Meet the Teams: Customer Journey and Customer Success

From dispatching engineers to enhancing the customer experience, our Customer Journey and Customer Success Teams play a pivotal role in keeping everything running smoothly at Cappagh Browne. Natalie Masters, Customer Success Manager, compares the teams’ roles to a complex board game:

“We’re the only team with a full view of all the incoming work and follow-ups that need action. It’s all about logistics; like moving pieces on a board, ensuring everything is in the right place at the right time.”

The Customer Journey Team is the operational nerve centre of Cappagh Browne, expertly coordinating tasks to ensure resources are allocated effectively, deadlines are met, and customers stay informed throughout the process. Their work ensures that everything flows seamlessly, no matter the complexity of the job.

Meanwhile, the Customer Success Team acts as the bridge between the business and the customers, ensuring that every interaction results in a positive and lasting impression. They are committed to understanding each customer’s needs and making sure they feel heard, valued, and supported.

But who are the people driving these essential operations, and how do they tackle the challenges they encounter daily? In this series, we’ll hear directly from the team as they share their insights and experiences.

Customer Journey: Orchestrating the Day-to-Day

Deanne, one of two team leaders responsible for dispatching jobs to engineers, describes her role with a mixture of pride and dedication.

“Our job begins when customers contact Southern Water to report an issue; and then the baton passes to us,” she says.

The team uses a combination of technology, experience, and teamwork to ensure that every task is handled efficiently. The team also uses real-time tracking systems and communication tools to keep operations moving.

“Microsoft Teams is really active,” Deanne explains, “the information flow never stops”.

Deanne continues “We prioritise jobs based on urgency. We have a specific time limit to get them out, meeting Service Level Agreements, which we’re very successful at doing, we are currently attending 99% of jobs within the required timescales.”

The team uses a clear system of categories to manage this:

● Category 1 (P1): The highest priority jobs, covering pollution or foul water in a customer’s property. These need to be addressed immediately due to the potential impact on the customer’s home and health.

● P2A: These jobs involve checking sensors in the sewer network or other equipment to monitor for potential problems and are vital for ensuring the health of the network.

● Category 2 (P2): The next level down, focusing on issues like flooding in public spaces or gardens.

● Category 3 (P3): Non-priority jobs, such as blockages that aren’t causing immediate harm or disruption, are categorised as P3. These jobs are still essential but can be scheduled for later attention.

This structured system allows the dispatchers to allocate resources efficiently, making sure the most urgent tasks are handled first.

Around The Clock

The Customer Journey Team operates on a 24-hour shift pattern, ensuring that jobs are managed around the clock.

“We have three dispatchers per county,”

Deanne explains, covering Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, and Sussex. The team leaders and seniors provide additional support to guide the dispatchers and keep operations running smoothly.

Working around the clock, the team can respond to unexpected issues at any time of day or night. Whether it’s during peak hours or overnight, the dispatchers monitor jobs that require second visits, ensuring that no task falls through the cracks.

“If a job comes back due to no access or a problem, we keep an eye on it and try to get it back out as soon as possible,” Deanne adds.

The Customer Success Team: Bridging the Gap with Customers

Once the Customer Journey Team has completed their work, the baton is passed to the Customer Success Team. Linda, who leads this team, explains their role:

“Our job is to contact customers once all the work has been done, gather feedback, and address any concerns.”

This proactive approach goes beyond just closing jobs – it’s about building trust, enhancing communication, and ensuring that every customer interaction reflects Cappagh Browne’s dedication to service.

Linda highlights that much of their work revolves around improving customer satisfaction, often turning negative experiences into positive ones.

“Often, it’s simple things like communication. Perhaps they haven’t been updated, or they didn’t see the crew,” Linda explains.

The team understands that clear and timely communication is key to customer happiness. This attention to detail allows them to improve customer satisfaction significantly, sometimes transforming a low score into a high one through timely follow-ups and transparent updates.

In addition to day-to-day customer interactions, the team plays a vital role in maintaining Cappagh Browne’s CMEX (Customer Measure of Experience) score, a benchmark for customer satisfaction within the industry.

“We calculate daily average scores from the data. On average, we’re always around nine,” Linda shares.

This consistent performance demonstrates their impact on both individual customer experiences and broader company metrics.

Navigating the Challenges of COVID-19

When discussing significant challenges, the unanimous response from our interviewees was COVID-19. The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges, but both the Customer Journey and Customer Success teams at Cappagh Browne rose to the occasion. With lockdowns in place, the teams had to quickly adapt to remote working while ensuring that essential services continued without interruption.

Natalie recalls the frantic first days of the pandemic:

“We were considered frontline workers during COVID. Only the team leaders had laptops, so we had to scramble to get everyone setup for remote work. It took about a week to sort that out, but we made it work.”

Deanne adds,

“We really adapted overnight, using WhatsApp groups to communicate in real time. We quickly got people set up at home with full systems access to dispatch jobs and take calls. Everything was new.”

Natalie recalls,

“At first, work slowed down as we weren’t sure if the crew would be allowed out, so we closely monitored the news. Initially, we focused solely on P1s and P2s. Over time, we found our rhythm. We stayed home throughout the pandemic and for a year afterwards. The real challenge came when we had to onboard and train new starters remotely, which was a completely different experience for us.”

Despite the initial challenges, the transition back to the office was smooth.

“It was tough for some because many had moved further from the office, but we managed to field people out to other parts of the business, so we didn’t lose anyone,” Natalie explains.

The experience strengthened the team’s resilience and underscores their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

An Agile and Innovative Organisation

Cappagh Browne’s success goes beyond simply maintaining operations—it’s rooted in a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. The teams are always exploring new ways to streamline workflows and enhance the quality of their services. One such advancement is the implementation of predictive modelling technology, which leverages eight years of historical workload data and weather patterns. This innovative system enables the Customer Team to anticipate surges in work, particularly during periods of wet weather, and plan ahead. As Natalie explains,

“Now we’re much more prepared. We bring in more people to do overtime, and everyone knows what they’re doing.”

Natalie also discussed a new shift pattern the team is testing to reduce handovers and streamline workflow. The revised rota involves working two 12-hour days, followed by two 12-hour nights, and then have four days off. This structure, similar to hospital shift management, minimises disruptions and ensures smoother operations, keeping everything running seamlessly around the clock.

A Unique Place to Work

At Cappagh Browne, the Customer Journey and Customer Success teams aren’t just colleagues – they’re a family. They support one another through challenges, celebrate successes together, and share a strong sense of camaraderie that fuels their collective drive to excel. From managing complex logistics to maintaining high customer satisfaction, their collaboration ensures Cappagh Browne stays at the forefront of the industry.