A landmark public survey has been launched by Bahrain's Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) as it seeks to improve services for customers.

A total of 2,000 people will be questioned as part of the initiative and focus groups set up to examine the findings, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The details were revealed during a press conference at the EWA headquarters in the Diplomatic Area yesterday.

"A total of 2,000 people are being surveyed, which will find out what people want. Then we will set up focus groups to find out what they are thinking and what needs to be done," said ACK Solutions managing director Ahmed Al Akber, whose company has been tasked with designing and implementing the survey.

"At least a 1,000 people will be surveyed at customer locations in EWA offices around the country and the others will be picked at random on the phone as many people don't deal directly with EWA counters and opt to use online services, among others."

Around 800 people have already been surveyed and the remaining should be finished by December 2.

"These information gathering activities are in line with EWA's objectives to open up more channels of communication with the public, in order to enhance the level of customer satisfaction and provide better services to citizens and residents," said EWA chief executive Shaikh Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

"The comprehensive surveys cover a range of questions, including conservation, customer service and service delivery, thus enhancing our understanding of the main issues citizens and residents face. "We will then take action to ensure that our strategy is in line with the findings." - TradeArabia News Service