MVWD Board Hears Presentation On The Power Of Good PR

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

What value does the public place on a glass of tap water delivered to the home? Chances are it is not enough. And the blame for this is mainly a lack of public relations efforts by water utilities.

That was the message in a presentation given to the Moapa Valley Water District board of trustees at a meeting held Thursday, March 8. The presentation, entitled “Why Boards Need to Support Public Relations” was made by Teresa Taylor of the Nevada Rural Water Association.

According to Taylor the problem stems from the perception that tap water is somehow lagging in value. She pointed out that the bottled water industry has been gaining market share over the past 30 years by downgrading the public’s perception of the quality of utility water service.

“Early on, when soft drink companies started to sell bottled water, people thought they were crazy,” Taylor said. “There was no demand for it. But they lived by that old adage of ‘When you don’t have a market, you should create one.’ They manufactured a demand through focused ad campaigns that first aimed to scare people about the quality of their tap water, then seduced them with promises of using their bottled product and finally misled them about the virtues of that product.”

This worked to sell people an expensive bottled product that, in reality, was no better than what was being delivered to their tap, Taylor said. She cited a statistic that the average household spending on bottled water last year was $719, compared to only $600 that people spent on tap water.
“That is unconscionable!” Taylor said. “It should not have ever happened. We, the water utilities, provide an incredible value. We don’t have to scare, seduce or mislead people. We just have to get the word out there about it.”

Taylor added that utilities; especially those in rural areas; need to to convey a more positive message regarding the services they provide. To illustrate, she cited nationwide statistics showing that the average amount spent in the U.S. on water service per capita is only 66 cents per day.

“That is a pretty small amount when you think about the return that you get on that investment,” Taylor said. “It means that you don’t have to haul water from a far away source to your house. You don’t have to ever empty a chamber pot or use an outhouse. So it’s a pretty great value.”

Taylor then made some comparisons. Americans currently pay a per capita average of 88 cents per day on natural gas services, $1.40 per day on electricity, $2.30 per day on cell phone service and $2.63 on gourmet coffee drinks.
“Given its importance, why is water at the bottom of this list?” Taylor asked.

It is because of a perceived low value attached by the public to water service, she said. “We need to somehow communicate that value to customers,” she added.

Taylor said that rural utility board members are sometimes afraid to advocate for the district because of the negative reaction that they get from customers. So they tend to operate on the defensive about the utility’s water service, she said.

But that should change, Taylor added. “Yours is the most important, essential service out there,” she said. “But if you don’t believe it, neither will your customers. You should never be apologetic about the rates you need to charge for that necessary service.”

Nevertheless, Taylor pointed out that what the industry perceives as value may not be the same thing as what the public sees as value.
“Sometimes utilities speak in terms of all of the additional infrastructure they are providing, or what they are doing to explore for more resources,” Taylor said. They trumpet those things in trying to communicate value. But that doesn’t always translate over well to the public.”

From the customers’ perspective, added value comes from smaller things that can be done to simply garner good will, Taylor said. This could include things like being involved in the community: sponsoring contests at schools, holding customer appreciation days, sponsoring youth groups etc. It also comes in providing excellent customer service, Taylor said.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive,” Taylor said. “But it is just reflecting the pride of your product in every interaction that you have with your customers.”

Taylor added that the utility should be actively working to develop the good will of their customer base long before problems or setbacks occur. Then when those things do occur, the public will more likely align itself with the utility.

She gave several examples of problems that could arise. As she showed a photo of a segment of I-15 near Glendale that was destroyed by a flood in 2014, she pointed out that these problems might include natural disasters wiping out a vital portion of utility infrastructure. As she showed another photo of the aging Arrow Canyon well above Warm Springs area, Taylor said that setbacks might include issues regarding the community’s water supply and aging infrastructure. These things tend to cause upward pressure on water rates, she said.

“People will be more understanding of rate increases when they have positive general feelings about the overall good value that the utility provides to the community,” Taylor said.

MVWD General Manager Joe Davis agreed that the district might do more to convey the value of service to customers.
“Let’s face it, people tend to dwell on the negative,” Davis said. “No matter how many positive messsages you send out there, there is always a ‘yeah, but…’ response. So it is important to keep that positive messaging flowing to create that reservoir of good will with our customers.”