South Staffs Water is launching a new initiative next week in Wednesbury with the official opening of its new Community Hub.
The new high street hub is part of South Staffs Water’s commitment to customer engagement and ‘making water count’ and is designed to be an easy and informal way for local customers to find out more about their water.
The hub was initially aimed at providing customers with a choice of ways to interact with the water company. However, in the course of researching and setting up the hub, South Staffs Water said “it soon became obvious that many more benefits could be achieved by such frontline, high street engagement.”
The hub will enable South Staff Water’s customer service team and other experts to talk directly to customers about subjects like water efficiency and the benefits of having a water meter fitted, together with raising awareness of the wide range of services on offer.
Feedback from various customer research projects revealed that they would prefer more multi-channel contact routes. According to the utility, call centres can sometimes put people off from making inquiries and not everyone has a smartphone, or access to the internet. This is especially true of vulnerable customers, such as the elderly or infirm.
The hub will also have a ‘Kids’ Corner’, a space to allow busy parents the opportunity to visit, while their children are kept occupied. The official opening will take place on Friday 27 April and it will launch to the general public the following Monday.
Phil Newland, managing director of South Staffs Water, commented:
“Our new hub is a great opportunity for anyone with queries about their water supply to call in – even if it’s just for a refreshing glass of water. This ‘pop-up’ inspired hub will hopefully encourage people to use the facility and ensure that everyone is making the most of this precious resource that so many of us take for granted. Not everyone is aware of the broad range of challenges we can help with. With members of staff manning the hub throughout the day, the public will now have our expert knowledge on tap”.
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