For years, E Source has been collaborating with utilities to conduct satisfaction surveys for small and midsize business (SMB) and large business customers. The 10th edition of the large business study featured data from more than 1,300 customers, and the 4th edition of the SMB study included more than 5,100 customers. Each study revealed the best utilities in business customer satisfaction as well as the top attributes that lead to higher satisfaction scores.
The Business Customer Satisfaction Study are more than just nationally recognized benchmark surveys that measure business customer satisfaction; they’re also critical resources for understanding the voice of the customer and determining how utilities can provide even more value to their business customers. By testing several attributes for importance and performance, E Source identifies the biggest gaps and makes actionable recommendations for improvement. Each utility participant comes away with a greater understanding of the priorities, needs, and preferences that make their business customers unique.
This year, E Source identified two main attributes that business customers consider most important for utilities to possess. In both the large business and SMB surveys, utilities identified reliability as the most important attribute, with trustworthiness as a close second. Large business customers also listed effective communications, especially during energy emergencies or outages, as a priority; and SMB customers said they appreciate it when their utility works to keep energy prices down.
In terms of large business customer satisfaction, Clark Public Utilities earned the top honor. In addition to being reliable, Clark Public Utilities scored highly for effective communications and for efforts to keep energy prices down. “Consistent benchmarking has been instrumental in advancing our key account management and improving our programs for this customer class,” says Debbie DePetris, manager of Energy Services at Clark Public Utilities. “Ranking high is a point of pride for our team, but the real value is in the opportunities for improvement we identify through the survey findings and customer feedback.”
PPL Electric Utilities secured the number-one spot in the SMB benchmark. Of the utilities in the study, PPL earned the highest scores for four of the eight attributes E Source studies, with “providing reliable energy” netting the utility’s top score. When it comes to maintaining customer trust, PPL leads the way with the highest scores for utility and account rep scores alike.
“The recognition from our small- and medium-size business customers is very satisfying,” says John Davis, director of Business Services for PPL Electric Utilities. “It’s also a reflection of the dedication of PPL’s employees to a cutting-edge, safe, and reliable grid and the drive to make every customer experience positive and helpful.”
“We’d like to congratulate the top utilities in both the large business benchmark survey and the SMB benchmark survey for being business customer–centric and implementing best practices to better serve those businesses,” says Mike Hildebrand, vice president of Account Management Solutions at E Source. “Their efforts are being noticed by customers and by E Source. Well done!”
Members of the E Source Account Management Service will be able to access the complete benchmark results, which will be available soon. Utility participants that are not members of this service may purchase the results separately.
About E Source
For 30 years, E Source has been providing market research, data, and consulting services to more than 300 utilities and their partners. This guidance helps our customers advance their efficiency programs, enhance customer relationships, and use energy more efficiently.
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Sannie Sieper, Director of Marketing, E Source
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