The customer, so the old adage goes, is ‘king’ and that has never been more relevant than in these days when the water market has been opened up to increased competition.

With the non-household water market already open for competition and the household market primed to follow suit, water providers are being held to account for the quality of the service that they offer. Getting it right means you retain or gain customers, getting it wrong risks losing out.

The result is that water companies are investing heavily in customer relationship management (CRM) systems, everything from creating call centres that answer queries quickly and efficiently to providing more flexible ways for customers to pay and ensuring that they are fully informed about the service they receive.

A lot of the investment is in creating responsive call centres because they are most likely to be the customer’s first contact with the company, sometimes with a complaint that they expect to properly handled.

One of the priorities for water companies is designing an individualistic customer service approach, not just one staffed by people who read off a script but are instead trained to treat every customer as different and respond accordingly. Indeed, when surveyed, customers voted the use of scripts the No. 1 frustration when it came to dealing with call centres.

Customers realise that things can go wrong but will be more likely to be understanding if they know that their enquiry is managed well and that call centre staff treat them as human beings.

Payment methods are changing as well. As we head towards the cashless society, water companies have been extending payment methods, taking in not just traditional direct debit methods but also acknowledging that many people pay their bills online.

Companies are also using technology to improve the service they deliver to customers, including using mobile apps and web-based communication so that their teams are fully informed while out on the road.

For example, some companies are using apps to better co-ordinate appointments by their water-saving advice teams.

Water saving is a key way in which companies are improving communication with their customers and a key part of that process is the roll-out of smart meters.

Meters are being introduced all over the UK and Thames Water is a good example of what can be achieved

The aim of its smart metering programme is to reduce overall water use and improve leakage detection. Meters give residents access to their water use information, online or over the phone, allowing them to see how efficient their home is and track how simple water-saving efforts like four minute showers and turning the tap off while brushing your teeth can reduce bills.

Thames Water is offering free home visits, checking how water efficient a house is and installing water-saving gadgets.

After a home visit, a family of four could save as much as £180 a year on their water and energy bills. By reducing water use, households are experiencing lower costs right across the home, as heating water accounts for 21% of an energy bill.

Since the launch of the metering programme in 2015, Thames Water has delivered more than 60,000 Smarter Home Visits, saving around 2.5 million litres every day, the equivalent supply for more than 6,000 homes.

The new technology will also allow Thames Water teams to pinpoint where there are leaks on a customer’s pipe, helping to stop water from being wasted.

Danny Leamon, Thames Water’s head of metering, said: “The meters will be sending us accurate and up-to-date data on water use. Higher and/or unusual readings could mean that there’s a leak, so with this information we can find and repair leaks faster, and see which pipes we should be replacing first.

“Smart meters are also great news for our environment as there are increasing pressures on our water sources. Not only do meters put customers in control of their water use, they also allow us to find leaks on the customers’ property, which we currently fix for free.”

The result of all this activity is an approach that puts the customer at the heart of water services like never before.

From better call centres to systems that give customers more control over usage, water companies are upping their game.