We genuinely care about the service you receive from us. That's why we're committed to answering more than 70% of calls within 30 seconds from our UK based call centre.
As well as being a member of the Institute of Customer Service (IOCS), we've recently been awarded a British Standards Institution (BSI) Inclusive Service Kitemark for our work to identify and respond to our most vulnerable customers – something we're really proud of.
Fairness and transparency
We aim to operate in an honest, transparent and professional way at all times. We do our best to ensure all of our actions and communications with you are easy to understand and in your interest.
In addition, we're always trying to improve our processes by surveying our customers, providing staff with additional training and working with organisations such as Citizens Advice to find out about the different needs of our customers.
Our Charges
We work around the clock to ensure top-quality water is delivered to your taps at fair prices. The average water bill from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 is £242. These charges pay for the abstraction, treatment and supply of drinking water direct to your taps.
We work hard to ensure your bills remain affordable and believe that our average household water bill, which comes to 60p per day, remains excellent value for money.
Handling Complaints
One of our key focuses is the quality of service our agents deliver, which is why we're dedicated to providing ongoing coaching, training and feedback for our staff.
We have a dedicated complaints team who will keep you updated and do their absolute best to resolve any complaints.
As part of our drive for a '10 out of 10' service, we have also introduced a number of staff initiatives to help our services improve. These include a monthly team award for the best-scoring team and a badge scheme where staff have the opportunity to receive up to five badges on their lanyard.
Helping our customers with additional needs
We are immensely proud to become the first water company to receive a coveted British Standards Institution (BSI) Inclusive Service Kitemark for providing a comprehensive service for identifying and responding to our vulnerable customers.
We know how important it is to provide an excellent and reliable service to all of our customers, and we recognise that some customers have additional needs that might make it more difficult for them than others.
As such, we've created a customer care team combining office and field-based staff. The team works together and in partnership with other organisations and community groups to identify and assist those who can make use of our services.
Determined to go the extra mile for our customers, we've expanded our innovative data-sharing scheme with local councils to automatically identify and sign up eligible customers who may benefit from extra financial help.
Our Trusted Partners Scheme, working with charities and voluntary groups, is automatically transferring customers onto the tariff and Priority Services Register without needing to apply.
To find out more about our priority services, click here.
Braille name cards – giving you extra piece of mind
We can all feel a little on edge when letting people we don’t know into our home. Here at South East Water, we want everyone to feel safe. That’s why we’ve added Braillie to all of the IDcards held by staff with customer access.
The initiative is aimed at providing reassurance to our customers who are visually impaired, so they know our employees are who they say they are. It’s just one of the things we’re doing to make sure everyone is given a '10 out of 10' service.
Website accessibility
To make sure our website is easy to use and accessible for everyone, we've built it to WC3 standards and added a clever tool to assist those with additional needs or customers whose first language isn't English.
Simple and intuitive to use, 'Recite Me' includes audio playback functionality, dyslexia software, an interactive dictionary and a translation tool with up to 90 languages. It even has the ability to change the entire colour scheme, font size and style – with a bottom-heavy font for anyone with dyslexia.
To access ReciteMe, all you need to do is click on the button to the right of this page that says ‘Accessibility'. Find out more about Recite Me