J.D. Power: Customer satisfaction with water utilities sees decline

The six-year streak of improving or flat customer satisfaction with residential water utilities has come to an end. According to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, recently released, the past several years of goodwill earned through investment in water quality, proactive customer communications and digital customer service channels have been washed away by a significant increase in monthly bills.

“The timing couldn’t be worse,” said Andrew Heath, senior director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. “The rate relief efforts put in place during the pandemic have come to an end just as the forces of inflation have driven a significant increase in the monthly bills of residential customers. Customer satisfaction has declined in every factor of the study, as the average monthly water utility bill in the U.S. is now up $5.73 from 2020—without a corresponding increase in consumption. Utilities looking to combat this negative sentiment really need to get serious about proactive customer communications and customer service.”