Partner Article

There for the little moments that matter: Northumbrian Water Group

Northumbrian Water Group
www.nwl.co.uk
LinkedIn: NWG (Northumbrian Water Group)

Northumbrian Water Group is rolling out a multi-billion-pound infrastructure improvement programme focused on securing supplies for years to come. Here, Jennie Collingwood, the organisation’s head of corporate affairs, highlights a crucial element of the venture – The Big Impact campaign – which is focused on providing the highest levels of support for domestic and commercial customers across the region.

From that first cup of tea in the morning, to a shower at the end of a long day, water plays a quiet – but essential – role in everyday life.

For 2.7 million people across the North East, it’s something so familiar that it’s often taken for granted.

But behind the scenes, keeping our safe and reliable water flowing 24/7 takes long-term planning, continuous investment and round-the-clock care, supporting not just households, but businesses, communities and the wider regional economy too.

And across the region, that investment is happening at scale.

Northumbrian Water is now into the second year of the most ambitious five-year investment programme in its history – a £2.6 billion upgrade plan designed to strengthen essential infrastructure, enhance water quality and support the environment for the future.

This work forms part of wider national investment in the industry, with Water UK’s The Big Upgrade campaign highlighting the scale of investment taking place across the country and starting in the North East.

Building on that momentum, Northumbrian Water’s new campaign, The Big Impact, brings the story closer to home, focusing on what that investment means for customers across the region.

Here, Jennie Collingwood, Northumbrian Water’s head of corporate affairs, reveals more about The Big Impact, and why customers are at the heart of the venture.

What is the aim of The Big Impact campaign?

There’s nothing more fundamental to life than water, and here in the North East we’re very fortunate that we can turn on the tap without really thinking about it.

However, we recognise expectations of the water industry are higher than they’ve ever been.

Customers want to understand what’s being done, why it matters and, importantly, what it means for them in their daily lives.

Rather than focusing solely on individual investment projects, we wanted to create a campaign that would help customers connect that long-term work taking place behind the scenes with the things they rely on every day.

So, whether that’s doing the washing up after a Sunday dinner or taking a walk along the river, it’s those little, everyday moments that count.

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do at Northumbrian Water, and The Big Impact is about showing we’re there for them, supporting their everyday lives, no matter how big or how small that moment is.

“Our teams work hard every day to provide reliable and high-quality services, supporting customers who may need extra help and doing the right thing for the communities we serve.”

What does putting customers at the heart of what you do mean in practice?

It’s about being there whenever our customers need us, and in a way that works for them.

Whether that’s through our financial support, our priority services or just making sure we respond quickly and effectively when something goes wrong.

The campaign gives us an opportunity to show more of those real, everyday moments of support that sit behind the headlines.

In May, we were ranked number one in the industry for customer satisfaction and experience for the second year running by our regulator Ofwat.

It’s something we’re incredibly proud of, and we never take accolades like that for granted.

But what matters to us most is what that feels like for customers.

What role do colleagues play in delivering that customer experience?

Our teams work hard every day to provide reliable and high-quality services, supporting customers who may need extra help and doing the right thing for the communities we serve.

The vast majority of our colleagues are customers too – they live in the North East, they raise their families here and care deeply about the service we provide to communities across our operating areas.

That connection really matters to us, and you can see it in the way our teams deliver for customers every day.

How do you know this approach is working for customers?

We listen to customers in lots of different ways every day – through the feedback they give us directly, the interactions they have with our teams and through independent research that gives us a clear picture of how we’re performing.

That insight is important, because it tells us what matters most to people.

Customers don’t just want to know what’s being done, they want to understand why it matters and how it affects their daily lives.

That is particularly important at a time when the water sector is under greater scrutiny, and where building and maintaining trust has never been more important.

We are different from the vast majority of the water industry, and we like to think our customers recognise that.

In fact, customers in the North East rated us as the most trusted water and sewerage company in England and Wales.

We’re really proud of the latest results from the Consumer Council for Water, which showed our customers also rated us highly for our performance in areas like fairness and affordability, as well as the care we show to them.

As the campaign develops, what does success look like for you?

We see those results as setting the standard for the service customers should continue to expect.

They are also something we have a responsibility to keep building on.

We want people to feel they can rely on us, that they’re supported when it matters and that they understand the value of the service we provide.

But it’s also about continuing to listen, learn and improve, because expectations will keep changing.

And so will we.

As a business famed for innovation, in a region even more famous for ingenuity, we’ll continue to do just that.

To find out more about Northumbrian Water and The Big Impact campaign, visit the website at the top of this article.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by N Magazine .