Water utilities provide an essential service to communities, but most customers don’t think about what it takes to keep their water flowing. That’s why it’s imperative for water utilities to make communications a priority and build stronger customer relationships.

When communicating to customers, a focus on water quality, safety and conservation are top priorities for water utilities across the country. In fact, J.D. Power’s latest U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey found that while the average water bill increased 6%, overall customer satisfaction rose 3 points (on a 1,000-point scale). 

The reason for the increased customer satisfaction toward water utilities? Proactive communications. The survey emphasized how ongoing outreach was the number-one factor leading to long-term customer satisfaction.  

Shedding light on water safety

Today’s consumers are increasingly concerned about the quality and safety of their drinking water. In fact, many customers are getting their drinking water from alternative sources, like bottled water and in-store water purification machines. In a sense, water utilities are in competition with these businesses.  

When it comes to water utility communication practices, providing customer education is key. Water utilities must build awareness about the efforts taken to ensure water safety, including the treatment process and testing procedures, to counteract these customer misconceptions.    

A recent American Water Works Association (AWWA) poll, “Public Perceptions of Tap Water,” found that 19% of surveyed customers viewed their tap water as unsafe. Notably, 23% of black respondents and 25% of Hispanic respondents had concerns about water safety (compared to 18% of white respondents). 

“The one thing that’s clear year-over-year from the Public Perceptions of Tap Water survey is that a utility that communicates frequently will have greater trust from its customers and in its community,” said David LaFrance, AWWA CEO, in a news release. “It’s also clear that trust is not equal across all demographics, so there’s still work to do to assure high levels of trust with all customers. Getting there requires not only first-rate communications, but a relentless focus on providing excellent water quality and services to everyone.”

The Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) prioritizes communicating to water customers about water quality, safety and reliability. According to Rebecca Zito, Senior Manager of Public Affairs at the PWSA, these awareness-building communications include transparent information about Pittsburgh’s water treatment process. Other communications showcase how the utility is investing in resources to rebuild large components of its water pumping and distribution system and the replacement of water mains and lead service lines. 

PWSA recently initiated the first phase of a water quality campaign, “Trust the Tap,” to educate customers on its complex water treatment process. The communication materials include social media posts, flyers, infographics and more to explain each step through easy-to-understand visuals. This year, the utility is working on engaging animated videos, free of complex technical jargon, that build awareness and confidence in water safety.    

“We continuously communicate how the water that we’re providing to our customers meets and exceeds all water quality regulations when it reaches their home,” Zito says. “We perform thousands of tests every month, and it’s important to share that information with our customers.” 

Raising awareness about water conservation

For water utilities, communicating to customers about the importance of conservation is an ongoing mission. Transparent communications can make a difference, from educating customers about water conservation to highlighting local initiatives that help improve water resources.

According to J.D. Power, low water levels in the Colorado River Basin have prompted the federal government to cut water allotments. Despite these challenges, 44% of utility customers view their utility as “properly ensuring the future water supply.” These customer sentiments are consistent across states, even those supplied by the Colorado River. 

In many regions of the U.S., water supply issues are an ongoing challenge. For example, Las Vegas receives 90% of its water from the Colorado River and Lake Mead, which is the largest man-made reservoir in the U.S. However, Lake Mead’s water levels have reached record lows, requiring the Las Vegas community to step up their conservation efforts. 

The Las Vegas Valley Water District, in partnership with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, communicates regularly to customers about the importance of water conservation. 

“A lot of our communication encourages customers to conserve and reduce their water use,” says Bronson Mack, Public Information Officer for the Las Vegas Valley Water District. “That’s because water conservation is our number-one priority. This type of messaging might be a little bit different than the objectives of other utility sectors that want their customers to use their product responsibly but aren't necessarily advocating for reduced usage.” 

With the utility’s advanced metering infrastructure, customers receive communications when their water usage is higher than normal or continuous water flow is detected at their home. These notifications ensure that customers can take corrective action if there is a water leak or other issue. 

Communicating to water customers about anomalies in their water usage has been well-received. For many years, customers had been asking for real-time solutions to address water usage issues. 

“That is one of the reasons why our organization has made the investment in our advanced metering infrastructure,” Mack says. “With the ability to immediately notify customers, they can take corrective action to quickly address leaks and high water use. With this real-time data, we feel a sense of responsibility to provide these courtesy notifications.” 

Southwest Nevada has implemented mandatory watering schedules for landscaping irrigation systems to prevent water waste. In partnership with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the water district took advantage of paid media ad placements to remind customers to change their sprinkler clock and follow the watering schedules. 

To capture the attention of Las Vegans, the ads were engaging, entertaining and memorable. In fact, one of the comedic ads featured Vegas Golden Knights hockey player Ryan Reaves. 

The water conservation ads were used in print, radio and social media, as well as television streaming services. The water district also used music streaming providers, like Pandora and Spotify, to reach as many customers as possible.

“Everything that we do through paid media matches what we're doing on social media, in bill inserts and on our website,“ Mack says. “We’re committed to an integrated approach where our messages are consistent across all platforms.”  

Communicating the “why” to customers

For water utilities, a dedication to transparent and educational communications goes a long way to build stronger customer relationships. With the right communication strategy, utilities can improve perceptions of water quality, encourage conservation efforts and achieve long-term customer satisfaction. 

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to communicating with customers – that’s why we are researching new communication tools and do a little bit of everything to reach the broadest audience possible,” Zito says. “Then we communicate the benefits that our services and projects provide. It’s all about connecting our services and projects back to our customers so they understand the ‘why’ behind them.”