I recently blogged about Severn Trent’s priority service update procedure. I am pleased to report that it made some waves and changes are afoot.
Firstly they contacted me very swiftly about the blog, much more swiftly than I have managed to make time to write this, so please accept my apologies.
Anyway, I’m off the hamster wheel for a minute, so I’d like to sincerely thank Catherine from Severn Trent for listening and implementing positive changes. She blew me out of the water with her proactive response.
Training Is A Priority
Catherine identified that there was a training issue. We agreed that it wasn’t the call handler’s fault. I think most of us have been in work situations which we weren’t fully prepared for. If you haven’t been given the knowledge to begin with… The customer service representative will be receiving further training in order to better help other priority service users. This will hopefully prevent a re-occurrence of our recent experience.
Getting It Right
The standard letter is going to be updated with the correct times which is a big help, especially for busy carers like us.
Catherine and I also discussed the user-friendliness of the communication. Currently, the “easiest” way is to go online to respond. There is a technology gap so it doesn’t suit everyone. Severn Trent are now looking into ways to make it more accessible.
I suggested a simple form with a tickbox underneath a summary of the household’s previous needs. Needs change over time, but I find that it can be difficult to remember what they were at the last update.
People can read the summary, tick yes or no when asked if there have been any changes in needs, then jot the changes in another box. The form can easily be returned in a prepaid envelope.
I‘m sure that there are other solutions but I am grateful that Catherine has taken my feedback to the relevant team.
A Positive Step
It was a great pleasure to talk with Catherine, she was kind and empathetic. I felt listened to, she understood and wanted to help.
Hopefully, we had a positive impact for other priority services users. I hope that other utility companies follow Severn Trent’s lead: We could even say we’ve started to smooth the waters for them, so to speak…