Riverina Water has received national recognition for its commitment to customer excellence, taking out Customer Service Organisation of the Year – Local Government at the 2025 Australian Service Excellence awards.

Hosted by the Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA), the awards celebrate organisations and individuals that set the benchmark for service across all industries.

Riverina Water chairperson, councillor Tim Koschel, said the award reflects the organisation’s ongoing focus on putting customers at the centre of everything it does.

“This award is an incredible achievement and a credit to our people,” Cr Koschel said. “Our community expects reliable, modern, and responsive services; and our team continues to deliver on that every day.

“It shows that our customer-first culture runs right through the organisation, whether its frontline staff or those that play vital roles behind the scenes.”

Riverina Water chief executive officer Andrew Crakanthorp said the recognition highlights the progress made in enhancing customer experience through innovation and continuous improvement.

“Our ongoing digital transformation project has streamlined our processes, improved response times and modernised our services,” Mr Crakanthorp said.

“Importantly, this industry recognition is backed by continually high satisfaction scores from our customers and community in our annual surveys.”

Riverina Water was selected ahead of strong finalists Central Coast council and City of Greater Geelong, with other winners on the night including national organisations such as HCF and Woolworths.

“To be recognised alongside leading national brands shows the quality of service that our regional organisation can deliver,” Mr Crakanthorp said.

CSIA highlighted Riverina Water’s commitment to leading the pack in delivering services to its customers, stating:

“Riverina Water has proven that innovation in local government isn't just possible - it’s transformative.

“Riverina Water has demonstrated that when local government prioritises clarity and accessibility, it strengthens community relationships and sets new standards for the entire industry.”

The award follows Riverina Water being named a finalist earlier this year in the Australian Water Association (AWA) national customer experience award for its digital transformation project.