Better comms would improve billing experiences, Ofwat study finds

Improving communications would likely have the biggest positive impact on customers experiencing billing problems. That’s according to part one of a research study commissioned by Ofwat to better understand customer billing problem experiences and to identify potential learnings.

The study found: “Whilst the end outcome is of utmost importance to customers, communication is seen to feed into all stages of the customer journey (including for example, helping customers to better understand why a certain outcome has been offered to them) and therefore has the potential to play a key role in improving overall levels of satisfaction.”

The work found billing issues are highly varied, ranging from simple administrative issues to more complex and/or substantial problems. While there is evidence of positive customer experiences in billing, many customers are dissatisfied.

For the ‘worst served customers’, the impact of their billing issue can be substantial, impacting their finances and their mental wellbeing. The study said: “Financially, this can include bills of thousands of pounds, leaving customers facing debt, and include longer term financial impacts, such as marks on credit scores. Emotionally, this can include extreme cases of needing to seek professional help due to the exacerbation of pre-existing mental health conditions.”

While customers expect their customer journey for resolving a billing issue to be straightforward, in reality, it is more complex for many and takes longer than anticipated.

The work involved a survey of 568 customers drawn from five companies, plus deeper dives through an online community and interviews.