Customer Champion Utilities Have Top-rated Managements

49 Utilities Named 2017 Customer Champions

2017 Utility Residential Customer Champions (Graphic: Business Wire)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--()--Today, Market Strategies International names 49 utilities as 2017 Customer Champions, reflective of these utilities building the industry’s strongest customer engagement through superior service, brand and product experiences. These Customer Champions rate higher than industry peers on being “well managed companies” and have greater pricing power, with their customers showing higher support for rate increases.

Now in its fourth year, the 2017 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential, a Cogent Reports study by Market Strategies International, names Customer Champions from a benchmark set of 128 electric, natural gas and combination utilities. This coveted designation is based on Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) score achievement, a customer management metric that measures the entire customer experience. ECR is based upon 12 factors that span Brand Trust, Product Experience and Service Satisfaction performance.

Customer Management

Performance Scoring

 

Customer

Champions

 

All other

utilities

 

Customer

Champion

outperformance

Engaged Customer

Relationship

  751   712   39
Brand Trust   714   673   41
Product Experience 740 699 41
Service Satisfaction 790 756 34

“It’s clear from our findings that Customer Champion utilities have stronger brands to influence customer behavior, gain acceptance for rate increases, lower operating costs and enhance revenue opportunities. These utilities also lead on industry innovation and building the new energy economy,” said Chris Oberle, a senior vice president at Market Strategies International. “The bottom line is Customer Champions are superior at profitably managing their customer operations and marketing efforts.”

The 2017 Customer Champion utilities score highest on ECR and exhibit best practices that make them the best managed in the industry.

EAST REGION PEER BENCHMARKING  
Utility Service Type   Brand

Engaged Customer

Relationship Score

Combination BGE 746
Combination PECO Energy 735
Combination NYSEG 731
Combination National Grid 723
Combination PSE&G 722
Combination Delmarva Power 718
Combination Con Edison 710
Combination RG&E 709
Combination Eversource Energy 702
Electric PPL Electric Utilities 759
Electric Duquesne Light 721
Electric PSEG Long Island 708
Electric Central Maine Power 701
Electric Met-Ed 700
Electric Penn Power 699
Electric West Penn Power 697
Electric Penelec 688
Electric Monongahela Power 687
Electric Potomac Edison 686
Electric Atlantic City Electric 681
Electric Pepco 668
Electric Jersey Central Power & Light 652
Electric Appalachian Power 648
Natural Gas UGI Utilities 772
Natural Gas New Jersey Natural Gas 755
Natural Gas Philadelphia Gas Works 754
Natural Gas National Fuel Gas 751
Natural Gas Washington Gas 750
Natural Gas Elizabethtown Gas 728
Natural Gas Columbia Gas - East 726
Natural Gas Peoples 726
Natural Gas South Jersey Gas Company 715
 

Scores based on a 1,000-point maximum scale

MIDWEST REGION PEER BENCHMARKING  
Utility Service Type   Brand

Engaged Customer

Relationship Score

Combination Consumers Energy 751
Combination NIPSCO 751
Combination MidAmerican Energy 749
Combination Wisconsin Public Service 741
Combination DTE Energy 734
Combination We Energies 730
Combination Duke Energy Midwest 722
Combination Ameren Illinois 718
Combination Alliant Energy 713
Combination Vectren 711
Combination Xcel Energy - Midwest 708
Electric Indianapolis Power & Light 735
Electric Indiana Michigan Power 732
Electric Ohio Edison 727
Electric ComEd 724
Electric OPPD 722
Electric KCP&L 717
Electric Dayton Power & Light 712
Electric AEP Ohio 711
Electric Ameren Missouri 710
Electric The Illuminating Company 707
Electric Toledo Edison 700
Electric Westar Energy 681
Natural Gas SEMCO Energy Gas Company 760
Natural Gas Nicor Gas 749
Natural Gas CenterPoint Energy - Midwest 744
Natural Gas Citizens Energy 741
Natural Gas Atmos Energy - Midwest 736
Natural Gas Columbia Gas of Ohio 733
Natural Gas Kansas Gas Service 727
Natural Gas Dominion Energy Ohio 726
Natural Gas Peoples Gas 724
Natural Gas Spire - Western Missouri 720
Natural Gas Spire - Eastern Missouri 717
 

Scoring based upon a 1,000-point maximum scale

SOUTH REGION PEER BENCHMARKING  
Utility Service Type   Brand

Engaged Customer

Relationship Score

Combination CPS Energy 733
Combination Louisville Gas & Electric 725
Combination SCE&G 720
Combination MLGW 716
Electric Georgia Power 770
Electric Florida Power & Light 762
Electric OG&E 758
Electric Public Service Company of Oklahoma 756
Electric JEA 753
Electric Kentucky Utilities 748
Electric OUC 746
Electric Gulf Power 740
Electric Nashville Electric Service 734
Electric Alabama Power 732
Electric Duke Energy Carolinas 730
Electric Duke Energy Progress 729
Electric Duke Energy Florida 720
Electric Xcel Energy - South 718
Electric Dominion Energy Virginia 712
Electric Entergy 711
Electric Mississippi Power 710
Electric TECO Tampa Electric 708
Electric Southwestern Electric Power Company 705
Electric Austin Energy 691
Electric El Paso Electric 674
Electric Kentucky Power 652
Natural Gas TECO Peoples Gas 789
Natural Gas Atmos Energy - South 786
Natural Gas Piedmont Natural Gas 777
Natural Gas Columbia Gas - South 768
Natural Gas PSNC Energy 767
Natural Gas Spire - South 762
Natural Gas CenterPoint Energy - South 760
Natural Gas Oklahoma Natural Gas 758
Natural Gas Virginia Natural Gas 735
Natural Gas Texas Gas Service 734
 

Scoring based upon a 1,000-point maximum scale

WEST REGION PEER BENCHMARKING  
Utility Service Type   Brand

Engaged Customer

Relationship Score

Combination Xcel Energy- West 745
Combination SDG&E 727
Combination Puget Sound Energy 721
Combination Avista 701
Combination NorthWestern Energy 697
Combination PG&E 689
Electric SMUD 778
Electric Salt River Project 767
Electric Idaho Power 743
Electric Seattle City Light 740
Electric Southern California Edison 730
Electric Portland General Electric 729
Electric Tucson Electric Power 729
Electric Rocky Mountain Power 727
Electric APS 724
Electric Pacific Power 724
Electric NV Energy 720
Electric Los Angeles Department of Water & Power 682
Electric PNM 652
Natural Gas Dominion Energy West 773
Natural Gas SoCalGas 762
Natural Gas NW Natural 759
Natural Gas Intermountain Gas Company 742
Natural Gas Southwest Gas 740
Natural Gas New Mexico Gas Company 740
Natural Gas Cascade Natural Gas 729
 

Scoring based upon a 1,000-point maximum scale

About the Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Residential report

Cogent Reports conducted surveys among 59,947 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 130 largest US utility companies (based on residential customer counts). The sample design uses US census data and strict quotas 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 in order to balance the influence of each utility’s customers on survey results. Market Strategies will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.

About Market Strategies International

Market Strategies International is a leading provider of research and consulting services to utility management, trusted by the world’s most successful organizations to help them thrive. We blend primary research with data from our syndicated, benchmarking and self-funded studies to provide clients with exceptional research insight that helps solve their challenges. Our research specialties include brand, communications, CX, product development and segmentation. Our syndicated products, known as Cogent Reports, help clients understand the market environment, explore industry trends and monitor their brand within the competitive landscape. Founded in 1989, Market Strategies is one of the largest market research firms in the world. Read Market Strategies’ blog at FreshMR, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Contacts

Market Strategies International
Anne Denz, 617.715.7611
anne.denz@marketstrategies.com

Release Summary

Market Strategies International names 49 utilities as 2017 Residential Customer Champions.

Contacts

Market Strategies International
Anne Denz, 617.715.7611
anne.denz@marketstrategies.com