Excellent Customer Service
15 January 2010
Costain for the second year running, celebrated success at the
annual Institute of Water* awards held in Cardiff. The prestigious
awards recognise and reward outstanding innovations within the
water industry.
The team, from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, received the Customer
Service award. Team members were presented with the award in
recognition of the 'drop-in sessions' that were held for DCWW
customers living in the Prestatyn and Rhyl areas, who have been
deeply affected by flooding.
The primary function of the 'drop-in process' is to anticipate
potential customer issues and diffuse the situation through data
collection and good customer communication. Comprising of five
stages, the process initially involves setting up a Flood Forum
with affected residents and local authority representatives to gain
an understanding of the issues. Further resident interviews are
undertaken and an open 'drop-in session' is held for customers to
speak to our team of experts. Progress is communicated through the
distribution of a newsletter and finally, a formal close out at the
conclusion of the investigative and mitigation work.
In Prestatyn, this new process facilitated the development of a
better working relationship with other authorities, relieved the
pressure to deliver an unfunded scheme, and most importantly, it
led to improved customer satisfaction.
Costain Framework Director, John Madden, said: "This award
demonstrates the Costain teams' commitment to the 'Being Number
One' strategy and is another great example of the excellent
customer service we pride ourselves on. We will be taking this
process and developing it further to ensure that customers in other
areas will also benefit from the 'drop-in process'."
* The Institute of Water is the only professional body dedicated
to supporting the careers of people working in the UK water
industry. Founded in 1945, the Institute of Water offers a unique
and independent learning, development and networking framework to
the water industry.
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