EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: H2O Global News’ Natasha Posnett spoke with Switch Water Supplier Director and Founder, Graham Mann, about their online water tendering platform and how it could benefit businesses, saving them money and making them more sustainable and water efficient.
The retail water market is open for business. Businesses, charities and public sector organisations are free to choose who supplies their water. This freedom is wonderful and can help organisations to save money and become more sustainable and water efficient, however, the open water market can be a confusing place to navigate.
Switch Water Supplier has come up with a way to help. They have developed the first independent and impartial online platform to compare water retailers, supporting businesses to switch to the best water supplier for their operational needs. Switching water supplier has never been easier!
Where it all began
In 2017, the English water retail market was deregulated meaning that businesses, charities and public sector organisations were no longer restricted to buying water services from their local water authority. They suddenly had the freedom to choose from the whole water market; to seek competitive quotations, renegotiate existing water contracts and find the right water supplier for them. It became all about searching for the best combination of competitive pricing with additional value-added services.
Switch Water Supplier Director and Founder, Graham Mann, explained that during this time he saw the opportunity to create a new online platform to inform businesses of their choices: “I had been in the water industry for such a long time that, when deregulation was announced, I just felt like there was going to be a commercial opportunity.”
Sure enough, Mann was correct and Switch Water Supplier was born.
Tim Guest & Graham Mann Directors & Co Founders Switchwatersupplier.com
Why should you switch with Switch Water Supplier?
There are many benefits that can come with switching water supplier. Probably the most obviously one is reduced bills, and this is often the factor that gets businesses wanting to switch in the first place. Alongside that, you can also gain; improved value for money as water retailers look to provide value-added services, better standards of customer service due to the more competitive market, a supplier with greater expertise for your specific operational needs and increased access to help to become a more water efficient business.
Every business wants to benefit from these changes, but perhaps doesn’t know how to go about starting the process. Switch Water Supplier is the answer- it is the perfect tool to help businesses gain all these benefits in one easy and convenient place.
Mann said: “We think it’s the most significant innovation in the whole of the water industry and it’s completely unique.”
Water retailers agree with Mann and highlight the success and necessity of the Switch Water Supplier platform.
Water2busniess COO, Andy Coates said: “We have already seen great success from the Switch Water Supplier system and are very excited to be welcoming new customers to our ever growing customer base. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the team and to take part in more opportunities and promote engagement and water efficiency in the market.”
The Water Retail Company OBE, Jacob Tompkins said: “Switch Water Supplier is the first platform that enables multisite businesses to easily compare quotes and switch suppliers across the whole English and Scottish Market. As a retailer we find the site easy to use, but it also has the flexibility to allow retailers to add information on services like water efficiency and metering, which means bids are about best value rather than just lowest price. It is a major contribution to a good competitive water market.”
Can the environment benefit too?
Switch Water Supplier’s work doesn’t just focus on the customer. It is not only about finding the cheapest water supplier, it is about sustainability and water efficiency too. Opening up the water market has brought many benefits to the environment. It has promoted a more efficient use of water, reduced carbon emissions from cuts in water use and an increase in innovations and better use of technology have been seen.
Mann explains: “It’s all about the water efficiency and environmental sustainability- that’s the most important part. Sustainability has really taken hold in the UK and across the globe and needs to be focused on. When you subscribe to Switch Water Supplier it’s not just a case of buying the cheapest and leaving it at that- it is not just a switch and forget situation- it’s engaging with us for a number of years. We help our customers to become more water efficient; reduce their consumption, use water more efficiently through recycling, water conservation and leak detection and we’re seeing that customers really want to engage with water this. The platform is being driven by sustainability and we are finding that the average customer can reduce their water consumption by about 30-40%.”
The journey continues
The journey continues for Switch Water Supplier as they plan for the future.
Mann said: “We have all sorts of things going forward into the future. We are already on version 2 of the platform and we are working hard on making it more efficient, more aesthetically pleasing and with some added features. We’re using all the knowledge that we have gained over the decades and putting it into this new venture and its being received really well. It’s great to see.”
By having the freedom to choose and make the switch, businesses can spend less money and become more water efficient. Switch Water Supplier is working to make a real difference in the water world. Using their platform is a sustainable decision, one which not only benefits the customer, but the environment too.
Don’t let the fear of the unknow put you off switching water suppliers, Switch Water Supplier can help you get all the information you require! Make the switch and see the benefits.
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