Business

Maximizing Savings: How to Negotiate the Best Deals for UK Business Water Services

As a business owner in the UK, you’re well aware of the critical importance of optimizing every aspect of your operations, including your relationship with your chosen business water supplier.

Water is an indispensable resource for any company, but it can also be a significant cost that impacts your bottom line. However, there are effective strategies that can help you save money on your water services without compromising on quality or efficiency.

In this article, we’ll delve into various approaches to help you negotiate the best deals with your business water supplier in the UK, ultimately maximizing your savings while ensuring a seamless and sustainable water supply for your company.

Table of Contents

Understanding Your Water Consumption

Before you start negotiating, it’s crucial to understand your business’s water consumption. Track your water usage over a few billing cycles to identify any trends or patterns. Look for any inconsistencies or sudden spikes that may indicate leaks or inefficient water use. This data will provide you with a solid foundation for your negotiations and help you gauge the potential savings.

Researching Different Suppliers

In the UK, business water services are not limited to a single provider. Since the water market deregulation in 2017, non-domestic customers have the freedom to choose their water supplier. This means you can shop around for the best deals. Take the time to research different suppliers, their pricing structures, and the services they offer. Look for customer reviews and testimonials to assess their reliability and customer service.

Consider Bundled Services

Many water suppliers in the UK offer bundled services that include not only water supply but also other related services like wastewater management and drainage. Bundled packages can often lead to cost savings compared to sourcing each service individually from separate providers. Analyze the benefits of bundled services and see if they align with your business needs.

Negotiating with Current Suppliers

If you’re satisfied with your current water supplier but wish to reduce costs, don’t hesitate to negotiate. Reach out to your supplier and discuss your desire to find a more cost-effective solution. Highlight your long-standing relationship with them and your positive payment history, as this can give you leverage during the negotiation process.

Exploring Tariff Options

UK water suppliers often offer various tariff options for different business categories. Check if you’re on the most appropriate tariff for your business. Sometimes, businesses unknowingly end up on tariffs that don’t align with their actual water consumption patterns, leading to higher costs. Discuss available tariff options with your supplier and switch to one that suits your needs and budget better.

Seeking Competitive Bids

Don’t limit yourself to negotiation with a single supplier. Encourage competition by seeking competitive bids from multiple water service providers. When suppliers know that they are in competition, they may be more inclined to offer attractive deals and better pricing to secure your business.

Joining a Water Procurement Consortium

For small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, joining a water procurement consortium can be a viable option. These consortia pool together the water needs of multiple businesses, enabling them to negotiate better deals collectively. This group purchasing power allows smaller businesses to access pricing and services that are typically reserved for larger companies.

Contract Duration and Flexibility

During negotiations, pay attention to the contract duration and its flexibility. Avoid signing long-term contracts without thoroughly evaluating your business’s future water needs. Longer contracts may seem appealing due to potentially lower rates, but they can also lock you into unfavorable terms if your circumstances change. Aim for a contract that provides flexibility and aligns with your business plans.

Including Performance Guarantees

When negotiating with water suppliers, consider including performance guarantees in the contract. These guarantees can be based on service delivery, response times, or even cost reductions if certain efficiency targets are met. Performance guarantees create accountability for the supplier and give you peace of mind knowing that your water services will meet the agreed-upon standards.

Monitoring and Auditing Bills

Even after securing a favorable deal, your work isn’t done. Regularly monitor your water bills to ensure that you’re being charged according to the negotiated terms. Mistakes can happen, and without careful monitoring, you might end up overpaying for your water services. Consider conducting periodic audits to cross-reference the actual water consumption data with the billed amounts.

Implementing Water Efficiency Measures

One of the most effective ways to maximize savings on your business water services is by implementing water efficiency measures. By reducing water waste and optimizing water use, you can significantly lower your water bills. Here are some water efficiency measures to consider:

Install Water-Saving Fixtures: Replace old and inefficient fixtures with water-saving alternatives. Install low-flow faucets, aerators, and toilets to reduce water consumption without compromising performance.

Conduct Regular Maintenance: Regularly inspect your plumbing system for leaks and fix them promptly. Even small leaks can waste a significant amount of water over time.

Water Recycling and Reuse: Depending on your business’s needs, consider implementing water recycling and reuse systems. This can be particularly beneficial for industries that require large volumes of water for processes like cooling or cleaning.

Employee Awareness and Training: Educate your employees about the importance of water conservation and involve them in your efforts. Encourage water-saving practices in the workplace, such as turning off taps when not in use and reporting leaks.

Metering and Monitoring: Install water meters to track usage accurately. Use the data to identify areas where water consumption can be further reduced.

Implementing these water efficiency measures not only helps you save money on water bills but also positions your business as environmentally responsible, which can be a positive marketing point.

Utilizing Water Management Services

In your quest to maximize savings on water services, consider utilizing water management services. These services are offered by specialized companies that help businesses optimize their water use and reduce costs. Here’s how they can benefit your business:

Water Audits: Water management companies can conduct comprehensive water audits to assess your business’s water consumption patterns and identify areas for improvement. They’ll provide you with valuable insights and recommendations for cost-saving opportunities.

Leak Detection: Timely detection and repair of leaks are crucial for reducing water wastage. Water management services employ advanced leak detection technologies to spot leaks early and prevent unnecessary water loss.

Usage Monitoring: Water management companies can set up monitoring systems that track your water consumption in real-time. This data allows you to make data-driven decisions to optimize water use and reduce costs.

Tailored Solutions: A water management service provider can offer customized solutions based on your specific business needs. They can help you choose the right water-saving technologies and strategies that align with your operations.

Compliance Assistance: Navigating the complexities of water regulations can be challenging. Water management companies can help you stay compliant with relevant laws and regulations, avoiding potential penalties and fines.

By leveraging the expertise of water management services, you can implement targeted solutions that lead to substantial cost savings over the long term. These services not only streamline your water use but also free up your resources to focus on core business activities.

Securing Sustainable Savings for the Future

Incorporating water efficiency measures and utilizing water management services are two additional strategies that can significantly impact your savings on UK business water services. By being proactive in optimizing your water consumption, negotiating with suppliers, and seeking competitive bids, you can make substantial progress toward reducing your water costs without compromising operational efficiency.

Remember that every business is unique, so it’s essential to tailor your water-saving efforts to your specific needs and industry. With careful consideration, consistent monitoring, and a commitment to sustainability, you can successfully negotiate the best deals for your business water services and achieve lasting financial and environmental benefits.

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Business

Tackle Decision Fatigue With This CEO-Worthy AI Tool

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

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Since SkillWee is powered by AI, it will adapt to your unique learning style and goals as you go. It can also offer personalized feedback, so you can learn as you go. There are game-like scenarios that even make it fun.

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SkillWee helps you make smarter, data-backed decisions. And right now, a lifetime subscription can be yours for just $49.99 (reg. $299.99).

Save time and avoid making mistakes with this AI-powered tool

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Business

How to Turn Bad Reviews Into Great News For Your Business

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

No matter how robust your brand’s customer service is, you can’t avoid negative feedback — noise that can block out all the great things your business offers and does. Social media is rife with videos highlighting incidents where customers feel wronged and the torrent of negative comments that follow. Reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Open Table, TripAdvisor and other platforms are filled with dissatisfied customers, and that can upend a business’s good standing.

Sometimes, there are missteps, and the reviews and feedback reflect a breakdown in service or product delivery. Other times, people are venting or trolling with no cause. You can’t take it personally, but don’t ignore what they say. Customers rely on reviews when discovering or purchasing products and services. Bad reviews can turn them away and cause a reputational crisis for your business.

Your online business reputation depends on a proactive, strategic approach for identifying, monitoring, managing and responding to negative reviews. You’ll seize opportunities to build trust, improve customer service and enhance customer relations.

Table of Contents

Identifying customer issues

If a negative or bad comment appears on social media or one of the consumer review platforms, take a breath and figure out what’s behind the review. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes to see if the review or comment was justified. Go beyond the words and anger to determine where things went wrong. Then respond — genuinely and professionally.

Monitoring online reviews

You won’t know customer dissatisfaction exists without monitoring your online reviews. There are various tools and strategies available to do so. For example, you can use Google Alerts or ReviewTrackers to provide you with real-time alerts when new reviews are posted on platforms like Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor and Google.

Also, ensure your business is claimed and verified on the major platforms so you can respond to reviews and receive notifications of activities. Optimize your business profiles. You want potential customers to find accurate, useful information when they are looking up reviews about your brand. Make sure photos, location, hours and business description are up to date.

Managing online reviews

Designate a “review response” team or personnel to respond to reviews. Share these tips with the individual or team responsible for handling reviews:

Don’t let emotions come into play when crafting responses to negative comments.
Thank customers for their feedback and let them know your intention to do better.
If the customer is justifiably dissatisfied, apologize and show empathy without overdoing it.
Make things right if possible. For example, offer an opportunity to revisit your restaurant with dessert on the house. Send out a replacement product that got lost in the mail at no cost. Offer a discount on a future product.
If all goes well, encourage the customer to modify the comment with an updated review so others can see your good-faith efforts. When you acknowledge customer dissatisfaction and do what you can to turn things around, you’ll find that these consumers will become your biggest champions and cheerleaders.

In some cases, contact reviewers offline to discuss their experience. During the conversation, ask the customers to update their reviews. If they choose not to update the comment, you can respond online that the issue was resolved.

Go beyond the negative, highlight the positive

In dealing with bad reviews, in addition to responding and turning dissatisfied customers into advocates for your business, beefing up your online reputation with positive comments and reviews is equally critical. Positive reviews influence buying behavior and help win people over, even if there is the occasional bad comment.

When asking for a positive review, timing is everything. Encourage reviews at the point of purchase, following an event or fulfilling a service. For example, send a quick text or email saying, “Happy you had a great experience. Would you mind leaving us a quick review?” Make it easy for your customers to leave a comment with a link to the review page.

Make getting positive reviews part of your brand strategy

Train your staff to ask for reviews in their communication. For example, recently, my colleague had an issue with a product that was delivered to the wrong house. It was the delivery service and not the retailer that made the error. The delivery service would not rectify the situation; however, the retailer was happy to send a replacement product. My colleague received an email with an invoice ($0) listing the products reshipped to her home and a gentle nudge to leave a review about the service and resolution. She was more than happy to do so and spread the word.

Respond to positive reviews, too. This shows you care about your customers’ feelings and helps build trust with future reviewers. Don’t be shy about sharing great reviews as testimonials on your website and social media platforms. Other satisfied customers on social will chime in and reinforce the great experience your brand delivers, further boosting your online reputation.

Getting some negative reviews is not all bad. They help you pinpoint areas that need improvement. In addition, they help create a balanced, authentic brand profile. While you want most of your feedback to be positive, having occasional negative comments and responding to them builds trust and credibility.

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Business

This $180 Chromebook Offers Flexibility and Performance for On-the-Go Entrepreneurs

Almost half of entrepreneurs rely on their laptops daily, according to data from global market research firm Ipsos. That’s not a huge shock, considering these portable computers let you get work done anywhere. As an entrepreneur, you’re used to bringing work home… and on vacation. And right now, you can get a super versatile device, an ASUS Chromebook CM30, for just $179.99 (reg. $329.99).

This Chromebook is durable, versatile, and ready for your busy schedule

Entrepreneurs have to be flexible, and the ASUS Chromebook CM30 can keep up with everything a workday throws at you. It can even go from laptop to tablet, thanks to a detachable 10.5-inch touchscreen. There’s also a garaged push-pop stylus with fast-charging technology that you can use to jot down notes, graphs, and more.

This 2-in-1 device lets you tackle anything anywhere, with a MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor that lets you do all the multitasking required of an entrepreneur. You’ll also be working on the Chrome OS, so you’ll have access to all the cloud-based apps you’re already using.

8GB of RAM and 128GB eMMC storage ensure you have sufficient space to download your favorite apps and save important files locally. Dual 5MP cameras are available on the front and rear, letting you take pictures, video chat, and more.

If you’re hard on your devices, the ASUS Chromebook will be a great fit for you. It’s made from a military-grade, durable aluminum chassis so that it can withstand heavy handling. You’ll also be able to get a full workday in and more, thanks to the 12 hours of battery life.

This particular model is an open box device, which means it was likely excess inventory from store shelves. It will be verified to be in new condition and placed in clean packaging before it arrives at your doorstep.

Bring home an ASUS Chromebook CM30 for just $179.99 (reg. $329.99).

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