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Sections:
- Summary of the organisation
- The challenges
- The solution
- The political engagement
- Ongoing stakeholder engagement
- Outcomes and results
- Lessons learned
Summary
Anglian Water, one of the largest water companies in the UK, provides essential water and water recycling services to more than six million people across the East of England. In a region where environmental sustainability and population growth are of increasing concern, the company has placed a strong focus on innovation and stakeholder engagement.
In today’s landscape, businesses need to ensure that their operations are not only efficient but also transparent, especially when engaging with communities, regulatory bodies, and other key stakeholders. This is where Anglian Water’s story becomes particularly interesting. Facing a multitude of challenges in managing its interactions with thousands of stakeholders, the company adopted Tractivity, a platform that has helped them streamline their communication, build trust, and manage stakeholder feedback effectively.
This blog explores Anglian Water’s strategic approach to stakeholder engagement and how the implementation of Tractivity has strengthened their efforts in communication and consultation.
The challenges
As a key player in one of the most vital public services, Anglian Water deals with a large and diverse group of stakeholders daily. These include local authorities, environmental groups, government agencies, members of parliament, and the general public.
They must engage with these groups for their ongoing operations and manage significant projects like the Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation (CWWTPR), which requires complex consultations and regulatory approvals.
One of their biggest challenges is maintaining open, consistent communication with such a varied audience while complying with statutory obligations. Anglian Water is regularly under public and regulatory scrutiny, meaning every engagement must be carefully tracked, transparent, and timely. Without a unified approach, managing these interactions can become overwhelming.
Furthermore, as the company continues to invest in long-term infrastructure, such as the construction of the Lincolnshire Reservoir and the Fens Reservoir, balancing environmental concerns with the practical needs of the water supply has become critical. Effective stakeholder engagement ensures that all voices are heard and considered, essential for project success and public support.
The solution: centralising stakeholder engagement
To overcome these challenges, Anglian Water needed a platform that could consolidate all stakeholder interactions in one place, making it easier to manage, report on, and respond to feedback.
After reviewing their requirements, they turned to Tractivity, a comprehensive solution that has helped them streamline both daily operations and project-specific engagement.
The key benefits of the system include:
- Centralised information management: Tractivity allows Anglian Water to store all stakeholder data and communications in one accessible location. This means that teams can easily retrieve previous interactions, ensuring consistency in their communications.
- Efficient feedback management: Collecting and tracking stakeholder feedback is crucial for ensuring that projects are informed by public opinion. Tractivity enables Anglian Water to efficiently capture feedback and respond quickly to concerns.
- Detailed reporting: The system provides in-depth reporting capabilities, helping Anglian Water to better understand the concerns and sentiments of their stakeholders. This is especially useful when presenting data to regulators and executives, as it helps guide decision-making.
- Regulatory compliance: With projects like CWWTPR requiring strict adherence to consultation processes, Tractivity supports Anglian Water in meeting regulatory requirements by centralising all consultation records and providing evidence when needed.
According to Grant Tuffs, Regional Engagement Manager at Anglian Water, Tractivity has been invaluable:
“It saves time and provides fantastic insight and reporting outputs that we can present to our Executive Committee on performance and engagement.”
With a platform that enables them to manage all their interactions in one place, Anglian Water has been able to focus more on the quality of their stakeholder engagement, rather than being bogged down by the complexities of managing multiple systems or tracking communications through spreadsheets and emails.
The political engagement
One of the most significant challenges that public-facing companies like Anglian Water face is political engagement.
From local MPs to government agencies, maintaining effective communication with political stakeholders is critical. With the public and political leaders increasingly focusing on environmental issues, Anglian Water needed a way to ensure that their communications were both timely and targeted.
The integration of Mapolitical into Tractivity has been a game-changer for their political engagement efforts. Mapolitical provides up-to-date data on MPs and other political figures, making it easier for the company to engage with them during key moments, such as regulatory discussions or live operational incidents. This ensures that Anglian Water can respond promptly and appropriately to the concerns of political stakeholders.
As Regional Engagement Advisor Emily Linsdell notes:
“The ease of access to relevant political contacts and the ability to track all interactions in one centralised platform not only saves time but also enhances the effectiveness of our engagement efforts.”
With the integration of Mapolitical, Anglian Water can ensure that their political engagements are well-informed and aligned with their broader stakeholder engagement strategy.
Ongoing stakeholder engagement
For Anglian Water, daily engagement is not limited to high-profile projects or political figures. Their core Public Affairs Regional Engagement team actively manages over 13,000 stakeholders across the East of England.
This includes engaging with local communities, environmental groups, and other regional stakeholders on issues ranging from infrastructure investment to environmental sustainability.
Maintaining regular communication with these groups is vital, as it helps keep stakeholders informed about Anglian Water’s various projects and initiatives, including their£10 billion investment programme.
Proactive outreach not only helps build trust but also ensures that Anglian Water meets its statutory obligations. When issues arise, whether regulatory or operational, having a system like Tractivity in place allows the team to quickly capture engagement activities, gather data, and provide evidence to regulators.
This level of continuous, proactive communication is central to Anglian Water’s strategy of maintaining stakeholder confidence. By regularly updating their stakeholders, they ensure that everyone involved feels heard and valued—a crucial aspect of long-term project success.
Outcomes and Results
The adoption of Tractivity has had a transformative impact on Anglian Water’s stakeholder engagement efforts. Not only have they been able to streamline their operations, but they have also improved stakeholder satisfaction through more effective feedback management and communication.
One of the major benefits has been the ability to create detailed reports on engagement activities. These reports provide valuable insights into stakeholder sentiment and highlight emerging issues that can then be addressed in future planning.
Whether it’s a large-scale project like the Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation or daily interactions with local communities, Anglian Water’s teams can ensure that feedback is captured and acted upon promptly.
This commitment to transparency and engagement has helped the company maintain high levels of trust with its stakeholders. As Emily Linsdell summarises:
“The system’s efficiency is crucial for both routine and crisis communication, helping us meet the increasing scrutiny from regulators and the public while ensuring that no important stakeholder is overlooked.”
Lessons Learned
Anglian Water’s experience offers several valuable lessons for other organisations that are looking to enhance their stakeholder engagement:
- Centralisation is key: Having all stakeholder data and interactions in one place streamlines operations and improves communication consistency.
- Proactive engagement builds trust: Keeping stakeholders informed through regular updates and consultations ensures transparency and helps build long-term relationships.
- Tailored engagement approaches work best: Political stakeholders require timely and targeted communication. Integrating tools like Mapolitical can make this process much more efficient.
- Feedback is vital: Gathering and acting on stakeholder feedback is essential for project success. Tractivity’s feedback management tools allow organisations to respond quickly and effectively to stakeholder concerns.
Anglian Water’s ability to manage thousands of stakeholders across numerous projects while maintaining transparency and accountability is a testament to the effectiveness of their approach. By adopting Tractivity, they have demonstrated how technology can enhance stakeholder engagement and contribute to long-term success.
Tractivity stands ready to support you. Book a free demo with us today to explore how our comprehensive stakeholder management solution can help you transform your relationships Embrace change with confidence and efficiency with Tractivity's stakeholder engagement system.
