Utility Week Live – attention turns to the customer

Ever since it came to light that the non-domestic household water market was going to be opened up to competition, the bulk of the chat around the subject has been about the how.

These questions included:

• How will the market work?

• How will the companies interact with the central market system?

• How will the sector get everything completed on time to meet the April 2017 deadline?

• How will the water secretary and MOSL ensure all the stakeholders are ready at the same time?

However, the morning sessions in the Wipro Water Theatre on day one at Utility Week Live, the topic of conversation has moved on. There was actually mention of the ‘c’ word – customers.

Rather than talking about codes, assurance, and market design, the panel members, including MOSL chief executive Ben Jeffs, Ofwat principal for analytics, Ynon Gablinger, and Thames Water Commercial Services commercial director Graham Southall turned the debate to what customers want and what the sector can to do meet their demands.

This shift was also mentioned on the keynote stage by Ofwat chief executive Cathryn Ross, who said that although the current changes in the sector may appear to be broad and in disparate areas of the market, there is one common thread pulling everything together – making sure everything works to benefit the consumer.

And this is where the attention is turning. The ‘hows’ have largely been answered and there is clarity on how the system will work. The next step in this journey is working out what consumers want:

• What does the consumer want?

• What can we do to meet these demands?

• What can we do to differentiate ourselves from our rivals?

Not only are these questions a reflection of the political and reglatory agenda for the sector, their answers also show companies the way to start winning in the newly competitive market.