AWWA JAW62003

A water utility's field service and customer service areas are both critical to customer satisfaction. Though they share certain processes and a common goal of serving the customer, communication between the two groups can often be lacking, a fact that does not go unnoticed by the customer. This article offers suggestions for bringing these two groups together by detailing the experiences of American Water, the largest water utility in the United States, which launched a knowledge-sharing program in July 2004. Examples of successful practices include holding knowledge-sharing conferences, working side-by-side, and creating interaction maps to foster a mutual understanding of each other and to consider ways to enhance shared processes. Includes figure.