Guernsey Water conducted its second online customer survey to gain an insight into what individuals and businesses thought about its performance.
The survey was conducted by The Institute of Customer Service, an independent professional membership body that specialises in developing and improving customer service. The results were then compared against utility companies in the UK through the Institute’s Business Benchmarking survey.
Phil Marquis, Guernsey Water’sCustomer Service Manager, said: “We are really pleased with the results of the survey and proud that our customers are rating us so highly compared with other utilities and businesses.”
Guernsey Water’s business benchmark score was 81.4, which puts the organisation above the UK national average of 77.9 for all sectors – as outlined in the UK Customer Satisfaction Index at the time of Guernsey Water’s results. This is based on a survey of 10,000 customers. The score is also comfortably above the national average for utilities of 74.7.
Mr Marquis said: “This is the second survey we have conducted with the Institute of Customer Service, which means we can use these findings as an indicator of how we are developing. Last year our benchmark score was 79.5 so we have seen an improvement, but there have also been areas highlighted where improvements can be made, so this will be something we will be addressing.”
The survey asked respondents to provide feedback on Guernsey Water’s product reliability, service quality, billing and price issues as well as how well it communicates with customers.
Guernsey Water’s customers were most satisfied with the competence and knowledge of staff, speed in which problems were resolved and ease of contact. They were least satisfied with website navigation and billing.
The results of the survey were benchmarked against up-to-date statistics calculated on the same basis as other utilities in the UK so that important comparisons could be made.
These benchmarks enable businesses to identify strengths and weaknesses, understand how customers communicate with them and how satisfaction varies according to the form of communication, as well as looking at the range of scores achieved by other organisations.
Mr Marquis said: “We strive to supply a high quality product and to provide a good customer experience, but there are always areas that could be improved and we think the best way to highlight these areas is to ask for feedback.”
“Over the coming months we will be engaging with our customers to understand their thoughts on the results, as well as working hard to further improve our overall service.”
