Series:

Water Research Foundation Report

3 total works

Cover of Understanding and Enhancing the Impact of Consumer Confidence Reports
The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effectiveness of Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) and to better understand the effect of CCRs on water utility customers. The specific goals were (1) to evaluate whether and how CCRs influence consumer perceptions and (2) to determine what attributes of CCRs most influence consumers? perceptions. Following a review of what is currently known about public perceptions of drinking water safety, the effect of water utility communications on those perceptions, and the research methods used to make those assessments, the researchers used several different techniques to better understand CCR effectiveness. The research comprised five integrated tasks: 1. A mail survey of 118 water utilities exploring what CWS are doing to meet the CCR requirements. 2. Ten directed micro-focus groups with water utility customers in five cities to explore customer reactions to reading CCRs. 3. CCR attribute characterization, where 127 CCRs were coded on 95 attributes to explore what attributes are most important in determining the usability of CCRs. 4. A national random sample telephone survey of the general population, with 1,146 water utility customers and 268 well water users to investigate current CCR impacts. 5. A central site survey with 152 water utility customers in three cites, which evaluated CCRs on multiple response scales to determine how customers react to CCR attributes. With 45% of customers who remembered receiving a CCR indicating that getting the report made them feel more confident about the health and safety of their tap water and 6% saying it made them feel less confident, CCRs have had a net positive effect on about 12 million households nationwide?improving their confidence about the health and safety of their tap water. Given this, with only 38% of customers remembering receiving a CCR, increasing the number of individuals who read their CCR has the greatest potential for having a net positive effect on utility customers. Only 45% of customers who remembered getting a CCR said that they read it closely. This research suggests that CCRs could (1) be designed to make important information easily accessible for those who will just skim it, and (2) include information that would encourage people to read it more carefully. When reports are easy to read and understand, they are much more likely to be perceived as being worthwhile and to make people feel confident that their water is safe and healthy to drink. For individuals willing to make the commitment to reading the CCR more thoroughly, the information should be presented in a credible, accessible, and understandable format. Approaches to improving information communication include having a short but prominent listing of contents, offering an FAQ section or a similarly abbreviated section that allows the customer to quickly locate a particular topic of interest, supplying contact information for individuals who want more information, describing the water treatment process, keeping information tables as simple as possible, and not avoiding a discussion of contaminants found at measurable levels in the water. Originally published by AwwaRF for its subscribers in 2004.

Cover of The Value of Water
If water is essential to life, does this mean that water has infinite value? If water is so clearly linked to our economic and social welfare, then how can water be priced so much lower than gems and precious metals that, while aesthetically pleasing, ultimately have no bearing on our ability to sustain life? This report provides some insights on these questions by examining the value of water. The objectives of this project were to describe the concept of the 'value' of water, offer insights on methods used to estimate this value, review what past studies reveal about the value of water, and illustrate how water values can be used to inform water utility and water resource management decisions.

Cover of Developing Customer Service Targets by Assessing Customer Perspectives
The objective of the research was to develop customer-driven customer service performance targets and measures for drinking water utilities by assessing customer perspectives and soliciting customer input. Customer satisfaction research often produces findings that are superficial or unhelpful. Satisfaction surveys that estimate only current satisfaction, and that define the areas of satisfaction broadly rather than narrowly and in terms of specific experiences, do not produce information that utility managers can directly act upon. What is needed is information about the rate of satisfaction change as service rises and falls, and the cost of increasing and decreasing service.Qualitative and quantitative research was conducted with customers of four participating utilities to better understand how customers’ perceive service, the attributes of service that are important to them, and the service levels they expect from their utility. Data were collected on current satisfaction with more than 20 attributes of service, as well as on the satisfaction customers would expect to receive if alternative levels of service were provided. The utility also undertook a cost exercise to help identify the costs of delivering the attributes of service at levels that are higher and lower than the current level. A linear programming approach was used to identify optimal service levels for each attribute of service.Focus group research indicates that customers view customer service in a positive way when it makes the needs of the customer paramount. Courtesy, friendliness, and “being listened to” are part of this attention. Customers hold management responsible for the treatment they get from employees and perceive that good service reflects strong management. Although the taste of water is a source of complaint, this does not always translate into criticism of the utility. Many people accept their water’s taste, do not see it as the utility’s fault, and do not equate it with being unsafe to drink.Quantitative survey research indicates that overall satisfaction with partner water utilities is relatively high, averaging 80 out of 100 points over all samples. Profiles of customer satisfaction with different levels of service are remarkably consistent across participating utilities and a national sample, suggesting a common performance standard nationwide. Optimization modeling indicates that partner utilities could improve customer satisfaction by 1% to 17% at current costs by shifting their investments in customer service. Each partner utility has a unique configuration of recommended changes. In general, the model shows that customer communication costs and representative training costs leading to more effective interpersonal relations have the most impact per dollar invested. This research demonstrates that high-quality and actionable customer satisfaction information can be obtained using advanced survey methods. It indicates the kind of information that will help managers to make decisions about customer service investments. The researchers developed a model of important service attributes and presented a survey instrument developed around the model. The research will help utilities conduct their own research efforts, or guide them if they hire a firm to conduct research for them.Originally published by AwwaRF for its subscribers in 2004. This publication can also be purchased and downloaded via Pay Per View on Water Intelligence Online - click on the Pay Per View icon below