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Investing in Water Services 2006 - 2014
ANNEX C - REVIEW OF CUSTOMER RESEARCH
Introduction
1 This is a summary of a review carried out by the Office of the Water Industry
Commissioner on behalf of the Quality and Standards III Project. The main sources
drawn upon included Scottish Water "Back to Basics — Household Survey"
2003; Water Customer Consultation Panels Report of Baseline Study of Household
Customers’ Views plus business customer research 2003 (SCC/NFO System 3
and Market Research UK); The Water Panel Reports 2000, 2001, 2002 (TL Dempster);
Research into Customers’ Views 2002 (Mori on behalf of DEFRA et al)
Main findings
2 The main findings in relation to customer priorities are outlined below:
- Unsurprisingly, customers overwhelmingly respond that water should be safe
and free from taste, odour and colour.
- On the wastewater side, they attach similar high importance to standards
of sewage treatment and disposal. It is reasonable to expect that customers
will naturally rate these as most important unless there is a marked failure
on another standard.
- Business customers appear to attach similar high importance to water and
sewerage being treated to the required standard.
- The next rank of important aspects usually included water pressure and minimal
interruption to supply. On the wastewater side, preventing sewer flooding
is similarly important.
- Business customers place greater emphasis on some parts of service than
do household customers. A supply interruption might be an inconvenience for
most household customers but can mean lost production for businesses where
it is a critical input. It follows that where there is a cost to a business
it will seek compensation.
- Some surveys address the issue of which aspects of service customers would
like to see dealt with as a priority, given the scope for expenditure is not
unlimited. The scoring systems vary but each produces a ranking of priority
with cleaner rivers/bathing waters coming top and odour and metering coming
in too.
- It appears that customer overall satisfaction is broadly similar for the
water industry regardless of time and place. Customer priorities for investment
are also consistent and reflects the importance they attach to particular
standards of service.
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