CCW CEO: Shouting from the sidelines doesn’t change anything

Emma Clancy is only the second chief executive of water watchdog CCW, formerly CCWater, since it was formed in 2005. She talks to Utility Week about the advantage of a fresh perspective and the need to reposition the organisation as "part of the solution as well as pointing out the problem".

On joining the sector after 14 years at Certsure – the electrical industries equivalent to gas safety register – Clancy spoke to the chief executives of each of the water companies for feedback on their impressions of CCW and says one consistent message was that the watchdog could be a bit “one note”.

“They all said we provide the important element of challenge, but said we can be ‘problem admirers’”, Clancy says. “We want to move to a position where we are part of the solution as well as pointing out the problem.”

She adds: “It’s right that we are strong in our challenge, but we also have a role to play to help to provide information. Shouting from the sidelines doesn’t change anything. If we want to deliver more for customers we have to reposition ourselves.”

Her first move was to offer tailored programmes for each company on the back of the household complaints report, depending on their respective position, detailing how CCW could help with specific issues.

This, Clancy explains, started conversations about best practice and provided the basis for virtual assessments and a conference for customer service directors to talk about their experiences and journey.

“It has been really positive; we are in a great position to help and it’s right that we should.”

She is also calling for greater coordination between CCW and other regulators to more effectively address shared concerns, such as leakage. “The joy of being new is I get to ask questions and pose fresh challenge to the way things have always been done,” Clancy says and adds there is “a strong spirit to work” to work more collaboratively than before.

Although her feet have not been long under the desk and that time has been dominated by responding to and supporting through coronavirus, Clancy has spotted scope for modernisation to the way some customer services are delivered.

“There are a lot of hand-offs where water companies rely on third-party suppliers to deliver in-home support, such as addressing sewer problems. From a customer perspective that supply chain is not very joined-up. There are examples of good practice like Bristol branding their subcontractors, but there should be more management and scheduling done in-house so customers have a joined-up experience. Seeing it through the eyes of the customer needs to have greater amplification.”

A more immediate concern is the response to supporting billpayers who are struggling financially so Clancy is pleased CCW was asked by Defra and Welsh government to review the support available to consumers in different parts of the country.

“Government is pleased with the provisions companies have made to date, but looking forward is asking will that be enough?” She asks. “There is a variation in available support that means not everyone will get the help they need. This explores how we can collectively do that better.”

At present social tariffs and financial support are dependent on where customers live and the willingness of other billpayers to fund such schemes. In areas of greater deprivation that can mean there simply is not be enough money available.

“People could be eligible for 90 per cent help, 20 per cent help or no help at all. It doesn’t feel like it’s working and is something we should address. Companies set their own social tariffs, which naturally means there are inconsistencies.”

Although several companies do invest profits into tariffs in a significant way there is not a universal approach, but standardisation of approaches could be one result of the review.

“We will work to make sure there are clear practical actions we can take, in the short, medium, and long-term. We need to anticipate significant demand and build a system that can cope with that demand.”

Clancy says the first step is to ensure customers understand what help they can get and how. “Moving forward improving the situation will mean change for the companies, but we are open minded about what it may entail.”

Working with the non-household sector Clancy sees the difficulties from both retailer and wholesaler positions and describes the task of improving the market as “just huge”.

“From a customer point of view it just isn’t working. Both parties point a finger at each other, and nothing gets sorted. Some problems just sit there for months and for our complaint handling teams the issues are very complex to address and resolve,” Clancy says. “It’s a difficult set of circumstances and challenging market to be in.”

These problems, she says, are damaging for the whole sector and urges all to put their differences and difficulties aside.

“We encourage them to think very clearly of the customers and the long-term market reputation. Every case that is fought over in a protracted way and doesn’t lead to a good outcome damages the market and its reputation,” Clancy notes. “Why you would switch has to be a really good question. Our position is that that is a difficult thing to recommend right now.”