Drinking water provision in the workplace blows hot and cold
14 November 2007

New research reveals the good and the not so good aspects of water cooler service provision.

A quarter of decision makers in facilities management are questioning the service they are receiving from their water cooler providers, with more than half saying that response to call outs are taking more than a day and up to a week.

The findings were revealed in the Premier water coolers’ Water Service Levels Quarterly Index study, conducted amongst some 250 key facilities personnel.

The study, the first of its kind, comes at a time when water coolers in the workplace are big business, with the sector worth some £200m.

Whilst the survey revealed the majority of facilities personnel (71%) interviewed are generally satisfied with their water cooler service, there are still significant areas for improvement. This concern was backed up by significant churn in the appointment of water dispenser providers, with 15% of facilities management having changed their suppliers between two and three times plus within the last five years.

The FMs revealed that the main service issues they experienced with their current suppliers were failure to carry our regular hygiene and sanitisation checks (16%); and poor response times to call outs relating to equipment breakdown. With regards to the latter issue, the study also revealed that whilst 37% of respondents said their service call had been dealt with within 24 hours, the response rate for more than half of all those interviewed (51%) was between 24 hours and a week. Other service issues highlighted were unreliable dispensers, water quality complaints and suppliers not meeting their service package promises.

Those who use bottled water had some unique customer service issues. Nearly half of facilities managers (49%) using bottled water said they had run out of water at least once over the last 12 months and more than one in five (22%) had run out of water more than once a quarter. For more than half of those FMs using bottled containers, water replenishment took between a day and week to take place. And nearly one in 10 revealed that it took over a week. This appears to go some way to explaining the Index’s finding that nearly three quarters (71%) of respondents have just mains fed only dispensers installed within their workplaces.

As regards the main drivers for choosing a mains-fed or bottled water service, in both cases health and safety, financial and service packages were seen as being of the highest importance. Less important across the two were the range of dispensers on offer from the supplier. The importance of the environment was significantly higher for those deciding on a mains-fed solution. Health and safety, whilst seen as important in the decision making process for both mains-fed and bottled water, it was much higher in the former.

Phil Langley, Managing Director of Premier water coolers, said: “We have launched this Index to benchmark and drive up quality service levels in the water cooler industry. Service is now a key issue in the sector, particularly as there are a number of new low cost entrants to the marketplace.

“The Index reveals that on the whole FMs appear to be content with their water provision but there are a number of areas that water suppliers can improve upon, particularly regular hygiene and sanitisation checks and response to call outs. Those using bottled water particularly need to address the frequency rate with which water runs out and the subsequent speed of water replenishment.”

“The intense competition, which exists between water cooler providers, will enable FMs to demand the highest levels of service. If service is not what they expect, there is an abundance of other providers eager to do business.”

Water Service Levels Index - main findings:

The Good:

• 71% always received a very good level of service
• 63% had not experienced any service problems
• 95% felt that the service package offered meets the needs and demands of their business
• 37% have their call outs attended to within 24 hours

• 26% received a varied level of service
• 51% said response to call outs taking more than a day
• water replenishment of bottled containers taking more than a day for 60% of customers
• failure to carry out regular hygiene and sanitisation checks is the biggest service issue (16%)
• nearly a quarter of employees (23%) in the companies of the FMs interviewed had complained either more than once a month or quarter.

Established in 2002, Premier water coolers iss one of the largest and fastest growing independent suppliers of mains fed water coolers in the UK. Premier suppliers a range of businesses and organisations, from government departments, hospitals and schools to blue chip and household name companies.

For more information:
Sarah Rice: sarah@jbp.co.uk
Laura Tallett: laura@jbp.co.uk
Chris Lawrance: chris@jbp.co.uk
JBP Public Relations
0117 907 3400
www.jbp.co.uk

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