Water Sector Service Innovation: What, Where and Who?
Journal Title: International Journal of Environment and Climate Change - Year 2016, Vol 6, Issue 3
Abstract
Aims: Changes in water law and policy, in the UK and further afield, are promoting social and service innovation, as well as technical innovation in the water sector. In particular, the separation of wholesale and retail water and sewerage services for English and Welsh commercial water systems customers is leading to a focus on service innovation. But what do we mean by 'service innovation'? To whom does it apply and how do these parties interpret it? To answer these questions, this paper presents the findings of recent interviews undertaken by and case studies presented to the Water Efficiency (WATEF) Network Service Innovation Technical Committee. Study Design: The paper explores definitions and interpretations of service innovation (SI) and discusses case studies where SI is already being realised in the water sector. Methodology: The study was conducted using interviews and case studies. Results: A tree-branch model of SI is proposed, emphasising the placement of the customer as the focus of SI. A revised definition of SI was also provided to assist water service providers in enhancing the services provided to their customers. Conclusion: The study revealed that the water sector offers scope for improvement in fundamental business services. These include billing, customer relations, communication (information services) and data provision and visualisation.
Authors and Affiliations
Sarah Ward, Steve Brown, Aaron Burton, Kemi Adeyeye, Noel Mannion, Siraj Tahir, Craig Gordon, George Chen
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP350440
- DOI 10.9734/BJECC/2016/23730
- Views 130
- Downloads 0
Differential Impacts of Climate on Tree Rings across a Topographic Gradient
In 2012 and 2013 annual tree rings were measured in two co-occurring, yet contrasting tree species, the mesic red oak (Quercus rubra) and the more xeric chestnut oak (Quercus montana) across a topographic gradient to acc...
Energy Performance and Improvement Potentials for Selected Heritage Building Adaptation in England
Public heritage buildings (PHBs) were evaluated with the aim to determine their operational energy performance and the objectives of identifying improvement potentials for their long term sustainable reuse. Six listed ch...
Analyzing the Role of Poor and Developing Nations in Global Climate Agreements
Increasingly, countries are gathering to address concerns surrounding climate change. The 2015 United Nations Conference of Parties, COP21, saw the emergence of a landmark agreement for collective global action. The tagl...
Seasonally Separated Logistic Models to Assess the Impact of Climate Variables on Occurrence of Rainfall over the Bagmati River Basin of Nepal
Aims: This paper aims to develop prediction models for forecasting rainfall occurrence over the Bagmati river basin of Nepal based upon climate related predictor variables. Study Design: Time series design with statistic...
Influence of Environmental Factors on Activities of Bacterial Population Associated With Rhizospheric Soil of Wheat Crop
Aim: To study the effect of environmental factors on the activities of soil microbial population in the rhizospheric soil of wheat crop. Study Design: An agroclimatic study was carried out to study the effect of environ...