Leading the way in customer service

Northumbrian Water Group
www.nwl.co.uk/
@nwater_care

 

Pick up any newspaper or turn on the television, and you’ll find a lot being said about the water industry.

And not all of it is positive.

But here in the North East, the local water company is doing things differently.

Northumbrian Water isn’t just aiming to be good, it’s setting the standard for what great customer service looks like.

The company provides water and sewerage services to more than 2.7 million customers across the region, stretching all the way from the Scottish border in Northumberland down to parts of North Yorkshire.

That’s a big area to cover, and a lot of customers to keep happy.

But for employees at Northumbrian Water, it’s simple.

Creating an excellent customer experience isn’t the goal. It is the cultural norm.

Top marks

The company has just finished the 2024/2025 year in top spot for C-MeX (Customer Measure of Experience).

This respected accolade is the regulatory performance metric introduced by Ofwat, the economic regulator for the water industry in England and Wales.

It annually measures the quality of service water companies provide to customers, with householders rating their experiences on a scale from zero to ten.

The higher the score, the better the  performance.

And Northumbrian Water’s customers rated the company highly, propelling it right to the top of the charts and ahead of all other water companies.

Dawn Creighton, Northumbrian Water’s head of customer strategy and experience, says: “We’re officially the customer service champions of the water world – and we’re delighted.

“It’s an incredible achievement, and one that demonstrates the passion, dedication and pride our teams bring to customer service every day.

“It shows in every interaction we have with customers.”

Top for trust

It’s not just C-MeX, though.

According to the latest CCW Water Matters report, Northumbrian Water is also one of themost trusted water and sewerage companies.

The report is an annual survey conducted by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) that captures household customers’ views on the services provided by water companies across England and Wales.

It published its results earlier this year, which showed the company was swimming against the tide.

While trust in the wider industry has taken a hit, Northumbrian Water’s customers are still saying they feel good about the services it provides, which led to an increased trust score.

It was voted the second most trusted water and sewerage company in the country, and ranked joint top for satisfaction with value for money of sewerage services.

Powered by people

None of this happens by accident.

Trust is hard-earned, especially in a sector under intense scrutiny, and Northumbrian Water’s success is the result of relentless focus, smart systems and a people-first culture.

Dawn says: “Customer experience is about every interaction that someone has with us – whether that’s how we answer the phone or how we handle a leak on a rainy weekday night.

“It is how we behave in our communities and how we support our customers when they need it most.

“One of our ambitious goals is to deliver world-class service and unrivalled customer experiences – getting things right first time, fast time, every time.

“That’s why we’ve built a strategy around what customers have told us matters most – the ‘what’ we need to do – and used KPMG Nunwood’s Six Pillars of Customer Experience Excellence as a delivery model for the ‘how’ we do it.

“These include personalisation, integrity, managing expectations, resolution, time and effort, and empathy.

“And they aren’t buzzwords – they are embedded in everything we do.”

It all starts with people.

Northumbrian Water recruits differently, looking for people with a positive attitude and emotional intelligence.

And then it trains for skill.

As a member of the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), it is always at the leading edge of service research and insight, working with ICS to give its people the tools and confidence to deliver right-first-time experiences.

It also empowers them, regularly rewarding and recognising those that create memorable and value-added services.

On the digital front, it has made platforms easier to use and more accessible, recognising that more customers are online.

It has invested in new features so customers can self-serve whenever it suits them.

It has also made huge strides in supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances, adding nearly 45,000 households to its priority services register last year alone and continuing to support those facing water poverty.

It isn’t just about hitting targets, though, it is about making a real difference and constantly learning to improve customer experience.

The water industry has work to do.

But Northumbrian Water is showing what is possible when you invest in your people and never lose sight of what matters most – customers.