10.3.4 Long-term evaluation of consumer satisfaction

From the consumer’s point of view, changes from the norm are particularly noticeable. At present, there are no guidelines for consumers’ overall impressions or perceptions of physical water quality. Furthermore, consumer satisfaction may have a regional or even local context, and it needs to be assessed at this level.

The objective of the long-term evaluation of consumer satisfaction is to confirm that the complaint handling system is effective for picking up complaints, and particularly any clusters of complaints, related to water quality, and that action plans are adequate and linked suitably to operations.

Drinking water quality complaints by type (e.g. alleged illness, taste and odour, dirty water, stained laundry) should be reported over the period and evaluated against any internal or external performance targets (e.g. fewer than x complaints per 1000 households per year), noting any potential trends of concern. Investigations and response actions should be reviewed to ensure the actions were satisfactory, particularly with respect to any complaints of alleged illness, and that staff are adequately trained to respond effectively.

The long-term evaluation should include any reports of routine or one-off surveys of customer satisfaction and/or attitudes. Experience from major water suppliers indicates that consumer satisfaction has the following characteristics:

• Complaints and concerns about ‘healthiness’ are driven more by sudden noticeable changes in quality, particularly in taste, odour, colour and turbidity, than by the long-term average.

• Taste and odour associated with disinfectants are tolerated up to a point because they are associated with the protection of public health, although concerns sometimes arise about the health effects of added chemicals.

• It is unrealistic to expect to achieve complete satisfaction. For example, it is unlikely that more than 90 per cent of consumers will give a ‘good to excellent’ rating on taste and odour.

• The bulk of consumer complaints relate to taste and odour, discolouration and stained washing, many of which can stem from household plumbing or may be very localised. It is the unusual complaints such as the fishy smell generated by the presence of certain algae in source water, or blue discolouration due to corrosion of the consumer’s copper service pipes, that may have wider implications for the water supply system, and these require immediate attention. In the event of blue discolouration linked to copper corrosion, a more detailed investigation should be undertaken to determine if the copper corrosion is widespread, or related to characteristics of the water being supplied.

Where programs are in place to improve consumer satisfaction or awareness, these should be evaluated in the long-term review for progress and effectiveness.