The need to become more cost competitive and customer responsive is being recognizedas the most important goal of water and wastewater utilities throughout North America. Private utilities have recognized that they can compete for the operation of existing public utilities that do not operate efficiently. Public utilities can no longer rest assured that their position as a monopoly will guarantee their continued existence and operation as in the past. Columbus Water Works (CWW) of Columbus, Georgia, is a public utility that provides water and wastewater services to the City of Columbus, portions of nearby Harris County and Talbot County in Georgia, and Phenix City in Alabama. Since the early 1990s, CWW senior management has recognized the need to operate efficiently and effectively in delivering water and wastewater services in order to be competitive with the private sector. In addition, CWW has recognized the need to be a customer services focused organization. This paper discusses CWW's strategic planning efforts to achieve customer satisfaction.