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'Exemplary success' with South West Water

May Gurney and South West Water (SWW) are celebrating the end of a major water mains rehabilitation programme that has been an exemplary success and has improved the quality of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people.

The 10-year contract has seen substantial improvements in customer service, the successful implementation of new technology and impressive environmental improvements. It has won awards, set records, and achieved some all-time best figures for health and safety.

The contract, which began in 2000, required May Gurney to rehabilitate about 2,000km of water mains across South Devon, Plymouth and Cornwall, with annual targets of up to 350km per year at its peak.

'This reflects May Gurney's commitment to good customer service'
Chris Loughlin, South West Water
Many kilometres of pipes had been in the ground for more than a century or had been laid after World War II when good quality materials were in short supply. As a result, samples taken at customers’ taps across the region in 1995 showed 253 failures of water quality standards, which were attributed to the condition of the distribution network.

By 2008, nine years into the rehabilitation contract, the same sampling produced only four failures, demonstrating the fundamental success of the main objective.

To achieve this success SWW knew that many miles of main roads, shopping streets and even residents’ back gardens would need to be excavated, which meant a high risk of incoming customer complaints, as well as the likelihood of negative media coverage.

Ben Bax, May Gurney customer and client services manager, explains: “Water companies are under increasing pressure to deliver excellent customer service, driven by Ofwats’s new ‘customer experience measures’ and by customers expecting value for money for their water and sewerage charges. With that in mind they want uninterrupted services and want to see necessary work carried out professionally and efficiently.

“It is important that customer service is not just about systems and procedures, nor is it an ‘extra’ job; it is rooted in May Gurney’s ethos and company culture. Everyone fully understands the implications of the essential services we deliver for local communities, businesses and people.”

May Gurney reduced written complaints by 45% and telephone complaints by 25% in just one year (both far ahead of target) - and even received letters of commendation and thanks from local residents and businesses.

Ben Bax adds: “Many of our works, for example 800m of water main in the town of Bodmin and a similar stretch in the Barbican in Plymouth, drew much apprehension from local residents and the press before digging had even begun.

“But we implemented simple, tangible actions to set people’s minds at ease and achieve genuine reductions in disruption. Each local project team included a customer liaison officer and we met with community stakeholders and the local media before each scheme and came up with appropriate solutions to each potential problem with which we were faced.”

The success of May Gurney’s work on this contract has seen it win a number of awards including a Green Apple Award and Considerate Constructors Award and a Water Industry Achievement Award.

In addition, May Gurney has won several of SWW’s own Pure Awards, including the Pure Service Award. Chris Loughlin, SWW chief executive, says: “This award reflects May Gurney’s commitment to good customer service – with their focus on delivering consistently good service within our business.”

Thanks to WET News for permission to edit this article from a feature that appeared in the magazine (May 2009).
Click here to download the feature in PDF format..