Gas distribution network operator Wales & West Utilities, which has a base at Celtic Springs, Newport, has been awarded two first prizes in industry specialist awards for customer care and IT initiative of the year.

The business, which operates throughout Wales and the south west of England, won two Utility Week Achievement awards for demonstrating world class levels of customer service and great innovation in the two business areas.

The customer care award also recognised the excellent levels of training that Wales & West Utilities employees receive, particularly arts-based customer service training where, working with partners, issues are brought to life in a creative and interesting way, so that employees really get the most out of the training sessions.

Wales & West Utilities has also developed a smart-phone app that allows their field-based employees to capture customer feedback on services as they receive them, while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

IT innovation helped secure an award, with the company developing a gas industry first end-to-end online quotation system for people applying for new gas connections. Customers are able to make their application online 24 hours a day, working through the application to choose the type of connection they want, make payment for it and then select their preferred date for the new gas connection to be installed. This offers customers more choice and speeds up the application process overall.

Wales & West Utilities director of business services Mark Oliver said: “The Utility Week Achievement Customer Care and IT Awards have recognised our efforts and performance in delivering excellence in customer service; something that is central to our business priorities and values. It is fantastic that across the wider UK utility sector our consistent performance has once again been recognised.

“We are very proud to have won these awards and feel that is it important to let our customers know how their gas services rank alongside other utility services. It is important for the people to whose homes and businesses we deliver gas to know that they can rely on us to deliver world class customer service standards.

"More than 7.5 million people rely on us to deliver gas for heating homes and powering businesses in Wales and the south west of England. Our dedicated team manages a network of over 35,000 kilometres of gas pipes to make sure we provide a safe and reliable gas supply 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We deal with more than 2,000 reported gas leaks a week and more than 1,000 calls a year where evidence of carbon monoxide is found."