Transcript
Ivy Jensen
Welcome to Talking Water with GMW, where we discuss all things water. This episode is our first one for the year and we are joined by Goulburn Murray Water's Customers and Stakeholders, general manager Kate Biglin.
With the company's Pricing Submission due to the Essential Services Commission in September. Kate talks about the importance of community engagement to find out what our customers priorities needs and concerns are when it comes to the level of service they receive.
We will release episodes on the first week of each month, so check back in for more.
So GMW is currently developing its draft Pricing Submission. So for those who don't know, can you explain what a Pricing Submission is?
Kate Biglin
Sure. Every four years we develop a Pricing Submission. It outlines the prices and the service levels that are applied for a certain regulatory period. So in this case, we're looking at 2024 to 2028, working on the Pricing Submission that's going to come into effect from the 1st of July 2024.
And we need to lodge this with the Essential Services Commission by September. After we hand in our submission, the Essential Services Commission will assess our proposals across prices, services, our planned expenses and other areas that it covers.
Ivy Jensen
So what sort of things will the Essential Services Commission look at in our submission?
Kate Biglin
Essentially, they're looking to ensure that it's fair.
They determine whether the prices that we're asking are reflective of the level of service that we are proposing. So they want to see that we're doing all we can to ensure customers are getting value for money, but also that customers have had the opportunity to shape the submission and that their needs are reflected in the submission. So I guess to that end, that's why we're engaging with customers now and have been and will continue for some time on the Pricing Submission.
We're trying to do that in a number of ways and it'll take us through right up to September when we launch it and talking with different customer groups about their needs to make sure it's represented in what we put forward. Yeah, so GMW It's already done quite a lot for the past couple of years to get to where we are now.
Ivy Jensen
Can you tell me some of the ways that we've engaged with customers for this Pricing Submission?
Kate Biglin
Yeah, sure. So we started talking with our customers back in 2021 and throughout 2022 when we've worked with different customer groups to develop Service Plans. Service Plans have helped outline our future direction for our services and allow us to understand what our customer's priorities are.
We've just received so much great feedback through that process, through surveys, focus groups, we've had workshops. We've also worked extensively with our Water services committees and they have been invaluable in helping us determine what customers want to talk about and also as representatives of our customers in the different geographic areas, they really help us refine our approach to going out and getting information.
And I guess doing that over 2021-22, that's during the time of COVID. We've managed to do a lot of that online as well. So that's been a big challenge, I guess. It's been amazing, really, the change that's happened, the pandemic really changed how people want to engage with organized nations. So there's still, I think, quite a desire to have in-person meetings, but there's been this huge shift to people embracing online engagement.
And I think that's a really great step forward in terms of making things more accessible and equitable for everybody. Online means that people can access the information any time they get the same information in the same set of questions. It doesn't matter if you run a business or you have a young family. It's there whenever you can make the space to have a say.
Ivy Jensen
So how are we currently engaging with customers?
Kate Biglin
So as we launched our new look website last month and with that, we have completely upgraded our online engagement platform. There are lots of topics already on the website to have a say on things filling those out plans, the capital maintenance and expenses. There's a chance to have some discussion about a proposal for customer service point hibernation and of course there's information about our service standards and an opportunity to have a say on what level of service customers want from GMW in various respects.
So I encourage everyone to go and have a look at that on our website. It's the Your Say at GMW page. There's a couple of ways to get to that. If you're on a desktop computer, there's a link to it sort of right on the top of the home page, it’s one of the first things you can see and it's also under the About Us section, if you're looking a little bit deeper. We know at least half of our website users are on mobile or tablets, they say, so they will see it immediately on the front page that comes up for them under the latest news section.
Ivy Jensen
And I know from the Water Services Committees, there is a strong preference towards online engagement, yet it's still important to get out and about and be speaking to customers in person, isn't it?
Kate Biglin
Yeah, definitely. I think there's still a real mix in terms of what people prefer, but also not everyone has the same access to Internet. We have obviously a big rural area, so it's not as simple as everyone being able to access things online.
We also encourage anyone who would prefer to ring our customer service centres or to drop into one of our offices will have staff members who can help capture their views on the Pricing Submission or any other issue. And also we can help completely online questions in person if that's preferred. But as well as that, it's obviously not about being completely online.
We have lots of in-person engagement opportunities coming up, so if the online platform doesn't suit you, there's still plenty of chances to have your say.
Ivy Jensen
Yes. So what are some of the engagements opportunities coming up where people can have their say?
Kate Biglin
We are holding Drop-In Sessions at some of our offices where people can ask staff about certain topics and get a deeper understanding of the issues.
We also have staff at various events; so for example, will be set up at the Seymour Field Days from March 31 to April 2. This is great. It's a great chance for us to get out and speak to people about the Pricing Submission. But also we know a lot of our customers will be at that event and so very much hoping that they'll use that as an opportunity to talk to us about their views.
We'll also be in different public locations in coming months. So you might see Goulburn Murray Water staff set up the local bakery or your local farm supply store asking for feedback on the Pricing Submission. These different engagement opportunities will be publicised on our website and we'll also be getting in touch with customers via text and email to make sure that people know where things are and what's happening.
Ivy Jensen
Yeah, that's great. So I guess something people will want to know is what happens to all this input that you're getting from customers. So how will all this feedback influence the Pricing Submission?
Kate Biglin
Look, the whole point of asking our customers for their opinions is to influence what we put in the Pricing Submission. In fact, the feedback from our service plans has been instrumental in determining what we're even asking customers regarding the Pricing Submission.
So we're asking customers for their input because we genuinely want to hear what they have to say. Customer feedback is just vital. It helps us ensure we're providing the best service we possibly can for those who are paying for it.
Ivy Jensen
Yeah, great. Thank you so much for speaking to me, Kate. Was there anything else you'd like to add?
Kate Biglin
If I could, I just would like to acknowledge, I guess, the incredible pressure on everyone's time. I know we're asking for a slice of that. Yeah, and life is busy, and it can seem that every organization wants your feedback these days. Our customers, they work hard. They run businesses that have young families or other caring responsibilities, and they have communities that they give a lot of time to support.
So on behalf of GMW, I would like to say how much we appreciate any customer taking some of their time to attend a meeting or give us a call or go online and have a say. I really thank everyone who has contributed already through the service plans or through. We had a recent customer satisfaction survey that reached over 1200 customers.
And I'd also like to thank everyone who, between now and September, is going to make some time to have a say on the Pricing Submission. The more people we hear from, the better our services will be in delivering what our customers want and need.