Our Stakeholder Engagement Team who ensure stakeholders and customers have their voices heard, acted upon and properly measured, has scooped a major award for their efforts.
The team received the Utility Week Awards 2017 title of “Customer Facing Team of the Year” at a glittering London ceremony earlier this month.
They received their award – one of the top prizes of the utility industry – from television and film star Joanna Lumley at the Grosvenor House Hotel in the capital’s Park Lane.
The 12-strong team impressed the judges with a submission that showed how their engagement and communication efforts have benefitted both the business and customers, helped the business work more efficiently and strengthened links with a range of stakeholders at a key time in the industry’s evolution.
The team, which has representatives in each licence area, also showed how they work effectively as a unit, going above and beyond typical “business as usual” roles.
The team was created with the aim of ensuring a variety of voices are heard both inside and outside the business.
Their role involves the delivery of annual plans that match business aims and customer satisfaction strategies. They also measure the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement in terms of – among other things - improving efficiency, increasing output and customer satisfaction.
The Utility Week Award judges heard how the team has radically changed the way our business engages with stakeholders since its formation, with innovative strategies which have put stakeholder engagement at the heart of the business. Underpinned by a robust strategy the team brings together best practice from across the business and industry, ensures all areas of the business benefit from stakeholder input, governance, assurance, consistency of approach and supporting systems.
In the past year the team has overseen the introduction of Tractivity, which aids engagement planning and tracking, and helped raise our profile with a number of initiatives and partnerships which have also aided safety and customer service. The team were recognised for their model, how it is embedded into the business, combined with strong governance and recognition for their matrix of panels; creating portals for true stakeholder voice, and driving demonstrable change within the business to deliver a service that those impacted by our service both want and need.
Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Tracy Joyce said the team’s passion and dedication had overcome geographical obstacles and resulted in highly successful engagement.
She added: “The success of this team is its commitment to its shared objectives. The team is incredibly driven and passionate about the role stakeholder engagement has in improving the business.
“Working across a significant geographic area and across a wide range of initiatives, demands the highest level of teamwork. These challenges, both geography and scope of work, are only overcome with a detailed and coordinated team effort.”