The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on certain groups of the population. To highlight the challenges facing water customers and how water companies can support these groups, Ofwat commissioned ICM Unlimited to provide fresh evidence on the situation facing vulnerable water customers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We placed particular emphasis on longer term as well as newly vulnerable customers.

Highlights from the research find:

• A large communications piece aimed at these customers will increase awareness and interaction with their water companies
• Proactivity works, and by reaching out to customers before, during and after their support journey, water companies can help to tackle the negative emotions that can exist around bill paying
• A person-centric approach to support will resonate most with customers, and many will be delighted with the types of support on offer from water companies

The report can be found here: Listen Care Share: ICM research – Ofwat

This research fed into a broader piece of insight conducted by Ofwat in 2021, and the report for this can be found here: Listen Care Share so far – Ofwat

If you are interested in the findings from the research, or would like to talk with our experts about other research in this space, please get in touch at enquiries@icmunlimited.com.