Transforming Digital Experience in the UK Water Industry

In our latest Mediaworks webinar, focussing on the UK Water Industry following the release of our Water White Paper https://www.mediaworks.co.uk/water-pulse-report, we explored how digital innovation can help water companies rebuild trust, enhance customer experience, and meet rising regulatory and sustainability pressures.

Hosted by Paul Mallett (Managing Partner, Mediaworks), with insights from Dan Hoggan (CTO), Andy Blenkinsop (CSO), and guest contributor Andy Hunter (Stripe), the session unpacked the challenges facing water companies today and the digital strategies that can make the biggest difference.

Here are the key takeaways for marketing and digital leaders within the sector.

1. Rising Expectations and Regulatory Pressures

The water industry has never been under greater scrutiny - from regulators, government, media, and customers. With bills increasing and over £100bn of sector investment planned, transparency and trust are paramount.

• Customers expect clear, consistent communication on progress, not just outcomes.

• Regulatory reporting shouldn’t be treated as compliance alone - it’s a chance to build trust through openness.

• Storytelling matters: framing data in customer-friendly language helps humanise progress.

For marketers, this means shifting digital channels from static information hubs into active tools for trust-building and reputation management.

2. Climate Resilience and Behaviour Change

Climate pressures are intensifying: droughts, flooding, and water shortages are no longer distant threats, but present-day challenges. With an estimated 5 billion litre daily shortfall projected in 30 years, water companies must act now.

The opportunity lies in using digital to:

• Showcase the unseen work behind water quality and infrastructure.

• Educate customers on the value of water and why investment matters.

• Drive behavioural change through campaigns on leakage reduction, water-saving, and sustainable usage.

Communications that combine data, storytelling, and human impact can make water,  often taken for granted, feel both precious and relevant.

3. Meeting Consumer-Driven Digital Standards

Customers compare every service interaction to their best digital experiences elsewhere - whether that’s Amazon’s immediacy, Uber’s transparency, or Octopus Energy’s gamification of usage.

For water companies, this raises expectations around:

• Mobile-first self-service portals – empowering customers to manage accounts, payments, and incidents seamlessly.

• Personalisation – reducing effort by tailoring communication and guidance to customer needs.

• Omnichannel integration – ensuring consistency across web, apps, and customer service, avoiding fragmented logins and disjointed experiences.

The goal: make engagement with water services feel as effortless and intuitive as leading consumer brands.

4. Smarter Payments and Debt Management

Guest speaker Andy Hunter from Stripe highlighted how modern payment platforms can transform both customer experience and financial resilience:

• Offering multiple, preferred payment methods to reduce friction.

• Using AI-driven signals to predict missed payments and intervene early.

• Automating refunds, credits, and compensation for faster resolution.

• Simplifying checkouts to improve CMEX scores and reduce customer frustration.

In a sector managing over £4bn in customer debt, rethinking digital payments isn’t just efficiency — it’s a customer trust and retention strategy.

5. Measuring Digital Impact: The MMex Score

Mediaworks introduced the MMex score, a new metric assessing how digital performance links to customer outcomes like CMEX. It evaluates:

• Visibility – how findable a company is for key searches.

• Engagement – social following relative to customer base.

• Accessibility – site performance for all users.

• Helpfulness – whether customers find answers with you or competitors.

• Influence – impact on per capita consumption.

• Sentiment – the balance of online positivity vs negativity.

The insight? Even top-performing water companies have weaknesses, and digital excellence can directly support better CX, stronger CMEX, and more efficient behaviour change campaigns.

Final Word

The water industry faces a perfect storm of rising expectations, environmental pressures, and regulatory scrutiny. But digital isn’t just a channel for compliance - it’s a strategic lever for improving customer experience, driving trust, and supporting sustainability goals.

Water companies that embrace personalisation, transparency, and smart digital services will not only improve CMEX but also strengthen long-term customer relationships.

👉 To understand how your organisation scores, Mediaworks is offering a free MMex digital audit to benchmark performance and uncover opportunities for improvement.

To get yours, simply email paul.mallett@mediaworks.co.uk