country are getting what they need from their water company.
We focused #ListenCareShare around three themes, which different independent surveys and reports identified as deep-rooted areas of concern emerging or being exacerbated as consequences of the pandemic:
- Financial vulnerability
- Mental wellbeing
- Information inequality
Each element of these issues is complex and multi-faceted. To help us understand them and identify great practice, we have talked to expert organisations, to companies who address these issues daily and, of course, to people who have been affected by them.
How can I get involved?
We are encouraging the water sector and more widely, stakeholders with an interest around supporting customers more generally, to join the conversation on social media using #ListenCareShare.
We would welcome ideas or suggestions for how the sector can respond to changing customer needs and how we can play our part in creating the right environment for water companies to respond to these. You can email [email protected]