Water utilities have responded, and have demonstrated their ability to provide customer account information on a real time basis, to track previous customer contacts, to make service commitments and to keep them, and to repair leaks in a timely fashion. Those that don t meet these expectations face difficult rate cases and angry customers. Regulators must respond to the demands for superior service. For this reason, California has permitted recovery of investments and costs incurred to improve service, including such items as sophisticated telecommunications and computer equipment dedicated to customer service. Although the recovery of these costs increases the price of service, when properly explained, customers will support these price increases.
Citizens also demand superior service from government regulators.
In my experience, Public Utilities Commissions will be the next frontier for improvements in customer service. In my view, the inability of the California Commission to respond to citizen letters and telephone inquiries has soured our relations with both the public and the legislature. The California Commission faces legislative scrutiny harsher than that faced by most companies in rate proceedings. The subsequent layoffs, downsizing, and lack of funding to investment in modern customer service equipment have further reduced the California Commission s ability to respond to customer service issues. As any company knows, the climbing out of a hole caused by poor treatment of the public is a difficult uphill struggle.