Presentation about measuring service quality in water utilities. Showing preliminary data which indicates that perceptions of water quality are based on variables other than the physical quality of the water.

1. The Invisible Utility
Service Quality in Essential Services
Peter Prevos
PhD Candidate, School of Business
Manager Systems Monitoring, Coliban Water

2. From Asset Performance to
Customer Experience

3. Service Quality

Value
−

Quality
−

Meeting specifications
Satisfaction
−

Perceived benefits minus
perceived cost
Comparison with
expectations
Moments of Truth
Bad customer experience.
Source: yworld.co.za

4. Consumer Benefits

Needs
−
−
Sociological
−

Physiological
Psychological
Wants
−
Raw water
−
Potable water
−
Recycled water
Gardening is an activity that covers all
types of needs – from physiological
(movement, food) to providing a sense of
self actualisation.
Source: theaustralian.com.au

5. Consumer Cost

Monetary

Psychological

Sociological

Time
Women in Ethiopia carry water from a lake back
to their homes. The time spent hauling water
can be significant in areas where sources of
domestic water supply are limited.
Source: waterencyclopedia.com

6. Consumer Involvement

Water and sanitation are
considered low
involvement services
−
Increases as perceived
level of certainty of
supply decreases
−
Limited empirical
evidence
During the drought, many customers
spent large amounts of time and money
to retain the ability to use water.

7. Stakeholder Interviews
●
Customers
–
Low involvement
–
High expectations
–
Hardship as a
moderator
Hardship was the most discussed topic.
Source: neptunetg.com
12 September 2013
The Invisible Water Utility
7

8. Consumer Involvement
●
Involvement
–
–
●
●
●
Cognitive
Affective
High cognitive
involvement
Medium Affective
involvement
“We care about water,
even if you don’t”
Water consumers were asked their
views of tap water as a service (n=123).

9. Water Quality Spectrum

10. ServAqua: Service Quality in Water
●
Technical Quality
–
–
Experience qualities
–
●
Core services
Sensory experience
Functional Quality
Assisting customers with supplementary
services.
–
Supplementary services
–
Empathy
–
Responsiveness
–
Information provision, billing etc.

11. Technical Quality
●
●
●
●
●
Availability
Safe to drink
Visually appealing
Pleasant taste
Sufficient pressure
Financial hardship was found to be a predictor
of technical quality (F(1, 107) = 8.948,
p<0.005, r2 = -0.27).

12. Functional Quality
●
●
●
●
●
●
Accurate bills
Reliable customer
service
Deliver on promises
Empathy
Willingness to help
17 items
Financial hardship was found to be a predictor
of functional quality (F(1, 103) = 14.53,
p<0.0005, r2 = -0.29).

13. The Invisible Utility
●
●
●
High level of service
expectations
Minimise contact
Focus on
experience, not
technology
Consumers are mainly interested in sensory
qualities of water services.
Source: understandinggov.or
12 September 2013
The Invisible Water Utility
13

17. “In the past water utilities were managed by
engineers. Now they are managed by
economists. In the future they should be
managed by marketers”
invisiblewater.org
@invisibleH2O
linkedin.com/in/peterprevos