Communication is Key to Drinking Water Customer Satisfaction

According to a survey of 90 U.S. water utilities serving at least 400,000 customers, 25% of respondents never drink their tap water. News of the survey report, "J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM," was released May 6. It is the 5th in an annual series that evaluates water utilities on a 1,000-point scale on six factors; in order of importance they are 1) quality and reliability, 2) price, 3) conservation, 4) billing and payment, 5) communications, and 6) customer service. The reasons respondents gave most often for never drinking their tap water were bad taste (11%); bad smell (10%); poor clarity (8%); and scaling/water hardness (8%). Fixing these issues would require substantial infrastructure investment. But another important reason some people avoid tap water is safety concern, and this essentially unwarranted concern points to a need for more effective communication with customers. Water utilities publish the results of their water quality testing at least annually, for the purpose of reassuring customers that their tap water is safe. Only about 40% of customers remember seeing the report, which is usually mailed with their bill; but of those who remember seeing the reports, 80% drink the water. Furthermore, overall customer satisfaction with the utility is higher among those who drink the water. Additional satisfaction is earned by proactive communications with customers--calls, emails, texts, and social media posts. The value of effective communication may be a particularly important message for utilities now, when 41% of customers expressed concern about contracting COVID-19 from drinking water, despite statements from numerous authorities to the contrary.