Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Reaches 8-Year High in J.D. Power Study
Improved Customer Communications, Corporate Citizenship and Price Satisfaction Drive Gains; Six of Eight Highest-Ranked Providers New to Top of the Rankings
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Business customer satisfaction with their electric utility is up substantially year over year, with significant improvements in communications, corporate citizenship and price satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2016 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM released today.
The study, now in its 17th year, measures satisfaction among business customers of 102 targeted U.S. electric utilities, each of which serves more than 25,000 business customers. In aggregate, these utilities provide electricity to more than 12 million customers. Overall satisfaction is examined across six factors (listed in order of importance): power quality and reliability; corporate citizenship; price; billing and payment; communications; and customer service. Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.
Overall satisfaction among electric utility business customers is 704 in 2016, a significant increase from 677 in 2015 and the highest level in eight years. Performance improvement in 2016 is driven by a sharp year-over-year rise in satisfaction with communications (+55 points), corporate citizenship (+45) and price (+43).
"Communication and corporate citizenship are important to businesses," said John Hazen, director of the energy practice at J.D. Power. "Providers are doing a better job of proactively communicating with their business customers not only during an outage, but also on a regular basis to keep them informed of things such as energy programs offered, and to gather customer feedback."
Hazen noted that corporate citizenship demonstrates that a provider is an active business partner in the community. "Business customers like to see their provider giving back, whether it's through charities and civic organizations or through economic development such as buying locally and creating jobs," said Hazen. "Price is important to business customers, but not as critical as it is to residential customers."
Study Rankings
Within each of the four geographic regions included in the study, utility providers are classified into one of two segments: large (serving 85,000 or more business customers) and midsize (serving between 25,000 and 84,999 business customers).
Among the eight providers that rank highest in their respective regions, only two—Omaha Public Power District in the Midwest region's midsize utility segment and SRP (Salt River Project) in the West region's large utility segment—also ranked highest in 2015.
"There are 53 ranked providers with an overall satisfaction score above 700 this year," said Hazen, who noted that in 2014 only four providers achieved scores of 700 or higher. "This clearly demonstrates that when providers make an investment in customer satisfaction and put in the effort, they can improve their customers' experiences."
The following utilities rank highest in business customer satisfaction in their respective regions:
- East Large: Con Edison
- East Midsize: Met-Ed
- Midwest Large: Ameren Missouri
- Midwest Midsize: Omaha Public Power District
- South Large: Entergy Arkansas
- South Midsize: JEA
- West Large: SRP
- West Midsize: SMUD
KEY FINDINGS
- A Partner in Power: Overall satisfaction among businesses with an assigned account manager at their utility is more than 100 points higher than among those that do not have an account manager.
- Billing Alerts Avoid the Blues: Billing and payment satisfaction averages 708 among the 37% of businesses that indicate they do not receive billing and payment alerts from their utility provider. Satisfaction is 776 when providers send an alert when a bill is due or overdue and jumps to 798 when they send customers confirmation that their payment was received.
- Twice the Contact, but Lower Resolution: Regardless of the contact channel, twice as many business customers contact their electric utility provider twice as often as residential customers, yet their rate of problem resolution is lower than residential customers. For example, 48% of business customers contact their provider via telephone, compared with 23% of residential customers; however, the problem resolution rate over the phone is only 67% among businesses, compared with 71% among residential customers.
- Awareness of Product and Services Important to Satisfaction: The more utility products and services customers are aware of, the higher their overall satisfaction. Overall satisfaction among customers who are aware of 10 or more products and services is 768 and drops to 704 among those who are aware of only four or five. When customers are not aware of any of their provider's offerings, satisfaction plummets to 603.
The 2016 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more 21,000 online interviews with business customers who spend at least $200 monthly on electricity. The study was fielded from March through June 2015 and July through November 2015.
|
Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Scores | |
|
(Based on a 1,000-point scale) | |
|
East Region: Large Segment |
|
|
Con Edison |
728 |
|
PPL Electric Utilities |
726 |
|
PSE&G |
702 |
|
PECO |
689 |
|
East Large Average |
689 |
|
Jersey Central Power & Light |
687 |
|
BGE |
683 |
|
Appalachian Power |
680 |
|
NYSEG |
679 |
|
National Grid |
670 |
|
Eversource Energy |
655 |
|
PSEG Long Island |
631 |
|
East Region: Midsize Segment |
|
|
Met-Ed |
720 |
|
Pepco |
711 |
|
Delmarva Power |
707 |
|
Duquesne Light |
707 |
|
Penelec |
704 |
|
Central Maine Power |
693 |
|
East Midsize Average |
685 |
|
West Penn Power |
680 |
|
Rochester Gas & Electric |
663 |
|
United Illuminating |
651 |
|
Atlantic City Electric |
644 |
|
Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to insufficient sample size is Central Hudson Gas & Electric, |
|
Midwest Region: Large Segment |
|
|
Ameren Missouri |
723 |
|
KCP&L |
722 |
|
DTE Energy |
719 |
|
Xcel Energy - Midwest |
714 |
|
Ameren Illinois |
709 |
|
Duke Energy-Midwest |
708 |
|
We Energies |
707 |
|
Ohio Edison |
703 |
|
Midwest Large Average |
702 |
|
MidAmerican Energy |
701 |
|
ComEd |
698 |
|
Alliant Energy |
697 |
|
AEP Ohio |
675 |
|
Consumers Energy |
664 |
|
Midwest Region: Midsize Segment |
|
|
Omaha Public Power District |
746 |
|
Kentucky Utilities |
728 |
|
Indianapolis Power & Light |
721 |
|
The Illuminating Company |
715 |
|
WPS |
711 |
|
Louisville Gas & Electric |
703 |
|
Midwest Midsize Average |
697 |
|
Dayton Power & Light |
682 |
|
Westar Energy |
682 |
|
NIPSCO |
671 |
|
Indiana Michigan Power |
642 |
|
Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to insufficient sample size is Kentucky Power, |
|
South Region: Large Segment |
|
|
Entergy Arkansas |
752 |
|
Alabama Power |
746 |
|
Florida Power & Light |
743 |
|
Duke Energy-Carolinas |
728 |
|
South Large Average |
723 |
|
Georgia Power |
718 |
|
OG&E |
709 |
|
South Carolina Electric & Gas |
709 |
|
Dominion Virginia Power |
708 |
|
Entergy Louisiana |
706 |
|
Duke Energy-Progress |
703 |
|
Duke Energy-Florida |
690 |
|
South Region: Midsize Segment |
|
|
JEA |
754 |
|
NES |
734 |
|
OUC |
734 |
|
CPS Energy |
722 |
|
Entergy Mississippi |
721 |
|
Entergy Texas |
717 |
|
Gulf Power |
712 |
|
Public Service Co. of Oklahoma |
708 |
|
South Midsize Average |
705 |
|
Tampa Electric |
696 |
|
MLGW |
671 |
|
Austin Energy |
669 |
|
Southwestern Electric Power |
645 |
|
Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to insufficient sample size is Cleco Power, |
|
West Region: Large Segment |
|
|
SRP |
747 |
|
Rocky Mountain Power |
736 |
|
Puget Sound Energy |
735 |
|
Pacific Power |
722 |
|
Portland General Electric |
720 |
|
Southern California Edison |
715 |
|
APS |
713 |
|
West Large Average |
713 |
|
Pacific Gas and Electric |
709 |
|
San Diego Gas & Electric |
703 |
|
NV Energy |
702 |
|
Xcel Energy - West |
698 |
|
L. A. Dept. of Water & Power |
693 |
|
West Region: Midsize Segment |
|
|
SMUD |
754 |
|
Seattle City Light |
738 |
|
West Midsize Average |
700 |
|
Avista |
691 |
|
NorthWestern Energy |
680 |
|
Idaho Power |
677 |
|
PNM |
676 |
|
Tucson Electric Power |
666 |
|
Note: Included in the study, but not ranked due to insufficient sample size is Colorado Springs Utilities, |
|
Award-Eligible Electric Utility Providers Included in the Study | ||
|
Company Name |
Executive Name |
Company Headquarters |
|
AEP Ohio |
Nicholas Akins |
Columbus, Ohio |
|
Alabama Power |
Mark Crosswhite |
Birmingham, Ala. |
|
Alliant Energy |
Patricia Kampling |
Madison, Wis. |
|
Ameren Illinois |
Richard J. Mark |
St. Louis, Mo. |
|
Ameren Missouri |
Michael L. Moehn |
St. Louis, Mo. |
|
Appalachian Power |
Nicholas Akins |
Columbus, Ohio |
|
APS |
Donald Brandt |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
|
Atlantic City Electric |
David Velazquez |
Newark, Del. |
|
Austin Energy |
Larry Weis |
Austin, Texas |
|
Avista |
Scott Morris |
Spokane, Wash. |
|
BGE |
Calvin Butler |
Baltimore, Md. |
|
Central Maine Power |
Sara Burns |
Augusta, Maine |
|
ComEd |
Anne Pramaggiore |
Chicago, Ill. |
|
Con Edison |
John McAvoy |
New York, N.Y. |
|
Consumers Energy |
John Russell |
Jackson, Mich. |
|
CPS Energy |
Paula Gold-Williams |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
Dayton Power & Light |
Tom Raga |
Dayton, Ohio |
|
Delmarva Power |
David Velazquez |
Newark, Del. |
|
Dominion Virginia Power |
Thomas Farrell |
Richmond, Va. |
|
DTE Energy |
Gerard Anderson |
Detroit, Mich. |
|
Duke Energy-Carolinas |
Lynn Good |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
Duke Energy-Florida |
Lynn Good |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
Duke Energy-Midwest |
Lynn Good |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
Duke Energy-Progress |
Lynn Good |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
Duquesne Light |
Richard Riazzi |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
|
Entergy Arkansas |
Leo Denault |
New Orleans, La. |
|
Entergy Louisiana |
Leo Denault |
New Orleans, La. |
|
Entergy Mississippi |
Leo Denault |
New Orleans, La. |
|
Entergy Texas |
Leo Denault |
New Orleans, La. |
|
Eversource Energy |
Thomas May |
Springfield, Mass. |
|
Florida Power & Light |
Eric Silagy |
Juno Beach, Fla. |
|
Georgia Power |
Paul Bowers |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
Gulf Power |
Stanley Connally |
Pensacola, Fla. |
|
Idaho Power |
Darrel Anderson |
Boise, Idaho |
|
Indiana Michigan Power |
Nicholas Akins |
Columbus, Ohio |
|
Indianapolis Power & Light |
Kenneth Zagzebski |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
|
JEA |
Paul McElroy |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
|
Jersey Central Power & Light |
Charles Jones |
Akron, Ohio |
|
KCP&L |
Terry Bassham |
Kansas City, Mo. |
|
Kentucky Utilities |
Victor Staffieri |
Lexington, Ky. |
|
L. A. Dept. of Water & Power |
Marcie L. Edwards |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
|
Louisville Gas & Electric |
Victor Staffieri |
Louisville, Ky. |
|
Met-Ed |
Charles Jones |
Akron, Ohio |
|
MidAmerican Energy |
William Fehrman |
Des Moines, Iowa |
|
MLGW |
Jerry Collins |
Memphis, Tenn. |
|
National Grid |
Steven Holliday |
London, England |
|
NES |
Decosta Jenkins |
Nashville, Tenn. |
|
NIPSCO |
Jimmie Stanley |
Merrillville, Ind. |
|
NorthWestern Energy |
Robert Rowe |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
|
NV Energy |
Paul Caudill |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
|
NYSEG |
Robert D. Kump |
Binghamton, N.Y. |
|
OG&E |
Peter Delaney |
Oklahoma City, Okla. |
|
Ohio Edison |
Charles Jones |
Akron, Ohio |
|
Omaha Public Power District |
Timothy Burke |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
OUC |
Kenneth Ksionek |
Orlando, Fla. |
|
Pacific Gas and Electric |
Anthony F. Earley, Jr. |
San Francisco, Calif. |
|
Pacific Power |
Stefan Bird |
Portland, Ore. |
|
PECO |
Craig Adams |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
Penelec |
Charles Jones |
Akron, Ohio |
|
Pepco |
Joseph Rigby |
Washington, D.C. |
|
PNM |
Patricia Vincent-Collawn |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
|
Portland General Electric |
James Piro |
Portland, Ore. |
|
PPL Electric Utilities |
Gregory Dudkin |
Allentown, Pa. |
|
PSE&G |
Ralph Izzo |
Newark, N.J. |
|
PSEG Long Island |
Ralph Izzo |
Newark, N.J. |
|
Public Service Co. of Oklahoma |
Nicholas Akins |
Columbus, Ohio |
|
Puget Sound Energy |
Kimberly Harris |
Bellevue, Wash. |
|
Rochester Gas & Electric |
Robert D. Kump |
Rochester, N.Y. |
|
Rocky Mountain Power |
Cindy Crane |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
|
San Diego Gas & Electric |
Jeffrey Martin |
San Diego, Calif. |
|
Seattle City Light |
Jim Baggs |
Seattle, Wash. |
|
SMUD |
Arlen Orchard |
Sacramento, Calif. |
|
South Carolina Electric & Gas |
Kevin Marsh |
Cayce, S.C. |
|
Southern California Edison |
Pedro J. Pizarro |
Rosemead, Calif. |
|
Southwestern Electric Power |
Nicholas Akins |
Columbus, Ohio |
|
SRP |
Mark Bonsall |
Tempe, Ariz. |
|
Tampa Electric |
John Ramil |
Tampa, Fla. |
|
The Illuminating Company |
Charles Jones |
Akron, Ohio |
|
Tucson Electric Power |
David Hutchens |
Tucson, Ariz. |
|
United Illuminating |
Robert D. Kump |
New Haven, Conn. |
|
We Energies |
Gale Klappa |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
|
West Penn Power |
Paul Evanson |
Greensburg, Pa. |
|
Westar Energy |
Mark Ruelle |
Topeka, Kan. |
|
WPS |
Gale Klappa |
Milwaukee, Wisc. |
|
Xcel Energy - Midwest |
Benjamin Fowke |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
|
Xcel Energy - West |
Benjamin Fowke |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
Media Relations Contacts
John Tews; Troy, Mich.; 248-680-6218; [email protected]
For more information about the J.D. Power solutions for the Utility and Infrastructure industries visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-electric-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study
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