Service charter

DESCRIPTION

A service & customer charter is a covenant between a utility and a customer. It informs the customers about the practices of the utility and the services it provides. It also states the rights and obligations of the customers.¹

PURPOSE & LINK TO INTEGRITY

Service & customer charters transparently lay down both services offered by a utility as well as the duties of consumers.³ As such, they are a type of social contract that is valid for all customers. A service & customer charter creates awareness on the role of a utility, gives insights into its core activities, services offered and standards set, and also avenues for remedy where services fall short of standards. In this way, customers have a basis they can refer to when complaining about quality issues, high prices, violations of their rights and so on.¹ In some countries the regulator demands that a utility’s Board of Directors must ensure that a service charter is created and communicated to stakeholders and customers in the service area.²

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Is your organization aware of whom it is accountable to?
• Does your organization have standards in place and procedures for taking corrective action if these are not attained (See also tools Customer complaint management, Disconnection and reconnection procedures, Connection procedures)?

HOW TO

A service charter may contain the following:³

• Specific service standards, such as continuity of supply, water quality, interval of taking water samples, pressure
• Information on prices, if available
• A procedure for handling complaints
• Procedures for new connections
• Information on customers’ rights
• Information on customers’ duties (such as paying bills, water metering, and providing access to meter controls)
• Information on sanctioning measures (such as surcharges, and conditions for disconnections and reconnections)
• Customer care phone numbers

KEY GUIDING DOCUMENTS

PPOA, 2010, The Service Charter, Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA), Kenya, http://www.ppoa.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=140, accessed 21.10.2015

WASREB, 2009, Corporate Governance Guidelines for the Water Services Sector, Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB), Kenya, http://waterfund.go.ke/toolkit/Downloads/4.%20Corporate%20Governance%20Guideline.pdf, accessed 07.12.2015

WASREB, 2013, Consumer Engagement Guideline (final draft), Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB), Kenya, Download Consumer Engagement Guideline, accessed 07.12.2015

TARGETED EXAMPLES

Regulator imposes service charters on utilities in Kenya²

Target group: Utilities

Location: Kenya

In Kenya, the regulator demands that a utility’s Board of Directors must ensure that a service charter is created and that it is communicated to stakeholders and consumers in the service area. The service charter should include the standards of service to be delivered and how complaints will be addressed.

FURTHER  READINGS

City of Cape Town Water and Sanitation Department, no year, Customer service charter, City of Cape Town Water and Sanitation Department, South Africa

ERAWA, 2011, Water customer service charter guidelines, Economic Regulation Authority Western Australia (ERAWA), Australia

NWSC, no year, Customer Charter NWSC, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Uganda

South-East Water, 2013, South East Water Customer Charter – Your rights explained, South-East Water, Melbourne, Australia

NWASCO, no year, Service Level Agreements and Guarantees, National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO), Zambia

FULL REFERENCES

1. PPOA, 2010, The Service Charter, Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA), Kenya, http://www.ppoa.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=140, accessed 21.10.2015
2. WASREB, 2009, Corporate Governance Guidelines for the Water Services Sector, Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB), Kenya, http://waterfund.go.ke/toolkit/Downloads/4.%20Corporate%20Governance%20Guideline.pdf, accessed 07.12.2015
3. WASREB, 2013, Consumer Engagement Guideline (final draft), Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB), Kenya, Download Consumer Engagement Guideline, accessed 07.12.2015