Are issues such as the water white paper, the latest trends in customer service and the importance of web self-service to SIM on your agenda?

If so, why not join in the debate with other like-minded water industry professionals in the UK Water Industry Customer Service and Billing Professionals Group (WCSBP) on LinkedIn?

Why join?
The WCSBP Group is a closed group available exclusively to UK water industry professionals. The group is the ideal place to:

• Propose discussion topics and raise questions
• Share industry insights and news
  
  

  

Maintaining the integrity of the Group

• As the WCSBP Group is a closed group members must be approved by an administrator (Echo Managed Services).
• Having a closed group means that only those within the group can see who else is a member and what members are discussing.

Not yet on LinkedIn?
If you are not yet a member of LinkedIn, just go to www.linkedin.com to create an account and a personal profile. You will then be able to join the group.

Echo Northern Ireland teams were delighted to take part in a special bag packing day this week at Marks and Spencer, Belfast, in aid of PIPS Programme. PIPS is the Belfast based charity whose mission is to save lives through reducing suicides by delivering training in suicide prevention and providing support to those in suicidal crises.

Photo caption: The Echo NI team relax after a hard day bag packing for busy Christmas shoppers.

Over 20 members of the team joined supporters from other local business throughout the day in M&S, Belfast packing bags for busy Christmas shoppers.

Roisin Murray at PIPS said “We at PIPS are delighted to have the support of the management and staff at Echo NI. This is the second time Echo have raised funds for PIPS in 2011 and we are greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and generosity of all those who have contributed and volunteered. As a charity we rely heavily on community fundraising and we really couldn’t continue without this type of help and support. Special thanks to Paula Denvir for recruiting over 20 volunteers! And we look forward to working further with Echo in 2012 by providing our suicide prevention training to their staff”

Paula Denvir, Echo’s Contact Centre Service Delivery Manager said “We are so pleased to be supporting PIPS again. Our team have had great fun this week helping people get ready for Christmas whilst raising vital funds that will help PIPS continue their suicide prevention programmes in the local community”.

The team are keen supporters of PIPS and raised £500 for the charity earlier in the year by holding a charity auction.

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For more information or interviews please contact

NAME: Kate Booth, Communications Manager  
PHONE: 07814 235 580 
EMAIL: katebooth@echo-ms.com 

The service incentive mechanism has galvanised water industry investment in web self-service tools, as Rob Stait explains.

The introduction of the service incentive mechanism (SIM) has changed water companies' approach to improving the quality of the service they provide. Many different strategies have been adopted, but each company seems to agree on the increasing importance of web self-service. 

Historically, water companies' approach to customer interaction has been governed by specific regulatory measures - such as abandoned call rates. As a result, most attention has been given to improving the quality of call management. A focus on "warm voice", in particular, has dominated. 

With its focus on quality of service, the SIM has brought about an entirely new approach to contact management and a new wave of investment in contact management operations. There is a much greater focus on resolving calls on the first contact, and managing the customer's contact as a "case", which can help to reduce repeat and unwanted contacts. 

There is a trade-off, however. To do this effectively and efficiently, more of the quick, ­transactional-type contacts need to be directed down automated channels. This would represent a significant shift in approach in an industry traditionally focused on warm voice contact ­management.

While the debate continues about the role of automated customer services in water, web self-service appears to have got the stamp of approval from most. South West Water, for instance, is delighted with the response its web self-service offering has received so far. 

Ned Colman, head of service improvement at Echo client South West, tells us: "We are delighted with the response from our customers. Since going live on 1 April we have seen over 29,000 customers sign up for online services, and over £2.3 million paid ... Because accounts are updated automatically in our billing system, no manual input from agents is required and our customer service teams are free to deal with more complex enquiries."

This idea of "straight through processing" is an important feature of web self-service. It ensures customers have more control over their account and reduces the need for agents to intervene on a transaction, thus assisting the water company in becoming more efficient.

For water companies the challenges are in making the customer experience consistent. Encouraging customers to use web self-service to complete their transaction requires a change in customer behaviour and the channel must be convenient, reliable and user friendly. 

Colman says: "If a customer makes a payment or submits a meter reading online, it should trigger an automated confirmation of a successful transaction ... if they are left unsure as to whether their contact has been successful, their next step is going to be to get in touch by phone for reassurance - thus defeating the objective."

Other areas generating debate in the quest for customer service excellence

Interactive voice recognition (IVR) and intelligent call routing
There is scepticism about whether IVR is a useful customer service tool, given the frustration that some customers feel when being passed through arduous menu systems to complete their transaction. However, IVR that is intelligent, easy to navigate and enables a customer to get a satisfactory response faster is beneficial. 

Proactive communications
Water companies are also looking at ways in which they can communicate more proactively with customers with SMS and email technology. These systems facilitate planned campaigns such as advising customers of planned interruptions to supply, reminder of appointments and so on, as well as reactive campaigns such as in the event of a major incident. 

Business process management (BPM)
BPM tools enable water companies to define, document and analyse business processes, turning them into agile applications that provide visibility across operations. Echo is working with several of its clients who are interested in its BPM, which has been embedded into its billing system. It is being implemented at one client and several others have trials and consultation processes under way.

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For more information or interviews please contact

NAME: Kate Booth, Communications Manager  
PHONE: 01922 728721 / 07814 235 580 
EMAIL: katebooth@echo-ms.com

Paula Denvir, Service Delivery Manager, Jim White, Head of Service Delivery and Rob Stait, Head of Business Development and Marketing at Echo Managed Services.

A leading UK provider of contact management services says that the success of its Northern Ireland operations has “surpassed all expectations” having secured £45m in new business since being established and created a further 35 new jobs in recent months.

Echo Managed Services, which is celebrating the 5th Anniversary of its arrival in Belfast City Centre, provides specialist contact management services that enable large organisations to release administrative efficiency savings which can protect and enhance frontline services. The firm’s Belfast arm, which has seen rapid expansion in recent years, now employs nearly 200 people and is on course to grow even larger than Echo’s English Headquarters in Walsall. To date, Echo has contributed £14.5m into the Northern Ireland economy through salaries alone.

Marking the 5th Anniversary, Rob Stait, Echo’s head of business development and marketing said: “Everyone in the team is very proud to reach this milestone. We believe that our investment in Northern Ireland and its people has proven to be a virtuous circle: the strength and depth of the workforce here has enabled us to expand and improve our service offering, meaning that we can create more high-value jobs. We look forward to strengthening our existing relationships and serving an even broader range of clients in the years to come.”

Each year Echo handles over three million contacts from the people of Northern Ireland on behalf of a number of public sector clients. Echo has a particular niche specialism within the crowded contact management industry, and benefits from Northern Ireland’s strong work ethic and access to highly-educated workers. Echo specialises in the management of the types of contacts and enquiries which tend to be directed at Government agencies and departments, which has led to the development of these high-calibre local jobs.

Mervyn McCall, Chairman of the IoD in Northern Ireland paid tribute to Echo saying: “It’s businesses like Echo that we need to continue to attract to Northern Ireland. In the five years they’ve been here they’ve offered a real boost to the Northern Irish economy. Their business model, with its commitment to sustainable growth, is proof that Northern Ireland is ready, willing and able to host great companies that want to invest here.”

Coffee and cake were an essential part of the diet for the Walsall based Echo Managed Services team last Friday as they proudly raised their mugs for Macmillan and joined in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. The team raised over £550 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Adding to the excitement of the day was the news that one of the team had her recipe for macaroons included in the Macmillan Little Book of Treats. Macmillan produces the book every year (in association with M&S Cafe's) and it features scrummy recipes from supporters and celebrities alike.  This year Gwyneth Paltrow, Lorraine Pascal, Claudia Winkleman, Sophie Dahl and Amanda Holden all featured alongside Echo’s very own Ellen Lavender!

Photo caption: Raising money is a piece of cake for Team Echo – especially with published baker, Ellen Lavender (pictured far right) on hand to oversee the proceedings!

Echo invited staff from all of its sites across the Midlands and Northern Ireland to participate in the event. Nigel Lloyd, Echo’s Finance and Commercial Director, and CSR Board sponsor said

“I am delighted that this is the sixth year in a row that Echo has been involved with The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Every cake and cup of coffee sold at events like ours has helped to raise money for Macmillan to provide much needed support to people affected by cancer.”

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For more information or interviews please contact

NAME: Kate Booth, Communications Manager  
PHONE: 01922 728721 / 07814 235 580 
EMAIL: katebooth@echo-ms.com