News
Water Firm Customer Satisfaction ‘Continues To Decline’
A new study from Ofwat and BMG Research into the water sector has found that the industry average customer satisfaction scores fell to 73.99 in 2024-2025, continuing an observable downward trend.
According to the latest Annual Customer and Developer Measure of Experience Report, the top performing suppliers were Northumbrian Water (with 80.36 points out of a possible 100), Wessex Water (79.71) and Welsh Water (79.56).
The lowest performers were Thames Water (61.44) and Southern Water (65.13).
Drivers of satisfaction were found to be good customer service, issue resolution, responsiveness and good communication.
And drivers of dissatisfaction were found to be poor communication, water quality concerns, infrastructure challenges and unresolved issues.
What can water companies do to improve customer satisfaction?
The report identified key areas of action that water companies could take to improve:
Issue resolution
Prioritising issue resolution could almost double satisfaction scores.
Clear & proactive communication
Some 45 per cent of people say that poor communication is the reason for their dissatisfaction. This could be addressed by providing regular updates, particularly if work is underway or there’s an issue on the network, helping to reduce frustration and build trust.
Responsiveness
Making it easy for people to get in touch and actually responding when they do could make a significant impact on satisfaction rates.
Infrastructure/water quality investments
People are growing increasingly concerned about ageing infrastructure and the impact that a lack of investment is having on water quality.
Water companies could develop better relationships by demonstrating clear investments in improvements and raising awareness of the work taking place through communication channels like email and social media platforms.
Value for money
This could be addressed through fair pricing practices, transparent billing and full explanations of any charges issued.
What to do if you’re not happy with your water supplier
The first step to take if you’re unhappy with the level of service you’re receiving from your water supplier is to lodge a formal complaint with them.
Explain what the issue is, providing any relevant details and dates as appropriate. Residential customers can then get in touch with the Consumer Council for Water if no resolution is achieved.
Business customers, however, are now able to take matters into their own hands and find a new supplier if their current one is no longer serving them as well as they would like.
The English water retail market opened up back in April 2017, bringing it in line with that of Scotland (which opened in 2008), giving organisations of all shapes and sizes the opportunity to switch to a new water company… so now might be the time to consider doing so.
How to change business water supplier?
First, you need to make sure that your business is eligible:
- Any business, charity or public sector organisation working out of a non-domestic premises based in England can work with any licensed water retailer.
- Businesses in Wales have to use a minimum of 50 million litres annually. If in Powys and Monmouthshire, businesses are not eligible because of boundary realignments, unless water consumption thresholds are met.
- If operating out of a mixed-use premises where the main use of the site is unclear, you may be eligible as long as the domestic part of the site is dependent on the commercial section in some way.
A step-by-step guide to switching water supplier
Step 1
Work out your annual water consumption by reviewing your bills to see how much you pay and how you pay for it. You will need your supply point identification number for this.
Step 2
Compare the package you’re currently on with your water supplier against others on the market to see if you could get better value elsewhere. You can switch your water supply, your wastewater removal or both.
Step 3
Compare different suppliers to see who suits you and your business the best. This can be difficult and new retailers enter the market all the time. The H2o Building Services comparison switching service will prove invaluable at this stage.
Step 4
If you’re eligible and you think it’s the right decision for you, your newly chosen retailer can start the switching process on your behalf. You do have a cooling off-period of seven days if you change your mind.
Get in touch!
If you’d like to find out more about switching to a new water retailer, the benefits of doing so and what the process involves, get in touch with the H2O team today.