On 3 April 2025, senior executives from across the UK’s water sector came together at The Walbrook for an exclusive roundtable hosted by FYLD CEO Shelley Copsey and Southern Water CEO Lawrence Gosden. Attendees included major utilities, Tier 1 contractors, and supply chain leaders, united by one pressing goal: how to deliver more with less as the industry heads into AMP8.
Spanning strategy, operations, customer expectations, and technology, the conversation was rich, honest, and action-focused. Here’s a look at the themes that defined the day.
Across the board, there was agreement that AMP8 is defined by a challenging tension: demand is rising, expectations are growing, but capacity—be it workforce or budget—is under pressure.
With over £100 billion in sector-wide investment expected, the need to deliver efficiently is urgent. Leaders shared how they’re engaging partners early, bringing in expertise from outside the sector, and leaning into innovation to bridge the resource gap. However, they also flagged the practical bottlenecks—from meter installation capacity to coordination across contracts—that threaten progress.
Technologies like FYLD were discussed as critical enablers—particularly in unlocking new productivity from existing teams, reducing aborts, and getting “the basics” right to scale operational gains.
One of the most eye-opening insights was the scale of incoming customer calls—up 70% year-on-year in some cases—driven by bill increases and limited awareness of water usage and service models.
The room was aligned: customer service models need modernisation. That includes everything from ensuring parity between digital and contact centre experiences, to better use of data for personalised insights. There was frustration around ‘smart meters’ being implemented as technical tools rather than customer-facing assets. As one delegate put it, “We installed the meter for leakage—but the customer doesn’t see the value.”
Trust, transparency and consistency emerged as central to improving C-MEX scores. Better data usage and AI-led customer insights were recognised as routes to delivering more seamless, proactive service.
While water companies are sitting on huge volumes of data, many admitted they lack the internal readiness to act on it. From alarm fatigue (with only 5% of 30,000+ weekly alerts being meaningful) to disjointed systems across the asset lifecycle, data fragmentation is limiting progress.
The group called out the importance of data cleanliness, system integration, and making insights accessible to the frontline—not just head office analysts. FYLD’s model of visual, real-time data surfaced in workflows was praised for supporting better decisions without overwhelming teams.
There was also strong interest in emerging AI use cases, including agentic AI and predictive maintenance. But the message was clear: any AI implementation must be grounded in operational need, not just technical potential.
A recurring challenge discussed was the “death by pilot” syndrome. Too many innovations stall at proof of concept because the business case, change management, or user engagement isn’t prioritised.
Leaders stressed that real change requires dedicated resourcing, training, and a focus on end-user value. One participant summed it up well: “If it’s not easier than what they had before, no one will use it.”
FYLD’s platform was referenced as an example of successful deployment at scale—helping teams reduce downtime, increase right-first-time delivery, and manage environmental and safety risk in real time.
Throughout the day, there was a shared sense that AMP8 isn’t just another regulatory cycle—it’s a moment to redefine how the sector works. Whether through digitising customer journeys, integrating supply chain operations, or embedding AI into frontline workflows, the tools are there.
The challenge now is to align strategy, culture, and execution.
FYLD is proud to support this transition, equipping water companies to achieve safer, faster, and more sustainable outcomes—without adding complexity.
Get in touch today to arrange a tailored demo for your team.