Waterstoring
Tailored web application
A real-time and dynamic representation of water distribution hiccups
Challenge
Provide Dutch residents clear, timely and accurate information on water outages and planned maintenance in their neighborhoods.
Outcome
A nationwide platform displaying water supply and service updates from multiple water utility companies in the Netherlands.
Impact
In the event of big disruptions, website traffic peaks. The new platform has an uptime of 99.99% and ranks number 1 in search results. The site also led to a reduced number of calls to the customer service centers.
Strategy
The main strategic goal was to provide better information and improve customer service. During a big water disruption, the water companies’ website and customer service centers were easily overloaded. We combined data from major Dutch water companies in one centralized platform where Dutch residents can get up-to-date information on water disruptions and planned maintenance in their neighborhoods.
Instead of calling into the service centers, users can easily go online and get all required information in real-time. The platform even allows the user to report problems themselves and subscribe for status updates on current disruptions and maintenance work via email or phone.
We developed different personas and used experience maps to make sure every possible customer need was covered. The platform gives information about when and where water problems arise, further decreasing the amount of calls to the water companies’ service centers.
Creative
Waterstoring.nl is a collaboration between multiple brands and therefore has its own design and branding. The User Interface (UI) was designed from scratch according to the latest design and User Experience (UX) standards. To increase the trustworthiness of the platform, we paid close attention to tagline positioning and designing pages such as “find your drinking water company”.
With the help of the Google Maps plugin, the exact location of the disruption or maintenance is mapped out. Maintenance workers in the field can update the status of their work in the platform’s back end so the information on the platform is always accurate.
Users can also submit their own reports of water disruptions or problems with their drinking water. For every type of incident, the platform gives tailored advice.
Technology
Built in 2013, the platform functionalities have continuously evolved. The tech stack had a major upgrade in 2018 when we refactored it to a Progressive Web App (PWA) with ReactJS and upgraded to Google Cloud Hosting.
As a result, the website has an uptime of 99.99% and loads within seconds. Its PWA nature offers users the option to add the website on their home screen and get push notifications about the live status of water incidents.
Water companies can use the custom built CMS or use an API to send service and maintenance data to the platform from their own infrastructure.
System Integrations
Google Maps, CM SMS, Bitly
Highlights
- A unique platform that’s the result of a collaboration between major Dutch water companies.
- DPDK has been involved since the launch of the platform in 2013 and we continue to improve the site till this day.
