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2020 Customer Conversations Recap
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Three virtual Customer Conversations meetings were held on different days in November of 2020 to solicit customer feedback regarding planned changes to the utility's outdoor watering recommendations. Staff also sought input on a new landscape care guide being developed by the Water Authority's Conservation section. Ninety-two customers in total participated in the meetings, which were conducted in an online Zoom format due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings. Participants who remained for an entire meeting and completed post-event evaluation forms were each given a $25 Grubhub gift card and entered in a raffle for conservation-related prizes.
Content for the Customer Conversations meetings, each of which was 90 minutes in duration, was developed in consultation with the utility's Technical Customer Advisory Committee. It included video presentations, interactive polls, and moderated breakout discussions. A complete outcomes report, prepared by the contractor who coordinated the meetings' online components and registration process, is available in the supporting documents to this agenda item. Chief takeaways regarding watering recommendations and landscape guides include: the need to keep programs and as simple and straightforward as possible; the need for sensitivity regarding the costs of landscape conversions and "smart" technology; and the importance of readability and simplicity in charts, publications and guides.
Some meeting metrics, briefly noted:
- Customers from all four city quadrants participated in the meetings (NW 21%, NE 36%, SW 16%, SE 27%)
- The no-show rate among registrants was 56%
- 75% of participants were under the age of 65 (45% under the age of 55)
- Participant evaluations were overwhelmingly positive, with 87% strongly agreeing that their time had been well spent; 95% strongly agreeing that they felt their input was valued; and 91% strongly agreeing that they would participate in fut...
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