Customer focus rewarded with top spot in nationally-recognised program
Care, dedication and responsiveness has made Hunter Water the benchmark when it comes to excellent customer experiences.
The organisation’s locally-based Contact Centre was recently awarded first position in the water sector again as part of a nationally-recognised SenseCX Mystery Shopping program.
Hunter Water received a total score of 82.1% over a 12-month period, which saw us reach fourth overall from 194 strong, reputable organisations across many industries and sectors.
Group Manager Customer Experience, Carla McEntyre, said the Contact Centre team strived for ease and success across every interaction.
“We are the primary entry point for our customers and the community, and the first engagement point across multiple channels.
“Our responsiveness is excellent and, despite the challenges with COVID-19 and an increase in activity over the past year, we have continued to ensure that our responsiveness is not compromised.
“We understand the importance of speed and ease for our customers and the community; if you call us, we will strive to answer your phone call as quickly as possible.
“With a score of 82% against a benchmark of 55.9%, we are leading the sector and have continued to sustain this across a challenging 12 months.”
One particular incident – a suspected sewer overflow from a manhole at Jarrah Close, Fletcher – highlighted Hunter Water’s responsiveness and excellent customer service.
Customers notified us of the presence of a strong chemical odour, which had made them feel unwell and was causing concern.
External community stakeholders and Hunter Water worked together to investigate and implement a variety of solutions to provide greater protection.
During the entire process, we listened to customers’ concerns, documented conversations, and advised them of the next steps in the investigation.
“This excellent service saw customers thank us for acting quickly, listening, and ensuring that the issue had been investigated thoroughly and the problem resolved.
“Our work in this space collectively as a customer-focused organisation has had a significant impact on building community trust, and recognised the importance of community wellbeing.”
One of our staff members, Kaylene Bessell, further demonstrated our customer-focused commitment during a separate interaction with an elderly customer, who had accidentally paid a large sum of money to her account and required a swift refund.
The customer did not have access to the internet or the ability to attend an office, to provide the necessary documentation to process the refund.
To minimise the customer's distress, Kaylene attended the property at a mutually agreed time and was able to take the customer through the full refund process and set up an ongoing direct debit to eliminate any future issues.
“The customer was extremely grateful and impressed with Hunter Water for providing such excellent service and being flexible to her needs,” said Ms McEntyre.
Kaylene’s efforts saw her receive the Most Customer Focused Agent award from CSBA, which manages the mystery shopping program.