Peoples Gas named a most trusted utility brand in national survey for second year running

CHICAGO, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Peoples Gas has been named one of Escalent's top "Most Trusted Brands" in its Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement residential study.

In the 2020 survey by the leading human behavior and analytics firm, Peoples Gas received the second-highest Brand Trust Index score in the Midwest region among natural gas service-only providers.

"We are more focused than ever in our commitment to provide safe and reliable service to our customers during these unprecedented times," said Charles Matthews, president and CEO — Peoples Gas. "We will continue to work hard every day to serve our communities. Our high marks in this survey show that our efforts make a difference, and we thank our customers for their trust."

Escalent noted that customer trust in utilities has hit historic highs amid the industry's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is clear from our research the utility industry has done a fantastic job supporting customers through the pandemic," said Chris Oberle, senior vice president — Escalent. "Awareness of utility COVID-19 efforts was supported by higher communications recall, the high quality of customer service interactions, and providing more value-added recommendations during service."

Peoples Gas has provided support to customers during the COVID-19 emergency through a disconnection moratorium, deferred payment arrangement extensions, financial assistance programs and other measures to help Chicagoans weather this difficult period. The company has shared frequent communications about policy changes and new safety protocols to help its customers stay informed, safe and healthy.

"Peoples Gas remains committed to staying connected with our customers and doing our part to make these difficult days less burdensome," said Larry Szumski, vice president — customer relations for Peoples Gas. "We appreciate the trust our customers have placed in us, and will keep working to maintain that trust as we manage the next part of the COVID-19 crisis together."

Escalent's Brand Trust Index is a composite score of utility performance in customer focus, community support, communications effectiveness, reliable quality, environmental dedication and reputation. It draws from surveys of more than 70,000 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 140 largest U.S. utility companies based on residential customer count.

In addition to this survey's recognition, Peoples Gas also was highlighted as one of the country's "Easiest Utilities to Do Business With" by Escalent in an April 2020 survey from the firm.

About Peoples Gas

Peoples Gas, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves more than 867,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the city of Chicago. You can find more information about natural gas safety, energy efficiency and other energy-related topics at peoplesgasdelivery.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @peoplegaschi.

About Escalent

Escalent is a top human behavior and analytics firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, Escalent tells stories that transform data and insight into a profound understanding of what drives human beings. And Escalent helps businesses turn those drivers into actions that build brands, enhance customer experiences and inspire product innovation. Visit escalent.co to see how Escalent is helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.

About Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential

Escalent conducted surveys among 70,438 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 140 largest US utility companies (based on residential customer counts). The sample design uses a combination of quotas and weighting based on census data to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility's customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity. Utilities within the same region and of the same type (e.g., electric-only providers) are given equal weight to balance the influence of each utility's customers on survey results. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.

SOURCE Peoples Gas

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