News release
Customer satisfaction continues to rise, according to the results of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency’s 2023 Customer Opinion Survey. The survey, conducted by third-party consultant True North Research, found that a growing majority of customers are satisfied with the water service they receive in the SCV.
The results show that respondents are also satisfied with the communication they receive from SCV Water, the agency said in a prepared statement.
“When a similar survey was last conducted in 2019, 80% of participants were satisfied with the overall service they received. That number has grown to nearly 84%, showing the responsiveness of SCV Water to our customers’ needs and taking steps to strengthen already high confidence in our water supply and quality,” SCV Water Board President Gary Martin said in the release.
When asked to rate specific topics, 95.4% of respondents said they were somewhat or very satisfied with SCV Water’s ability to provide reliable water service. Satisfaction was not just limited to water operations – nearly 90% were satisfied with educational outreach for water conservation, and 89.7% were satisfied with SCV Water’s overall customer service, the release said.
“It’s important to seek feedback from our customers, to make sure our efforts are meeting the needs of our customers,” General Manager Matt Stone said in the release. “But even more important than the high marks are the responses that identify where we can do better.”
Increasing Awareness of True Cost of Water and Available Customer Rebates
As the regional water provider, it is SCV Water’s responsibility to ensure that customers understand the true cost of their water service and how to take advantage of available rebates to lower their monthly bill. To gauge the agency’s performance in that regard, participants were asked about their satisfaction with rebate programs offered and if SCV Water provides good value for the cost of water services. Results included:
- When asked how satisfied they were with rebate programs available, 31% indicated they were “unsure,” which points to an opportunity for better communication on the way customers can save money using rebates.
- When asked their opinion of the cost of water services, 56% of customers felt their bill was too high, yet upon further questioning, two-thirds of customers did not know the cost of water per gallon, and the rest overestimated the cost. Only 4% understood it is less than one penny a gallon. When provided with that information, participants were again asked to rate the value of water services with 53% now rating water as an excellent or good value, and another 26.2% saying the value is fair.
“The results of the survey give us a prime opportunity to sharpen our engagement and outreach efforts to ensure that our customers receive the highest quality service from SCV Water,” added Stone.
To read SCV Water’s full 2023 Customer Opinion Survey results in full, visit www.yourSCVwater.com/customersurvey.
