Northumbrian Water Group signs a deal to ease bereavement admin

New partnership deal with award-winning death administration firm, Settld, is an ‘industry first’.

Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) has today unveiled a new strategic partnership with nationwide bereavement service Settld.  The Northumbrian Water Group deal will streamline end-of-life account administration. This will make life simpler for those handling the affairs of a customer who has died.

The pioneering partnership agreement for NWG is a first for the industry. 

The deal will benefit customers, enhancing bereavement customer care. It will also improve the water companies’ efficiency following a death. All families need to do is go to the Bereavement Support page at NW to start the admin process

The partnership comes as new guidance from the water regulator, OFWAT, urges water companies to place a higher priority on bereaved and vulnerable customers. OFWAT wants to make it easier for relatives to close or amend the accounts of a loved one who dies. 

What does the Northumbrian Water Group and Settld deal mean?

Lisa Connell, Customer Service Manager at Northumbrian Water Group:

“We want to help make things as easy as possible for our customers who are sadly dealing with the death of a loved one. That’s why we are pleased to be the first water company to have partnered with Settld. This will help improve our care and reduce the unnecessary admin faced by bereaved families. 

“Customers can still contact us directly if they prefer, but Settld offers our customers another option of how they manage contact with companies following a bereavement.”

How will Settld support Northumbrian Water Group?

Settld will provide their automated bereavement administration service free of charge to customers who notify them directly. Anyone notifying Settld of a death will automatically be able to notify all service providers across the UK in one go. This includes Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water. By using Settld, customers don’t need to contact the individual companies. This reduces customer effort at a difficult time and offers customers a choice of how they manage contact with companies following a bereavement.

Vicky Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Settld, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water. We’ll be able to help all those dealing with the death of a loved one. 

 “Using Settld, everyone benefits. Bereaved families face significantly less time and stress when it comes to notifying all companies of a death. This gives them time to focus on what really matters. And, on the other side, NWG’s customer service agents face an easier time in attending to the needs of their bereaved and vulnerable customers.”

Launched in February 2021, Settld enables members of the public to notify all service providers across the UK of a death, from banks and insurers to energy firms, mobile providers, subscription services, social media platforms and others.

In addition to notifying service providers, Settld’s free online service also helps users close, transfer or amend accounts. The service also obtains date of death balances for probate. The vast majority of the communication with service providers is handled by Settld and tracked in an online dashboard. You can log in and access your dashboard at any time.

Settld – at www.settld.care – consistently receives 5-star reviews from its customers, who appreciate the benefits of the one-stop shop,  automated service.

Northumbrian Water supplies 2.7 million customers across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and parts of North Yorkshire with water and sewerage services. Essex & Suffolk Water supplies 1.8 million customers across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Greater London with water-only services.