Small and midsize business customers desire energy reliability, trustworthiness, and effective emergency communications

E Source is excited to announce the results of the E Source 2023 Business Customer Satisfaction Study. The company surveyed small and midsize business (SMB) customers to discover the utility attributes they value most, as well as where their utility ranks on those attributes.

The survey uses a 10-point scale, where 1 is the lowest score and 10 is the highest. Among nine attributes, SMB customers selected three as most important for a utility to possess:

• Energy reliability
• Trustworthiness
• Effective emergency communications

E Source Market Research conducts the annual Business Customer Satisfaction Study to provide utilities and account representatives with direct feedback from SMB customers. The survey produces an understanding of the overall satisfaction levels and identifies where improvement is essential. Over 1,400 SMB customers participated in the ninth edition of the study, which revealed the top-ranked utilities in 2023.

“Small businesses are the economic engines of our community, and we work hard to give them the service and support they need to thrive.” —Debbie DePetris, Clark Public Utilities

Of the participating utilities, Clark Public Utilities earned the top spot by receiving a score of 8.85 out of 10 for overall customer satisfaction and perceived value. Clark Public Utilities also scored highest for all utility and business customer representative attributes in the study.

“Small businesses are the economic engines of our community, and we work hard to give them the service and support they need to thrive,” says Debbie DePetris, energy services manager at Clark Public Utilities. “Customer service is at the heart of what we do at Clark Public Utilities, and we want all our customers of every size to know we’re here for them.”

Pedernales Electric Cooperative earned second place in the SMB study with a total score of 8.34 out of 10 for overall satisfaction and perceived value. The utility scored highly for providing reliable energy, being trustworthy, and being easy to do business with.

In third place, WEC Energy Group earned high marks in providing reliable energy, effective emergency communications, and being trustworthy. SMB customers gave the utility an overall satisfaction and perceived value score of 7.35 out of 10.

“Congratulations to the top utilities in the small and midsize business study for understanding their customers unique situations and energy needs.” —Daniel Doutre, E Source

“Congratulations to the top utilities in the small and midsize business study for understanding their customers unique situations and energy needs,” says Daniel Doutre, lead analyst, E Source Market Research. “Given their large numbers of SMBs, it’s admirable that these utilities continue to develop their abilities to better serve these customers.”

Members of the E Source Account Management Service will be able to access the complete study results, and utility participants that aren’t members of this service may purchase aggregate results separately. Contact E Source to learn more.

About E Source

E Source, the data authority for the utility industry, blends industry-leading research, predictive data science, and solution services to help utilities make better decisions to support their customers, their bottom line, and our planet. With a commitment to practical innovation, we use more than three decades of utility-focused experience and our unique solution set to help clients achieve their goal of becoming a Sustainable Utility. E Source is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with offices across the US.