3.5.2 Consumer satisfaction

Summary of actions

• Establish a consumer complaint and response program, including appropriate training of employees.

Monitoring of consumer comments and complaints can provide valuable information on potential problems that may not have been identified by performance monitoring of the water supply system. Consumer satisfaction with drinking water quality is largely based on a judgment that the aesthetic quality of tap water is ‘good’, which usually means that it is colourless, free from suspended solids and has no unpleasant taste or odour.

Changes from the norm are particularly noticeable to consumers, who may interpret aesthetic problems as indicating health risks. A consumer complaint and response program operated by appropriately trained personnel should be established. Response targets should be set and regularly reviewed. Complaints and responses should be recorded and, in the longer term, the types, patterns and changes in numbers of complaints received should be evaluated.

One proactive approach to gauge perception of drinking water quality is to establish a consumer-based taste panel. Participants, who should be sensitive to off-flavours, can be trained with common flavour-profile descriptors so that their feedback to the drinking water supplier is more useful for identifying and solving aesthetic water quality problems. This approach can be particularly helpful in identifying recurring seasonal episodes of poor aesthetic quality. The fact sheet on Taste and Odour, in Part V, discusses consumer panels.

Sections 9.5.1 and 10.3.4 provide additional information on consumer satisfaction.