Yorkshire Water: Strategic, Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting

Engaging customers to help develop our business plan

What?

Within our business planning process for 2015 we increased the scale and range of customer engagement

activities from initial studies through to direct customer input to shape and challenge our short term priorities

and long term outcomes. The engagement demonstrates how we work with our customers to raise awareness of

proposals, secure feedback, and ultimately to confirm acceptance of the final plan. This is a fundamental dependency for us and a regulatory requirement. Our ongoing customer engagement measures allow us to

monitor our social impact in terms of customer perception, services and value for money.

Why?

Our business plan has to be acceptable to our customers, delivering their wants and needs at a price they can afford and are willing to pay. Through the extensive research undertaken we now have greater knowledge of our customers’ motivations and behaviours which is used when making relevant business decisions. Our customer engagement has significantly altered our investment plans and our targets.

How?

The initial research with customers focused on understanding their views and opinions on the water and waste water services they receive and the financial pressures they face. As the planning progressed, we also developed a set of long term outcomes with our customers and stakeholders. These outcomes reflect our customers’ longer term needs and priority areas of investment for water, waste water and environmental services. This list of draft outcomes essentially became the backbone of our Performance Commitments to customers and the regulator, with around a fifth of them relating to social issues.