“Our relationship with users is just as important as keeping our technical skills up to scratch.”
This is how Géraldine Sénémaud, Head of Customer Relations at Veolia France, sums up her vision. She has held this post for the past four years and, together with her teams, ensures the quality of service provided to the 20 million people who use water supplied by the services entrusted to Veolia.
Sector-specific recognition
Géraldine Sénémaud has been nominated for the Customer Relations Director Award, presented by the AFRC, which will be handed out on 13 October. She sees this nomination, above all, as a collective recognition:
“Firstly, this is a wonderful recognition for the teams, and then for Veolia itself. Veolia is a business that one might describe as technically oriented – very much an engineers’ field – dealing with highly specialised subjects. And I think this proves, if proof were needed, that our relationship with users and the user experience of water services are just as important as ensuring our technical systems are properly maintained.”
A customer relationship that is 100 per cent based in France
For the past three years, Veolia has been the leading water and wastewater services operator to have achieved the ‘100% France’ Customer Relations certification. Géraldine Sénémaud considers this local presence to be essential:
“We are, first and foremost, a locally rooted business. We operate within these communities for the people who live there, providing a vital service. It was unthinkable for us to leave our local areas. The teams who answer the phones live in the same areas and share the same concerns as the users of the water services. And it creates local jobs, which is important, and I believe that is part of our raison d’être.”
A partnership built on trust with Armatis
Veolia has entrusted Armatis with part of its front-office activities, namely the management of enquiries via traditional channels, as well as the launch of technology projects. Certain activities remain managed in-house, notably specific technical matters and invoicing, where Veolia wishes to remain closely involved in its operations.
According to Géraldine Sénémaud, what sets this relationship apart can be summed up in one word:
“Trust. Trust built up over the years, and renewed trust for the years to come. I believe we have a partnership that enables us to bring together the best of both our worlds for the benefit of water service users.”
Technological innovation for the benefit of people
For Géraldine Sénémaud, artificial intelligence represents a significant turning point, but one that is still in its infancy:
“There’s a lot of talk about artificial intelligence. The technology is there, but it’s not quite ready yet. We face a huge collective challenge in ensuring that it works for our teams and for our customers. It will enable us to be ten times more effective: more precise, faster, probably on a larger scale, and in any case at exactly the right moment to address our consumers’ needs.”
It identifies change management as the key challenge, both for staff and for service users, in a spirit of transparency.
When asked about the future balance between humans and AI, Géraldine Sénémaud refuses to take a definitive stance:
‘To be honest, I don’t know. I think it’s a bit of a trick question, and I reckon there’ll be as many scenarios as there are specific situations. There’ll be times when we launch initiatives locally: in those cases, it’ll be very important to prioritise the human element. And then, in situations where everything’s running smoothly, technology might play a slightly greater role. What’s going to be important is always knowing how to stay in the driver’s seat, and knowing when to steer a little more to the left or to the right.”
Water: a shared resource to be protected
Looking ahead to the coming years, Géraldine Sénémaud foresees a fundamental shift in the relationship with users, driven by climate issues:
“We are at a point in society that is beyond our control, where there has never been so much talk of water as an asset and a limited resource, with issues surrounding its quality. People are becoming aware of this once again. For us, it is very important to be able to support them and to promote water conservation: sometimes we don’t have enough water, and sometimes we have too much. How can we reassure the French public and water service users? I think that is the challenge ahead. We are moving away from a more transactional or operational relationship, and towards a focus on how we look after our resources together.”
Key takeaways
A key challenge for the future: promoting water conservation and shifting our customer relationships towards the preservation of this resource.
Veolia provides water services to 20 million customers under the leadership of Géraldine Sénémaud, who has been in charge for the past four years.
Nominated for the 2025 Customer Relations Director Award, presented by the AFRC, to be awarded on 13 October.
The leading operator in the sector to have held the ‘100% France’ customer relations certification for the past three years, with a strong regional presence.
Armatis provides support for front-office operations and technology projects; invoicing and technical matters continue to be handled in-house.
A firm conviction: there is no one-size-fits-all human/AI mix; the balance must be adjusted according to the context, whilst always keeping ‘a firm hand on the helm’.
