6533b858fe1ef96bd12b624d
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Assessing the quality of service to customers provided by water utilities: A synthetic index approach
Trinidad GómezRafael CaballeroMaría Molinos-senanteRamón Sala-garridosubject
Service qualityIndex (economics)Ecologybusiness.industryQuality of servicemedia_common.quotation_subject0208 environmental biotechnologyEnvironmental resource managementGeneral Decision SciencesSample (statistics)02 engineering and technology010501 environmental sciencesEnvironmental economics01 natural sciences020801 environmental engineeringBenchmark (surveying)Data envelopment analysisQuality (business)Performance indicatorBusinessEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematics0105 earth and related environmental sciencesmedia_commondescription
Abstract Currently, water and sewer companies face the challenge of improving their quality of service to customers (QSC). Performance indicators are essential to monitor and benchmark the QSC of water companies; however, individual indicators do not provide a holistic evaluation of the quality of water and sewer services provided to customers. This study proposes an innovative QSC index based on distance-function techniques that makes it possible to compare changes in the QSC of water companies among locations and temporal periods. A case study assesses changes in QSC for a sample of Chilean water and sewer companies from 2007 to 2014. The results show that in spite of the efforts made by the water regulator, QSC has remained almost constant over a number of years, with 2010 having the best performance. The methodology proposed in this study is useful for water regulators to benchmark water companies when developing policies that prompt QSC improvements.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-07-01 | Ecological Indicators |