Transforming a portfolio of water services with contemporary service design

The challenge

​A Victorian water authority sought to redesign 13 customer-facing services across their land development and connections operations to improve quality and performance.

 

Hypereal were asked to assist after years of unsuccessful efforts by the authority failed to improve services, and left staff sceptical and disempowered.

 

​Our initial review of the organisation identified clear symptoms of significant systemic issues.

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• Staff dissatisfaction due to uneven workloads, reliance on manual processes, and siloed expertise.

• Inconsistent delivery against service standards caused by process bottlenecks and reactive operating models.

• Customer dissatisfaction stemming from limited self-service options, complex content, and service delays.

 

Our solution

We recognised that these deep-rooted issues called for a holistic approach, supported by systematic research and design methods, to deliver an effective and lasting transformation for customers and employees. 

 

Our goal was to reimagine and modernise the services to be intuitive, efficient, and scalable, ensuring that the water authority could meet future demand and regulatory changes.​

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​​​The process

We adopted a human-centred design approach, ensuring users were at the heart of every solution.

 

Given the complexity of the services, a co-design strategy was essential. The project progressed through iterative cycles, allowing for continuous feedback and refinement.

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Our methods included:

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• Service mapping

• ​Process and guidelines review

• ​Digital service design

• ​​System configuration

• ​Training and knowledge management

• Performance reporting

• ​Content strategy

• ​Communication and change management

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​We delivered ...

We comprehensively redesigned 13 services to enhance accessibility, streamline processes, and improve communication.

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Key achievements included digitised forms, updated website pages, clear correspondence, and dashboards for better task and project management.

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A new contractor accreditation process further strengthened operations, creating a more efficient, customer-focused service model.

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The results 

​​This project comprehensively transformed the services and ensured sustainable improvements for all stakeholders.​

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​Improved employee experience: staff satisfaction was addressed by automating processes, distributing workloads more evenly, and equipping teams with the tools and training needed to perform effectively.

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Enhanced customer experience: customers experienced greater ease of access, reduced delays, and improved self-service options, leading to higher satisfaction.

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Contemporary service delivery models: integrating digital tools, automation, and modern processes has improved efficiency, reliability, and risk management across services.

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Performance to obligations: service delivery consistency improved through robust reporting and system integration for all services.​​​​