Join us at Ozwater'16 for sessions on customer focussed regulation, and understanding and measuring the customer experience.
WSAA will be joined by a diverse range of speakers from the Victorian and South Australian Essential Services Commissions, Insync Surveys, Solution Space Consulting, City West Water, SA Water, Queensland Urban Utilities and Western Australia's Water Corporation.
Session 1: Customer focussed regulation
Stream 8, Workshop 6
Wednesday, 11 May 2016, 10.45am – 12.15pm
Regulation should be in the long term interests of the customer. But what does this actually look like in practice? And how will it change the relationship the utility has with their customer?
The purpose of this workshop is to explore a future model that brings customers to the heart of the regulatory process. Previously, working in the long-term interest of customer meant driving efficiency to ensure the lowest possible bill. Customers were rarely involved in the discussion or development of regulatory business plans.
The workshop will explore the following ideas:
- making the regulatory process more flexible and outcomes oriented
- what is realistically involved in carrying out genuine customer engagement
- how to use customer engagement to make the required changes in an organisation
- involving customers in investment decisions such as their preferences around future water security; and
- how to measure performance based on what the customer actually values.
Speakers:
- Ron Ben-David, Chairperson, Essential Services Commission, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- James Garriock, Executive Director and Practice Leader - Government and Utilities, Insync Surveys, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Adam Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, The Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA)
- Mary Beth Bauer, Director, City West Water, Melbourne, Victoria
- Kerry Rowlands, General Manager Customer and Community Relations, SA Water
Session 2: Understanding and measuring the customer experience
Stream 8, Workshop 8
Wednesday, 11 May 2016, 1.15pm – 3.15pm
As natural monopolies, water utilities have previously focused on maintaining assets to treat and deliver water and sewage, water quality targets and environmental standards. However in the last few years there has been a major shift towards a customer-centric water utility. Improving the customer experience is good business – even for a monopoly – and the water sector cannot afford to be left behind.
Customers are naturally complex and varied and their expectations are constantly changing. This makes understanding and measuring the customer experience a challenge and some of the key areas of research and effort for organisations include:
- identifying the ‘pain points’ through customer journey mapping
- qualitative research to understand the different needs and preferences of customers
- implementing metrics and indicators that reflect what is important to the customer
- understanding how other factors (internal and external) can impact on the customer experience ; and
- becoming a customer-centric organisation.
This session will include success stories and lessons learnt from the above areas, discussion on common challenges and exploring potential next steps to address common gaps.
Speakers:
- Adam Lovell, Executive Director, WSAA
- Kerry Bodine, Customer Experience Specialist
- Neil Harrison, Managing Director, Solution Space Consulting
- Davina McCormick, Customer Experience Strategy Manager, Queensland Urban Utilities
- Catherine Ferrari, General Manager, Customer and Community Group, Water Corporation
For more information about Ozwater'16 visit the website.
27 Apr 2016
