Communicating to Stakeholders and Customers Critical in Stormy Times

R. Hughes, Watercare Services Ltd, Remuera, Auckland

At Watercare we provide water and wastewater services for 1.7 million Aucklanders. In the space of three weeks over January and February 2023, the city suffered both a record-breaking flood and a devastating cyclone. The city’s water and wastewater infrastructure took a hammering with landslips breaking watermains and wastewater pipes, and some large wastewater pump stations overflowing after being completely flooded. 

We knew from experience with other major weather events that it was crucial to get information out to our customers quickly and to provide regular updates. This paper will outline how we rolled out a multi-channel communication strategy that harnessed the strength of our relationships with key stakeholders. Social media was a key channel that we used to share targeted messaging to impacted communities, to reassure our wider customer base in these uncertain times and to drive customers to our website for the latest updates. Our communications and customer teams worked 24/7 to ensure customers received timely and accurate responses to any queries. With Auckland’s water supply in a fragile state after the extreme weather events, it was also crucial to plan ahead for any issues that may arise. 

Our commitment to providing accessible, clear and authentic communication did not go unnoticed. We had customers proactively contacting our senior leaders to acknowledge the quality of the communication, including one who noted the emails he’d received were “right up there with the best common sense and informative notices I’ve seen from utility agencies in a long time. As in probably ever.” Elected members also noted our proactive communication in public forums. Our communication during the flood has also influenced our customer trust score, which has been on an upwards trend since.

This paper will explore the insights we received from our survey of customers who had been impacted by the flood or cyclone:
• 89.2% felt they got the information they needed
• 81.3% said they trust us to solve any problems that arise
• 78.3% agreed that we care about our communities

The paper will share the challenges we faced and what communication approaches worked well, while acknowledging the hiccups we experienced along the way, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Above all, it will showcase how important it is to communicate clearly and often, target the most impacted customers directly, and leverage your stakeholder networks to share important messages in anxious times.