SA Water Customer Satisfaction Research

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:38): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to directing questions to the Minister for Water on the subject of customer satisfaction research.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Between at least 2013 and up until March 2016, SA Water, through the company New Focus, has conducted comprehensive customer satisfaction research in relation to a range of activities that SA Water conducts. Approximately 800 or so customers are researched each quarter for those particular research reports. The most recent report that has been published on the SA Water website, and released under FOI, is for the period January to March 2016. That report was dated April 2016.

Interestingly, given the recent controversies about the performance of SA Water this year, no report for the period April through to June has been published on the SA Water website. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister assure the house that this customer satisfaction research, which has been conducted for a number of years now, has not been discontinued or stopped?

2. In particular, did SA Water conduct customer satisfaction rating research for the period April through June 2016?

3. If it has been conducted, can the minister indicate why it has not been published on the SA Water website, consistent with the publication of all recent reports for the last two years or so?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:40): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. SA Water is committed to the ongoing performance measurement of customer service satisfaction. I understand that SA Water uses third-party contractors to assist in tracking customer satisfaction and perceptions throughout the year.

I am advised that customers who have come into recent contact with SA Water across various business units are invited to participate in a voluntary phone survey to give feedback about their experience. Approximately 700 customers are surveyed each quarter. From the survey a 'customer satisfaction with experience score' is yielded for SA Water and reported as a corporate key performance indicator. In 2015-16, SA Water achieved high satisfaction in scores for its contact centre with 89 per cent satisfaction, for its field crews who attend to faults with 91 per cent satisfaction, and for its field crews who attend new connections with 88 per cent satisfaction.

SA Water is actively working to improve customer satisfaction in areas such as written correspondence and keeping customers informed of the progress of their query or issue with SA Water. An example of this work is the implementation of new digital services, including a notification system for customers who report a fault. I understand SA Water has started to track customer perceptions within the broader community to measure and manage its brand reputation. These surveys will collect a range of customer insights that are used from previous services offered by SA Water.

To assist with strategic planning, I understand that SA Water aims to build a better understanding of each group of customers, which may include the needs of young people and the ageing community, low water consumers and customers who are experiencing financial difficulties. It is a fact that SA Water is committed to having a better relationship with customers, and measuring customer performances is a useful tool for them.

In terms of customer relations and customer satisfaction, I have to say that it is very brave of the Hon. Robert Lucas to stand up in this place and talk about that in relation to SA Water, because if you read The Advertiser from Monday—and I just happen to have a copy here—it says, 'We blame ETSA sale' for rising prices in terms of electricity. Who sold ETSA? It was the Hon. Robert Lucas; the Hon. Robert Lucas over there sold off this state's ETSA, and all South Australians blame him for privatisation. I have to say that it is a brave Hon. Mr Lucas who talks about customer satisfaction in relation to SA Water with that sort of track record, when everybody knows that the Liberals want to privatise SA Water as well.