How Businesses can Benefit from the Open Water Market
If you are running a business, you may be aware that the water market is now open to competition. This means that businesses can choose who their water supplier is and decide to switch if they think they can get better services or tariffs with another supplier.
While the market has been open in Scotland since 2008, it’s only since 2017 that businesses in England can change supplier. A fairly recent change which not all business owners are aware of.
While water may seem like an area of business that can’t be improved upon, this couldn’t be further from the truth as retailers now offer an array of services to better serve businesses. In this short post, we’ll explain the main benefits of shopping around water retailers.
Better Value for Money
How your business benefits from being in an open market will of course depend on your requirements, but being in a competitive market will certainly mean that you can get better value for money for water services.
Not only are you in a position to shop around to see if a retailer can offer you a better tariff, but retailers have now a greater incentive to offer you better services to help you with water efficiency and wastewater management, allowing you in turn to lower your bills.
For example, businesses that switch to Castle Water find that they can save up to 20% on their bills. To find out more about switching, visit https://www.castlewater.co.uk/services/business-water/switch.
Improved Customer Service
A competitive market not only creates opportunities for lower tariffs, but water retailers usually don’t rely on price alone to get new customers. Offering high standards of customer service is also a way for retailers to retain their customers since the open market means that businesses could leave their current retailers if they’re not satisfied with the services provided.
This means that businesses can receive better customer support, whether that’s for negotiating water and wastewater services or ensuring that the retailer can make it as easy as possible for you to keep track of bills or get help when needed. Nowadays, most retailers offer support via phone, email and live chat, so it’s easier than ever to get hold of someone when you need it.
Some of the operations your retailer should be able to help you with include:
- Moving in/out of premises
- Switching from your previous retailer
- Setting up new connections
- Set up electronic billing
Don’t hesitate to ask questions before you choose your retailer to ensure that these are the type of actions they can help you with.
Services Tailored to Your Needs
The open water market has driven retailers to emphasize their USPs and ensure they can offer something unique to the business. No more one-size-fits-all solution! Retailers can now offer tailored services that will suit the unique needs of your business, which can encompass an array of solutions such as:
- Water & wastewater management
- Automated Meter Reading devices
- Smart meters
- Leak detection
- Water contingency planning
- Consolidated billing
Some retailers also offer other related services such as energy deals, which can make it easier for businesses and save them from having to deal with several companies.
All in all, your business can immensely benefit from the open water market as the competition now gives you access to more resources and advice to use water more efficiently, find ways to reduce water consumption and lower bills, have access to additional services to suit your unique needs and enjoy improved customer support and service.
To find out more about the water market and the industry, you can visit the Open Water website. For more business news and advice, head over to the business category of our site.