ERG

Situation

WaterSense, an EPA-sponsored partnership program launched in 2006, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices. WaterSense partners with and brings together local water utilities and governments, product manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and other stakeholders to help consumers make water-efficient choices. As a result of this program being developed, EPA was required to provide outreach and communication support to adhere to the needs of partners, prospective partners, and the general public and their requests.

Task

Assist EPA with staffing a technical support team to effectively and efficiently respond to inquiries and informational requests regarding the WaterSense program.

Action

HCDI was requested to assist with creating a technical support team to provide customer service to partners and the general public; help build and maintain relationships with program partners; recruit prospective partners; fulfill outreach material requests; process partnership materials; and track communications in the WaterSense customer relationship management (CRM) database.

Result

EPA's WaterSense program has gained an impressive growth in partners and a strong interest from consumers and the general public. The technical support team is staffed with employees trained and available to respond to requests. In addition, since the program's inception in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save a cumulative 46 billion gallons of water and $343 million in water and sewer bills.