Flow and the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) emerged winners at the 3^rd Annual Utility Customer Service Distinction Awards, organised by the Consumer Advisory Committee on Utilities (CACU) last week at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

Alicia Tucker, Business-to-Business Service Support Officer of Flow Jamaica, copped the Utility Customer Service Distinction Award 2025, rising above a strong field of sixteen nominees from the utility providers. The award honours a utility employee who exemplifies exceptional customer service, fosters effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and upholds the highest standards of professionalism in service to the public.

JPS was awarded the inaugural Utility Provider of the Year title, earning top honours over fellow nominees Digicel, FLOW, and the National Water Commission. This new category recognises the utility provider that delivers exceptional customer service/experience, is reliable, fair, keeps its promises to its customers, and makes the best use of technology and innovation. The winner was selected based on a combined score that included the national popular vote from utility customers through a public #PickYuhProvider campaign, as well as an expert assessment informed by the OUR’s Mystery Shopping survey. 

The data was reviewed by a panel chaired by the CACU Awards Committee Chair, Yasmin Chong, the CEO of Market Research Services Limited, Kishka Anderson and the Director of Consumer and Public Affairs of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), Yvonne Nicholson. Delivering the keynote address, CACU Chair Yasmin Chong highlighted the broader significance of the honourees’ achievements, noting that their dedication reflects not only excellence in the present but also a shared vision for continual improvement within the sector. 

“You serve with distinction, you are the true heroes, plain and simple. The achievements we are recognising tonight are not just what has been accomplished; they are much more than that. They are really a glimpse into the future of what we are creating together,” she told the audience. OUR Director-General, Ansord Hewitt, who also spoke at the awards ceremony, underscored the importance of celebrating service excellence within the utilities sector.

“Today we gather to celebrate not only excellence, but to reaffirm a principle that lies at the heart of every successful utility—the unwavering commitment to serving customers with integrity, empathy, and innovation. Customer service is more than a department or function; it is a philosophy, a promise that every interaction matters,” the OUR Director General emphasised.

The CACU Awards, established in 2023, were created to recognise and reward exceptional customer service in the utility sector. The CACU was established in 2004 to provide the OUR with a forum through which it can receive consumers’ views on broad regulatory issues as well as their perspectives on issues affecting the relationships between the utility companies and consumers. As the principal forum and point of contact for the OUR in its consideration of consumer issues and concerns, the membership is comprised of representatives from consumer groups, the private business sector, academia, the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), and the public.