By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Yarra Valley Water was nominated in the Customer Service Team of the Year category in the prestigious awards, which are run by the Customer Service Institute of Australia.
This is the second time the organisation has been nominated for outstanding customer service, the first time they were recognised in 2023 for the Australian Service Excellence Awards (ASEA) and the Auscontact National Excellence Awards.
Yarra Valley Water managing director Pat McCafferty said it was an honour to be recognised and paid tribute to the Yarra Valley Water team.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our dedicated people for the work they do every day to make sure our customers have a positive experience.”
“These awards are special because they recognise excellent customer service – an area that we consistently strive to excel in, our team are crucial to delivering an excellent customer experience 24 hours, seven days – this is because our customers are at the heart of everything we do.”
Yarra Valley Water is one of Australia’s largest water utilities, it delivers reliable water and sewerage services to over two million people across 198 suburbs.
“Every conversation we have with customers is an opportunity to make a positive difference,” Mr McCafferty said.
According to Yarra Valley Water’s recent customer satisfaction results from March 2024 to May 2024, satisfaction remains consistently high, with a rating of 87 per cent.
Mr McCafferty said understanding customers’ priorities and expectations is crucial to their success.
“To increase customer and community participation in decision-making, we’ve engaged a citizens’ jury to ensure our services, investments and pricing reflect the expectations and values of our diverse community,” he said.
“We’re raising awareness about our financial support program for customers experiencing financial vulnerability, WaterCare, we’re also encouraging concession card holders to get in touch to register their concessions and find out about our range of financial support available including, payment plans and other ways to save money.”
Mr McCafferty said the organisation has made a huge difference to the community and one of the key things they have done is ensuring there’s an integrating care for country in all their practices.
“We are engaging our organisation, customers and stakeholders to learn more about our shared history, including the impacts on the management of land and waterways, and the ongoing contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the Victorian community,” he said.
One of the highlights for the organisation has been its direct involvement in the community.
“We’ve been out in the community visiting libraries to raise awareness of the support available through our financial support program WaterCare,” he said.
“With the current economic challenges, it’s more important than ever that people can connect with support that meets their needs.”
During last financial year, Yarra Valley Water has helped over 17,000 people sign up for bill support.
“We know there are many more that need our help and that’s why we want to normalise the use of financial services such as WaterCare so that people feel comfortable to reach out and start a conversation.,” Mr McCafferty said.
At the end of the day, what matters to customers is Yarra Valley Water’s core services.
As one of the largest water corporations in Australia, the organisation is responsible for maintaining, renewing, and developing over 21,000 km of water, recycled water, and sewerage pipes.
“We’re investing heavily in new infrastructure to ensure the delivery of clean drinking water, reliable sanitation services, and quick responses to any issues,” the managing director said.
“This commitment is reflected in our high customer satisfaction levels.”
Mr McCafferty said around 96 per cent of customers are satisfied or very satisfied with their handling of fault calls, and 91 per cent are satisfied or very satisfied with the organisation’s emergency repairs (measured from April 2023 to March 2024).
Yarra Valley Water was nominated alongside other finalists in this category, including leading brands the Holland Insurance Company and nib Travel.
In addition to the team nomination, Yarra Valley Water employee, Corali Duncan, has been named as a finalist in the Customer Service Leader of the Year category – it follows her previous win in 2023.
In the period of one year (2022-2023) Yarra Valley water delivered 150 billion litres of water to customers, and according to the organisation, all delivery were 100 per cent compliant with the Victorian Safe Drinking Water Regulations.
Mr McCafferty said one of the biggest challenges for them is ensuring a sustainable future for the state’s growing population.
“Victoria’s population set to almost double by 2056, and climate becoming hotter and drier in recent decades, the organisation needs to find new ways to ensure they have reliable and resilient water supplies,” he said.
“We do all that we can to make the best use of our current water resources.”
“Transforming around our customers is one of the three key pillars of our 2030 strategy and caring for customers is in our DNA and we work hard to earn their trust.”
Mr McCafferty said they will work on building even closer relationships with customers to recognise their diverse needs and to enhance customers’ experiences.
“Ongoing digital transformation will allow us to better respond to our customers into the future and ensure we can meet their individual needs and expectations – even as they continue to evolve,” he said.
Winners will be announced on 24 October 2024.
