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Fall 2014
from the executive director
utilities. A final but also major implication of their importance to most
utilities is that customers equal voters on Election Day or at annual business
meetings. It does not take any System Manager or Director long to learn
how quickly the wheel can be turned by a relatively small number of our
politically-active customers.
It is obvious that developing positive and beneficial customer experiences
(in the office and in the field) are extremely important for systems and their
personnel, but how do we accomplish this type of experience?
Typically, the first step is simply to recognize the importance of making
customer service a priority. An important ideology is that great customer
service is part of your organizational culture and that begins as the
top of an organization. It cannot be executive lip service; it has to be an
ongoing commitment of policy making, resources, and training until it is
accomplished. From there, it must be integrated through every position and
function of the system. Once accomplished, it requires methodical nurturing
to ensure that the organization does not slip back into bad habits.
At the request of several systems and in an effort to assist our members
with this most important aspect of their systems, NCRWA has developed
Customer Service Training for Water and Wastewater Systems. This training
program covers topics such as the importance of customer service at every
level, the basics of human interactions, communication skills required for
good customer service including those with the difficult customer, customer
satisfaction surveys, legal issues surrounding customer interactions, and
technology that can be employed to assist with improved customer service.
After the first two sessions of this training, it has received outstanding
feedback from attendees and their managers. More information on upcoming
sessions is available at
I will close with a quote fromMayaAngelou that emphasizes the importance
of customer service. She said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you
made them feel.” Please let us know anytime that Rural Water can be of
assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Daniel Wilson, PE, CAE, UMC
Executive Director, NCRWA
