Premium
Setting the Stage for Change Through Effective Ongoing Utility Communications
Author(s) -
Smith Kelley Dearing,
Campbell James,
Snyder Karen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.5942/jawwa.2017.109.0091
Subject(s) - business , public relations , service (business) , water utility , value (mathematics) , marketing , capital (architecture) , water supply , political science , engineering , computer science , archaeology , machine learning , environmental engineering , history
Stakeholders shouldn't just hear from us when the news is bad or we need something. They need to hear from us routinely so they know who their water provider is, understand the value of the water services they enjoy, and have the opportunity to weigh in when big decisions are to be made. Establishing ongoing communication is not only the right thing to do since water service affects everyone's daily lives, but it also creates a relationship as well as an understanding that is critical since we will invariably need to go to our stakeholders when it's time to raise rates or when we need support for major capital improvement projects. This is the first of three articles planned by AWWA's Public Affairs Council on how to strategically communicate before, during, and after rate adjustment processes.