We are the ChampionsSpring is in the air as we plot our way to success

2015MAY

For the people of Sutton and East Surrey Water, SESW Services, Allmat and Advanced Minerals

It’s an exciting time to be working in the water industry right now. We’ve just started a new five-year business plan, our Spring programme is inspiring us to become a tighter, more effective team and firm foundations are being laid for retail competition in two years’ time.

So the time seemed right for a new staff magazine – one that would help unite us all in our goal to be the best. And although the Spring programme doesn’t extend to our colleagues in SESWS, Allmat and Advanced Minerals, the principles of good communication certainly do. The Source is committed to covering everyone’s news, views and events, regardless of which group Company they work for. Now published bi-monthly, The magazine combines all the content you know and love with some exciting new features aimed at celebrating your triumphs and introducing you to other employees you might not normally meet. And we’ll be actively developing the magazine over the coming months to include your own ideas – so let us know what you’d like to see in it by emailing us at thesource@waterplc.com. Happy reading and see you in July!

Laura Plumadore and Lauren Whitcombe

Focus on the FutureINTEGRITY

08

Your bonus-related targets for 2015/16 are revealed

Official launch for Social TariffOur new Water Support Scheme got off to a flying start on 24 April with an official launch at The Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill.

Aimed at customers who struggle to pay their water bills, the scheme offers a 50 per cent discount and we have set a target of signing up 5,000 qualifying customers by the end of March 2016.

There to promote the scheme were Customer Projects Manager Nicola McCormack and newly-appointed Community Engagement Officer Emily Wallis. Said Nicola: “The Water Support Scheme provides an opportunity for the Company to help some of our customers most in need of financial support and we were delighted to be able to tell customers more about it face to face.” Attending her first official event in her new role, Emily Wallis was also enthusiastic: “It’s my job to follow up qualifying customers and help them with their applications. Judging by the response to the launch, I expect to be very busy over the next 12 months!”

To qualify, customers must be in receipt of certain means-tested benefits such as income support or pension credits. Alternatively, they must have a household income of less than the HMRC’s low income threshold (currently £16,105) and either be over 62, have a disability or parental responsibility for a child under five.

NEWS

Roundup02-04

05

AWARDS

And the winners are...Celebrating employees who have ‘made it a WOW’ plus your latest ERIC suggestions

COLLABORATION

Spring is in the air

06-07

The next step in our mission to be the best, plus a personal view from Spring ‘Champion’ Steve Defaye

Liam AhearneA DAY IN THE LIFE

09

Variety is the spice of life for Plant Operator Liam Ahearne

Whats new with you?PEOPLE

10-11

From new starters to new babies, all your personal, social and charity news

Boost for ServiceSERVICE

12

Important new customer service roles for Lesley, Shelley and Emily

Young families are among those who may benefit from the Water Support Scheme

hello!

2

News Roundup

New year, new vehiclesWhen Transport Manager Andy Davison makes a shopping list, he doesn’t mess about. Cue the arrival of 21 gleaming new vehicles in the Redhill depot this month, all with a envy-inducing ‘15’ number plate!

The Contracts department is the lucky recipient of the four DAF lorries, which were built to our own design at a cost of £85,000 each. Three of these will be used by the gangs, while the fourth is a tipper ‘grab’ lorry, which will be used for clearing muck away from site. Meanwhile, our Production and Networks teams have taken delivery of 17 Ford and Vauxhall vans, all of which boast low CO2 emissions and excellent fuel consumption. The total investment in all the vehicles was £400,000, which must make Andy very popular with local DAF, Ford and Vauxhall dealers!

Easter Egg-stravanza!Hats off to the Contact Centre team – they certainly know how to have fun, as evidenced by the wonderfully creative ‘Easter Bonnets’ on display on Maundy Thursday!

Contact Centre Manager Lyndsey Guy organised the Easter celebrations, which included an Easter Egg hunt and Easter feast. Said Lyndsey: “The Contact Centre can be a high pressure environment, so it’s wonderful for the team to let off steam now and again – and they always rise to the challenge!” Winner of the best ‘Easter Bonnet’ was Contact Team Leader Sheena Holbrook, who won a set of bunny rabbit egg cups. Added Lyndsey: “The event was a great success and we plan similar events in the future.”

Board welcomes new DirectorWe have a new Non-executive Director – Mr. Ryuichi Nishida was appointed to the Boards of both East Surrey Holdings Limited and Sutton and East Surrey Water plc on 1 April.

Mr. Nishida is the Managing Director of Osaka Gas UK Ltd. and is replacing Mr. Kawamoto, who stood down from both Boards on 1 April, and Mr. Uda who stood down from East Surrey Holdings Board on 1 April.

Mains project starts in CobhamA major mains project to replace ageing water mains along a 2,250m stretch of Stoke Road in Cobham got underway last month.

The £800,000 project, which also continues 400 metres into Woodlands Lane, is due to complete in March 2016. As always, maintaining good relations with the local community is a high priority. Said Project Engineer Simon Thomson: “We will endeavour to reduce traffic disruption every way we can by working extended hours between Monday to Saturday and, when conditions allow, deploying more than one gang on the project.”

Cyberthreat technology wins awardTechnology used by the IT Department to protect our systems against cyberthreats has won a prestigious award in the Network Computing Awards 2015.

Reports IT Manager Mike Cock: “Our implementation of the software – called CounterAct – was judged the best in category.” The software enables the IT team to achieve comprehensive, real time visibility of our internal network in order to keep it safe from hackers.

Hats off: Winner Sheena Holbrook, right, pictured with Debra Robinson

The Contact Centre team enjoyed a lavish Easter feast

Let’s get motoring: Jason Black shows off three of the 21 new vehicles

3

News Roundup

Need to earn some overtime this summer?Would you like to earn overtime this summer by helping Education co-ordinator Jo Hedges on our stand at the country shows? Duties will include talking visitors through our water efficiency and leakage displays and helping run our new ‘Hook a Prize’ game for children. Contact Jo at joh@waterplc.com to find out more.

Health insurance update for new startersIf you’ve recently joined, come along to our presentation on your health insurance options on Friday 22 May at Redhill. A representative from Westfield Health will explain the Foresight Health Cash Plan (Level 1) with optional Surgical Choices benefit. You’ll also get the chance to ask questions and hear about additional member reward benefits.

Rainfall well below averageThe warm, dry Spring has been great for our suntans but it hasn’t done much for our water resources. The levels at both Bough Beech and our reference boreholes are still above average, but groundwater recession has begun so we should all advise customers to use water wisely.

Kevin gains new qualificationCongratulations to Kevin Shilling (Wholesale Services – Engineering), who has gained the APM Project Management Qualification. Kevin is now able to become an APM member and register his details with the International Project Management Association (IPMA).

Performance under pressure in 2014/15The results of the Key Performance Indicator’s (KPIs) are in for the last quarter of 2014/15 and while they make disappointing reading in some areas, we still achieved a lot during the year.

We performed well on Overall Drinking Water Quality, but fell short in other areas. In particular, we suffered a high number of interruptions to supply and disappointing progress on the SIM survey which measures the customer experience. Said Managing Director Anthony Ferrar: “Improving our SIM score is a key priority in 2015/16 and the changes we are making to deal with and understand customer expectations and complaints better should help as we go forward.”

In the meantime, we can be proud of many achievements during 2014/15, not least the successful conclusion of the Price Review process, the launch of the Spring and Leadership Development Programme and the Company reorganisation in readiness for Open Water in 2017

Focus on the future – read about our new KPIs on page 8.

Go green for Macmillian!Our next Dress Down Day on Friday 26 June will be in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, and the dress code will be green! Volunteering opportunities will also be available to help with other fundraising activities locally that day. To register your interest, email Sarah Brown sarahb@waterplc.com.

news inbrief

We performed well on Overall Drinking Water Quality, but fell short in other areas

Daniel Woodworth, right, shows off our leakage display

4

Commitment

MARK awardsmake it wow | always be positive | right first time | keep our promises

On your MARKS, wow!From working round the clock to repair a leak to skillfully defusing a difficult situation with an irate customer, there were plenty of ‘wow’ moments in April, reinforcing the aims and ambitions of our Spring programme and getting our new approach off to a flying start.

First on the podium are Engineering Operatives Stuart Hunter and Alan Prodger (Wholesale Services – Engineering), who received praise from a customer in Stoke D’Abernon for their tireless efforts to repair a leak outside the customer’s home. The pair were also complimented for their friendly, helpful attitude.

Engineers Ian Vidler and Robert King (Wholesale Services – Engineering) both win MARK Awards for repairing a leak, this time in Leatherhead. The customer particularly praised the pair’s professionalism and their speedy resolution of the problem.

‘Wowing’ colleagues is also a key part of the Spring programme and Plant Operator Liam Ahearne has been nominated for a MARK Award by Ruth Leader (Quality and Compliance) and Laura Taylor (Wholesale Services – Networks). Ruth expressed her appreciation of Liam offering to transport

some supplies “during a particularly busy and stressful period in the Coulsdon ‘chalky water’ event”, while Laura was impressed by Liam’s prompt and efficient response to her requests, even though the work was outside his usual remit.

Meanwhile, Sally Zoltaniecki (Retail Services), was nominated for a MARK Award by colleague Laura Taylor who happened to witness her calm, polite and courteous manner with a difficult customer in Reception at Redhill. Last but by no means least, Lorraine Taylor (Corporate Services)

wins a MARK Award after being praised by a customer who appreciated her efforts to resolve a query regarding the new Water Support Scheme. Lorraine managed to diffuse a delicate situation by listening and “being honest” – an approach that the customer really appreciated.

All seven received a citation from Managing Director Anthony Ferrar, which thanked them for their exemplary performance and for being a good ambassador for the Company. Each wins a £25 High Street shopping voucher of their choice. Well done all!

ERIC awardsemployee | realistic | ideas | capture

Bright ideas = cash!Our employee suggestion scheme has yielded three more bright ideas this month and while none of them are being implemented yet, they are all under consideration.

With a view to creating more ‘wow’ moments for customers, Adrian Palmer (Networks) suggests expanding the services we offer – like free leak repair and lead tests – to one per customer, rather than one per property. Said Adrian: “This would give a positive impression

and make us more ‘customer friendly’.”

Meanwhile Mat Brown (Networks) proposes adapting Navision to allow users to choose a job sheet template depending on the type of job they are raising. “This would save me having to re-type the same information when the only job details I need to change are the address and description,” he explained.

Lastly, Alison Murphy (Networks) suggested that all employees start their annual leave period on the day or month they started,

rather than at the beginning of the financial year. This would stagger leave periods and reduce the number of employees rushing to use up their entitlement by the end of March.

These valuable suggestions win Adrian, Mat and Alison a £10 award each, which will rise to £50 if any of them are implemented

• If you have an ERIC suggestion, don’t keep it to yourself. Send it via the intranet form or email suggestions@waterplc.com.

Clockwise, from left: Ian Vidler, Robert King, Sally Zoltaniecki and Lorraine Taylor

5

Collaboration

If you haven’t yet heard of a ‘moodagram’ or a ‘three ring model’, you will soon. Over the past eight weeks, thirteen specially trained ‘Champions of Spring’ have been facilitating sessions to help departments to identify what changes they can make immediately to improve their service – either to internal or external customers.

“It’s all about taking the ideology of service excellence and converting it into action,” said trainer Mark Robb. “This is when the training really comes alive and starts making a real difference.”

Every department should have had their session by the end of May in preparation for the next set of employee workshops, which begin in June. Building on the theme of Service Excellence, the next sessions will concentrate on three areas: Personal Service, One Contact and Easy Access. “What those mean for each department will differ,” added Mark, “but they are all about aspiring to be the best.”

Mark knows what he’s talking about. He’s run similar programmes for such high profile names as M&S, Coca Cola and Costa Coffee. “All those companies have a highly respected ‘brand personality’ and we’re aiming for the same, industry-leading high standards at Sutton and East Surrey Water,” he added.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes out of the Service Excellence workshops and using it to help shape the next phase of this exciting programme.”

We are the ChampionsThirteen ‘Champions’ have been specially appointed to help us all achieve the ‘WOW’ factor. Steve Defaye, who is one of them, explains what they have been doing…

“It’s really exciting to be in at the beginning of an organisational culture change that will drive service excellence forward.

“Organisational culture is defined as ‘The way we do things around here’ and this will be an ongoing process over a long period of time. The role of the Spring Champions is to help all departments complete their very own bespoke ‘Three Ring Model’ and ‘Moodagram’.

“The ‘Three Ring Model’ is the key tool which will drive each department forward in terms of customer service. It is therefore vital that every team has one. It’s made up of three categories: Basic Product, Expectations and WOW’s. The idea is for each team to identify what their Basic Product is, what they

believe their customer expects of them and what they think would WOW a customer by going above and beyond the call of duty.

“The ‘Moodagram’ is a technique for plotting a customer’s experience over a period of time. Whether we’re dealing with another department or an external customer, the aim is to identify where the ‘low’ points are and see how we can turn them into ‘wow’ moments and serve customers and each other better.

“The sessions that I have been running have been very positive. We are lucky to have such great colleagues here at SESW who are always pleasant to deal with,

whatever the scenario. Each session tends to take around three hours, but debates between team members can cause them to overrun if I don’t manage the time efficiently. I’ve always found it difficult to stand up and address large groups, so initially I was apprehensive about taking on the Champion role. But I need not have worried; the teams have got deeply involved from the start and have effectively driven their

own sessions. It’s been a very positive and uplifting experience and I’m looking forward to the next phase of the programme.”

Spring is inthe air

“The ‘Three Ring Model’ is the key tool which will drive each department forward in terms of Customer Service”

We’re now well on our journey towards ‘creating the conditions of success’ as defined by trainer Mark Robb. Here, we report on recent progress and ask: what’s next?

6

The future starts here: Spring Champions Steve Defaye,

Jeremy Heath, Rod McFarlane and Emily Wallis get to work

Integrity

the futureare agreed

targetsTargets for the new Employee Bonus Scheme

for 2015/16 have now been agreed by the Board.

Managing Director Anthony Ferrar is writing to

every employee to explain the targets and how the

Scheme will work.

Anthony comments: “These are tough but achievable targets shared by all employees – including the Senior Management Team. They strike an appropriate balance between customer service, safety and financial performance in areas where we can all contribute.” The table on the left shows the targets – and the value attributable to each one.

Overall drinking water qualityThe target of 99.96% is the same as in previous years – we have met it every year since 2010. Nevertheless, it only allows for a few sample failures, so we need to maintain our usual high standards of operational performance, sampling and analysis.

Service incentive mechanism (SIM)The target of 85.6 is consistent with our Business Plan, and based on extensive customer research. It’s significantly higher than our actual level of performance and will require us to raise our game. As 75% of the score is based on customers’ perceptions of our service (independently measured) we can all influence the results by leaving a positive impression with our customers. The remaining 25% will be based on the number of complaints and unwanted contacts we receive.

Interruptions to SupplyThis challenging target requires us to reduce the average time that properties are affected by a supply interruption to less than 3 hours – whether planned or an emergency response. Our current performance of 26 minutes has to be reduced to just over 15 minutes.

LeakageOur target of losing no more than 24 million litres per day due to leaks is also challenging, but is the same target set for management in recent years. We have made provision in our budget to ensure we can focus on diligent leak detection and rapid repairs.

Health and SafetyThe Company remains committed to achieving high standards of performance in all aspects of health and safety. The total number of incidents (a combined target for RIDDORs and Lost Time Accidents) is an important measure of that commitment. We should have no more than two incidents to achieve our target. We all have a responsibility to look after our own health and safety – and that of our colleagues.

FinancialsWe can all contribute to achieving our budget by treating every penny of Company expenditure as if it were our own, and suggesting ideas for more savings, or revenue generation, by changing the way we work.

Some of these targets reflect the promises we made to our customers and are included in the Performance Measures we accepted as part of Ofwat’s Final Determination for AMP6. In some cases there are penalties for missing the target, and occasionally rewards for exceeding them. A booklet explaining all our Performance Measures for the next five years is being prepared and will be featured in a forthcoming edition of The Source

Target Value

Drinking Water Quality 99.96 £40

Service Incentive

Mechanism (SIM)85.6 £40

Interruptions to supply 0.26 hrs/

property£40

Leakage 24.0 Ml/d £40

Health & Safety

(Total incidents)2 £40

Financial Achieve

Budget£50

Total £250

£

as Employee Bonus Scheme

8

A Day in the Life

An early start – but plenty of variety!Liam Ahearne, 29, is a Plant Operator at Kenley and originally joined the Company as a courier eight years ago. He lives in Crawley with his fiancée, Chloe You have to be a morning person to do my job. The alarm goes off at 5.20am and it’s straight out of bed, into the shower and then into the van to drive to Kenley. At that time in the morning, there’s no traffic so it only takes about 20 minutes.

We start work at 6am and work seven days on, then seven off. I work as a pair with Nathan Flores and, during our seven days on, one of us is always on call 24 hours.

I start the day by checking the diary to see if anything has happened during the previous night. For example, a pump might have failed or we might have needed to stop softening the water temporarily.

The next task is to check the ‘trends’ graphs for the sites. These measure things like ph value and stock tanks for chemicals; each site has its own profile and our job is to see if the trends are following their usual pattern. After taking a sample of treated water for the Lab, it’s time to go around the treatment works and ensure that all the instruments are reading correctly. Depending on the Lab’s test results, I may also be asked to make adjustments here and there but that’s unusual. By this time it’s about 9am and time for breakfast! We have a small kitchen at Kenley and I make myself a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea. I have the same every morning – I like my porridge!

After breakfast, it’s into the van and off to Godstone to repeat the same tasks there. As Godstone is unmanned, we also carry out a site security inspection, checking the perimeter fence and testing the hatch covers to ensure the alarms on them are working.By now, everyone else has arrived

for work and our day soon fills up with jobs to do. We spend a lot of time liaising with other members of the team, like Mechanical Fitters and Electricians, to co-ordinate maintenance work.

In the afternoon, I might be arranging a delivery of chemicals or monitoring the amount of flow we’ve got coming into the works. Nathan and I check through all the latest trend graphs again and decide whether we need to pump more water to certain areas in our region. If everyone’s out washing their cars on a hot sunny afternoon, it’s important we keep the reservoirs topped up.

After a long list of other jobs, my last task at 6pm is to do send an email to the Control Room, updating them on any developments. If everything’s under control, I go off duty at 6pm and play a sneaky nine holes of golf on the way home, or I may go for a run. I will still be on call; on average I get two call outs a week where I have to return to the plant. At home, I catch up with Chloe over dinner. We’re getting married in June next year, so there’s plenty to talk about, although Chloe is in full wedding planning mode and it’s mostly a case of her suggesting things and me agreeing! Then after a bit of TV, it’s an early night so I’m bright and breezy at 5.20am the next morning!

Fists first for Tanya!Don’t mess with Networks’ Tanya Dady – she’s the English National Boxing Champion!

Tanya won her title in the England Boxing Elite Championships in Liverpool on 26 April and is now rubbing shoulders with Team GB and Olympic and Commonwealth Games’ medallists. Said Tanya: “Winning these championships, earning the right to be called a National Champion and coming home with this amazing belt has been one of my proudest moments ever and the highlight of my career to date.”

What’s new with you?

Let’s get Social!Chris is the top goalie

Congratulations to Engineer Chris Stanbridge, who was selected as the best goalie of the season in the Donyngs ‘Pass it and Move It’ 5-a-side winter league, which finished at Easter. Our fearless SESW team came third overall and is keen to enter the

summer league, but they need more players! If you’d like to join them, email chriss@waterplc.com.

Fishing frenzyEighteen hungry fishermen headed down to the South Coast on 22 April and came back with over 350lb cod! Ashley White reports that the party went out on two boats, the ‘Royal Charlotte’ and ‘The Portia’. The cod, whiting and mackerel were soon virtually jumping on to the deck and everyone caught some fish, with Lee Hebditch and Richard Daniels

catching the biggest on each boat. Said Ashley: “Overall it was a great day’s fishing even though the sea was choppy and some of us were seasick! We’re already planning another trip and everyone is invited. It would be nice to have a couple of ladies along next time!”

Come Go KartingAre you a closet petrolhead? Then book yourself onto our go-karting event at Crawley Team Sport on 21 May. The fun starts at 7pm and you need to be in a team of 2-4 people. Tickets are £30 per person and cover 90 exciting minutes of racing! To book, email Andrew Dungate andrewd@waterplc.com.

Time get down to the driving range…Keen golfers are invited to join our Golf Day on Monday 1 June at Reigate Hill Golf Club. Total cost will be £40 (including bacon rolls and lunch). To book, send Ben Palmer a £10 deposit and details of your handicap (if you have one).

Climb every mountain for Nepal

What’s in the diary

This year’s WaterAid Mountain Challenge takes place on the weekend of 6 June and all the funds raised will be used to provide water and sanitation to communities affected by the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

Led by Jeremy Heath, our intrepid group of climbers will be heading to the Brecon Beacons. Said Jez: “We’re planning three walks of varying difficulty but all converging on the same summit. This event is is WaterAid’s biggest annual challenge and on 6 June, the charity aims to have at least one team of between 4 and 7 walkers on top of 150 mountains across the UK and Ireland.” Jeremy is setting up a Just Giving page for sponsorship, so please give generously to support WaterAid’s vital work in Nepal.

Jumping for joy: Our intrepid mountain climbers reach the summit in the Brecon Beacons in 2013

10

A very warm welcome to:

Philip Joseywho joined SESWS on 9 March as a Heating Engineer.

Jacqueline Bealewho joined SESWS on 10 March as an Accounts Assistant.

James Davieswho joined SESWS on 23 March as an external Plumbers’ Assistant.

David Coxwho joined SESWS on 7 April as a Heating Engineer.

Laura Maclartywho joined SESWS on 7 April as a Customer Services Advisor.

Laurence Woodwardwho joined Advanced Minerals on 30 March as a Plater, Welder and Maintenance Engineer.

New babies

There must be something in the water! Not one but two babies were born within hours of each other on Tuesday 21 April. Warm congratulations to:

Jessica Jones (Finance), and her partner Pete, on the birth of their son Gabriel William on 21 April. Gabriel weighed in at 7lb and has made his parents and grandfather Phil Murray (Bough Beech) very proud!

Kieron Collip (Customer Services) and his partner Lea, on the birth of their son Zachary Christopher. Zachary tipped the scales at 9lb 1oz and mother and baby are doing well.

ObituariesIt is with sadness that the Company announces the deaths of Gladys Rule, who passed away on 13 February, and Phyllis Collins, who passed away on 28 March. We send our sincere condolences to their families.

What’s new with you?

Rebecca Quinn who joined SESW as Customer Service Advisors on 27 April.

Jennifer Pedleywho joined SESW as Customer Service Advisors on 27 April.

Valerie Murraywho joined SESW as Education Co-ordinator and part time Clerical Assistant on 1 May.

Long Service Award

25 years James Fitzpatrick

Many congratulations to James Fitzpatrick, (Wholesale Services – Engineering) who celebrates 25 years with the Company this month. He joined on 30 May 1990.

Goodbye and best wishes to:Jo Quire (Customer Services), who left on 27 March, Debbie Thomas (Customer Services), who retired after almost 24 years’ service on 30 April and Craig Stevens (Meter Reader), who left on 30 April.

Congratulations:

David Plumadore

(Wholesale Services – Engineering), who was appointed to the role of Engineering Technician as of 1 April.

Farewell to KelvinAfter sixteen happy years at SESWS, External and Drainage Manager Kelvin Jackson retired

at the end of March. Kelvin, who originally worked for the company as a contractor, joined as a Plumbing Estimator in September 1998. He was promoted to Divisional Manager, External Services in 2005, and to External and Drainage Manager in 2007.

Kelvin made many friends during his time with the Company and they all wish him and his wife Susan a long and happy retirement.

11

Service

Service standards

BOOSTOur mission to deliver ‘service excellence’ took an important step forward last month with three new appointments in Retail Services. You might just recognise them... Customer Service Manager Lyndsey Guy

didn’t need to look far when she set out

to recruit three new roles as part of the

Department’s recent restructure – the

ideal candidates were already seated just

yards away! Step forward Lesley Kolb,

Shelley Johnson and Emily Wallis, whose

new roles in training, customer relations

and community engagement are aimed at

honing our expertise and understanding

our customers better.

Said Lyndsey: “The roles of Training and Development Officer, Customer Relations Officer and Community Engagement Officer were identified during our recent restructure. The good news is that all three have been filled by experienced employees who already have an excellent working knowledge of customer service. Supported by the rest of the team, Lesley, Shelley and Emily are now focused on helping us to raise service standards, ensure greater consistency and improve our SIM score.”

So what will they be doing? We spoke to Lesley, Shelley and Emily to find out.

Training and Development Officer Lesley

Kolb is tasked with ensuring that we have one of the best-trained customer service teams in the industry. Consistency is crucial here; it’s essential that customers receive the same high level of service regardless of which advisor takes their call. Said Lesley: “My role is to identify training needs and ensure that, whatever their level of experience, all our advisers receive professional development so they can do their jobs really well.”

Lesley gets an enormous amount of satisfaction out of her new role: “It’s really rewarding to see our advisors hone their expertise and know that I’ve played an important part in their development,” she said.

Customer Relations Officer Shelley

Johnson is responsible for the successful resolution of all Customer Complaints. “The aim is to really understand why customers complain and to constantly improve our processes to ensure that they have no reason to,” she told The Source.

This will involve the development of a computer-based ‘Root Cause Analysis’ system so that complaint trends can be quickly identified and permanent solutions found. As well as ensuring that all complaints receive prompt attention, Shelley will also act as ‘Customer Champion’ during times of disruption to ensure that the customers’ needs are always at the top of the agenda. Said Shelley: “I’ve always relished turning a negative situation into a positive one and this job gives me the chance to do just that.”

Emily Wallis started her new role as Community Engagement Officer earlier this month. Her main brief is to raise the profile of the Water Support Scheme and ensure that all customers who are struggling to pay know about the options available. Said Emily: “I’ll be visiting a wide range of community groups to promote the scheme. My aim is to ensure that vulnerable customers are on the most suitable tariff for their circumstances and help them with their applications.”

Does she enjoy it? You bet. “I love going out into the community and it’s satisfying to know that I’m helping people make their money go further. Our target is to sign up 5,000 customers to the Water Support Scheme by March next year and I’m confident we’ll do it.”

Retail Services has been further strengthened by the appointment of Agnieska Engler and Nichola Haymes as Contact Team Leaders for Billing, and Andrea Willmott, as Contact

Team Leader for Debt Recovery. Good luck to everyone in their new roles!

get a

Ready for action: Left to right – Shelley Johnson, Lesley Kolb and Emily Wallis.

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