April 30, 2018 - c
Like many others in this sector, I originally formed the mind-set that if we at a water utility are doing our jobs appropriately, people wouldn't give us a second thought.
However, I have learned that is NOT what we want. In this age where our "mature" infrastructure is failing at increasing frequencies and social media rants are becoming more frequent, we have a recipe for disaster. However, proactive communications can help to counteract that. We applied for and received the Utility of the Future (UOTF) Today recognition partly because of our proactive communications and are now using the recognition as part of communications strategy.
Communications to our customers are critical to helping them understand that we provide more than just water and wastewater services, but are a protector of public health and the environment. Award/recognition programs such as UOTF Today help by providing customers a knowledgeable third-party assessment upon which they may also base their impressions.
There is no one-size-fits-all communications outlet, as people all have different preferences. Our organization has great success with email updates we send out for construction projects (people sign up for specific updates) and with Facebook. The email updates help customers feel more in control and better able to plan for impacts. For us, Facebook works very well to inform customers about items that impact them such as road closures or pass along pictures of interest such as our source and receiving water (Lake Erie). When customers have questions/concerns, they can easily “reply” and ask us directly.
Communications help give our organization “friendly faces” for our customers to know as neighbors within the community. It is one of our guiding principles we cannot afford to neglect. We were glad to receive UOTF Today recognition in the inaugural 2016 class confirming our efforts and look forward to reapplying again.
Application for the 2018 Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program closes May 30, 2018.
Todd Danielson is the Chief Utilities Executive of Avon Lake Regional Water (Avon Lake, Ohio), a midsized water and wastewater utility located on the shores of Lake Erie. He is a member of WEF’s Government Affairs Committee and is active in NACWA (co-chair of the Small and Medium Utilities Work Group) and the Ohio Section of the AWWA (chair of the Water Utility Council).