Coliban Water’s customer service has been ranked second best overall in the state when compared against Victoria’s 15 water corporations.
The results are part of the latest Water Performance Report from the Essential Services Commission.
Mystery shoppers from Customer Service Benchmarking Australia scored their experience with call centre staff, with Coliban Water topping the ‘success’ score, which rates the degree to which customers can achieve their goals.
Improvements in scores were also seen in how easy it was for customers to get a resolution and the sentiment customers felt after interacting with staff.
Coliban Water Managing Director Damian Wells said the high customer service ranking is a credit to the organisation’s customer-facing staff who work hard to ensure each customer is heard and helped with any issue they may have.
“This report demonstrates the laser focus we have on our customers is the right approach,” he said.
“Not only do we want to provide our customers with the best service possible but – more importantly – they value what we do. As a customer-funded business, that’s critical.”
The Water Performance Report also surveyed 5,200 customers from the statewide group of water corporations to score providers in the areas of value for money, community reputation, level of trust and overall satisfaction for the period from January to September 2023.
Customer bills, household water use, and other key service measures are also considered as part of the survey.
Coliban Water had improvement in the level of customer trust, ranking sixth in the state compared to ninth in the August 2022 to May 2023 results.
It was also ranked the sixth-best water corporation for value for money, eighth for community reputation and seventh for overall satisfaction – maintaining its 2022 position for each area.
“To see us rise three spots when it comes to level of trust is a terrific result,” Mr Wells said.
“Trust is something that is gained in teaspoons and lost in buckets. Having our customers trust in us is invaluable to our staff.”
Following the 2022 floods, the report recognised Coliban Water, Goulburn Valley Water and Lower Murray Water for placing customer impacts at the forefront of their decision making.
“Our mission was to respond in a way that ensured the safety of our customers and employees,” Mr Wells said.
“During the flood event we sought to protect our assets and the environment to achieve the best possible community outcomes. All decisions were made with a community consequence lens.
Coliban Water customers affected by the floods shared in a Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action-funded support package through which they received a rebate on their bills.
“Some customers who were impacted by the floods last year are far from living back to normal,” Mr Wells said.
“We continue to offer a range of ongoing payment support to assist customers with their bills, including concessions, utility relief grants, flexible payment options, financial counselling and a community rebate program.”
For further information, please call our Customer Support Team on 1300 363 200 or go to coliban.com.au
ENDS
Last updated on 19 Dec 2023