This was a new company with a complex supply chain covering multiple customer touch points, coming to market at a critical time to deliver a new retail solution to Business Clients in the Water Market. They often dealt with external contractors, utility suppliers and large multi site organisations for whom, an effective an effective and consistent water management solution is critical.
Challenge
- Set up (with our support) in a short period of time and based around existing process taken from both JV partner companies, there was a need to move things on once operational stability had been established.
- With an increased focus on defined standards of service (Ofwat & MOSL – regulator & industry body), it was felt there was a need for a more centralised approach to measuring customer experience.
- This new approach would need to support the company's growth plans and work across existing & new internal and external relationships.
Solution
- Created a centralised combined Complaints, Quality & Solutions team, supported by knowledge management systems and redesigned processes. This included operating model design, vendor selection, revised scorecard creation and team development.
- A new senior escalation complaint process (rebranded Resolution) was established across the water supply chain, together with new ways of working such as ‘phone first’ and ‘root cause’ analysis, to drive iterative change.
- Centralised payments process to support a Guaranteed Service Standard process to drive ‘day 1’ compliance.
- Created ‘Voice Of Customer’ framework linked to: CSAT; repeat caller data; social comments; compliance audits and escalations, as part of an operational feedback loop, to support continuous improvement and provide clear actionable insights.
Outcome
- Increased the volume of quality interactions enabling a greater accuracy of service benchmarking which led to a significant uplift in quality within the first month.
- New balanced scorecard, based on combined factors including CSAT & quality, designed and implemented.
- Complaint volumes reduced to less than a 5th which enabled a significant improvement on all other metrics.
“If there was one thing we set up Custerian to do, it was to empower existing Colleagues to become the internal change agents. Capable of turning strategic vision into outcomes and activities that matter to customers, whilst feeling more engaged and happier as a result” Nicola Collister, Founder, Custerian
