Customers contacting their water and sewerage company in 2012-13 say they received an improved service from companies – a new report from Ofwat reveals.
The ‘Consumer Experience research 2012-13’ report highlights that water companies achieved an average score of 4.44 out of 5 from customers who contacted them in 2012-13.
The level of customer satisfaction is a measure introduced by Ofwat in April 2010, designed to get companies to improve how they treat their customers. This is the second consecutive year that companies’ performance on this measure has improved.
The customer satisfaction survey forms part of Ofwat’s service incentive mechanism (SIM), an innovative regulatory tool that centres on customer experience and helps companies focus on what customers, not regulators, want.
Companies report on their overall SIM performance each July. Companies receive financial rewards and penalties depending on this measure. These will apply in 2015.
Notes to Editors:
- Ofwat (The Water Services Regulation Authority) is the economic regulator of water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. It exercises its powers in a way that it judges will protect the interests of consumers, promote value and safeguard future water and sewerage services by allowing efficient companies to carry out their functions properly, and finance them.
- The reports are available to view at www.ofwat.gov.uk
- The survey involves asking more than 16,000 customers across England and Wales to give their view of how well their company did on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 5 indicates they were ‘very satisfied’). It allows a comparison between companies of how satisfied consumers are with the way their water company handled and resolved an actual recent billing, water or sewerage related contact
- Media enquiries to the Ofwat Press Office: 0121 644 7642 / 7616 / 7696 or [email protected].