Category: UtilitiesUnited States

Gas Utility Residential Satisfaction Lowest since 2015, JD Power Finds

2024-11-26

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 4 Dec. 2024 — Gas utility customer satisfaction with billing and payment and customer care significantly drop, according to the JD Power 2024 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, ^SM released today. Declines on these factors contributed to a significant decline in the industry’s overall satisfaction score, down 11 points to 729 (on a 1,000-point scale), the lowest score since 2015. Specifically, satisfaction with billing and payments drops to 773, down 22 points from 2023 and satisfaction with customer care drops to 774, a reduction of 26 points from 2023.

“Satisfaction with billing and payment and customer care have been on steady declines for a few years, even as more customers use digital channels,” said Chris Oberle, managing director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “As we continue to dive further into a digital world, gas utility companies need to be innovative with their digital channels to ensure they meet or exceed the expectations of customers, especially their websites and mobile apps as these yield the highest satisfaction when used.”

Study Rankings

The following utilities rank highest in residential customer satisfaction in their respective segment:

• East Large Segment: PSE&G
• East Midsize Segment: Elizabethtown Gas (for a 10^th consecutive year) 
• Midwest Large Segment: MidAmerican Energy (for a second consecutive year)
• Midwest Midsize Segment: Atmos Energy (for a third consecutive year)
• South Large Segment: Piedmont Natural Gas (for a third consecutive year)
• South Midsize Segment: Columbia Gas of Virginia 
• West Large Segment: Southwest Gas (for a fifth consecutive year) 
• West Midsize Segment: Intermountain Gas Company (for a second consecutive year)

The 2024 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 63,363 online interviews conducted from January through October 2024 among residential customers of the 86 largest gas utility brands across the United States, which represent more than 125,000 residential customers. 

For more information about the Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-gas-utility-residential-customer-satisfaction-study. 

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected] 

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Surges as Utilities Step Up Proactive Outreach and Help Customers Manage Costs, JD Power Finds

2024-11-11

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 13 Nov. 2024 — A combination of improved business outlooks, stabilizing rates and improved communications have helped business customer satisfaction with electric utilities significantly increase this year. According to the JD Power 2024 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, overall business customer satisfaction with electric utilities has increased 30 points (on a 1,000-point scale) following several years of declines and persistent customer dismay with high rates.

“These findings are incredibly compelling because of the huge gains in customer satisfaction—even in the area of price satisfaction—at a time when average electricity rates are still historically high,” said Ramah Vaughn, director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “Rates have stabilized, but they have not started to come down yet. However, utilities have really stepped up their outreach to business customers and they’ve taken a more proactive role in helping them find ways to better manage their costs. This is having a notable effect on customer satisfaction.”

Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:

• Overall satisfaction and price satisfaction rise sharply: Overall business customer satisfaction with electric utilities is 784, up 30 points from 2023. Moreover, price is the leading factor driving that improvement, with price satisfaction rising 47 points year over year. Other factors where utilities realize significant gains in customer satisfaction are corporate citizenship (+41 points) and communication (+37).
• Utilities help business customers lower rates: Nationwide, 49% of business customers say their electric utility worked with them to lower their rates. This was achieved largely through stepped-up efforts to improve proactive and digital communications, with 27% of businesses indicating that they received proactive outreach from their electric utility and 56% indicating that they received digital contact from their utility.
• Rising tide of business optimism helps buoy scores: The number of business customers who say they are better off financially than they were a year ago has increased 5 percentage points, while the number of those who say they are worse off financially has not only decreased 2 percentage points this year but also 7 percentage points in the past four years.

Study Rankings

Within each of the four U.S. geographic regions included in the study, utility providers are classified into one of two segments: large (serving 90,000 or more business customers) and midsize (serving 50,000-89,999 business customers).

The following utilities rank highest in business customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East Large: Con Edison
• East Midsize: Pepco
• Midwest Large: MidAmerican Energy (for a second consecutive year)
• Midwest Midsize: Kentucky Utilities and NIPSCO in a tie
• South Large: Georgia Power 
• South Midsize: Entergy Texas
• West Large: Idaho Power
• West Midsize: Seattle City Light (for a third consecutive year)

The Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 26^th year, measures satisfaction among business customers of 80 targeted U.S. electric utilities, each of which serves more than 50,000 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; price; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; customer contact; and communications. The 2024 study is based on responses from 20,863 online interviews of business customers in decision-making roles related to their utility company. The study was fielded from March through October 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utilities/electric-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected] 

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Customer Contact Satisfaction among Gas Utility Business Customers Lowest in Eight Years, JD Power Finds

2024-10-15

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 16 Oct. 2024 — Customer contact with gas utility provider satisfaction is the lowest since 2016, according to the JD Power 2024 U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. With that, first-contact problem resolution has drastically decreased to 70% along with a steep decline in satisfaction. Additionally, nearly one-fourth (24%) of study respondents said they spent an hour or more talking with their gas utility representative while using digital tools. Satisfaction is 817 (on a 1,000-point scale) among those who spent more than an hour, while those who  had their problem resolved in 10 minutes or less have a satisfaction score of 863.

“With so many customers taking an hour or longer to resolve their problems, providers need to look toward increasing investments in digital assets that are going to automate and reduce the time needed to resolve problems,” said Ramah Vaughn, director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “We are seeing that the score for timeliness to resolve problems is down across the industry. There needs to be an exploration into emerging technological solutions such as AI to reduce this time. Utilities should be aiming for problem resolution to happen in under 30 minutes, as satisfaction is still very high and their problems are resolved.

“Additionally, the study shows that utilities’ websites are used most out of all digital tools and ease of navigating the site experienced one of the largest declines in satisfaction. As these websites have not undergone major reconstruction, it highlights that customer expectations are evolving. If utilities do not evolve with such expectations and make strides toward a website that is easy to navigate, satisfaction will surely continue to decline.”

Study Rankings

The following utilities rank highest in customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East: Washington Gas
• Midwest: DTE Energy
• South: Texas Gas Service
• West: NW Natural

Now in its 20th year, the U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study measures business customer satisfaction with gas utility companies in four regions: East, Midwest, South and West. Each of the 60 brands included in the study serve more than 25,000 business customers, representing more than 4.4 million business customers in total. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining six factors (listed in order of importance): safety and reliability; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; price; communications; and customer contact.

The study is based on responses from more than 10,240 online interviews of business customers in decision-making roles related to their utility company. The study was fielded from January through September 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utilities/gas-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Electric Utilities Search for Customer Buy-In on Sustainability Amid Widespread Environmental Pessimism, JD Power Finds

2024-07-30

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 31 July 2024 — With the average electricity rate in the United States up nearly 3%¹ and the cost of summer season cooling costs projected to rise 8%² this year, the nation’s residential and business electric utility customers are far more concerned with energy prices than they are with sustainability initiatives. According to the JD Power 2024 Sustainability Index,^SM released today, just 21% of electric utility customers are even aware of their electric utility’s carbon reduction initiatives, despite that 80% of U.S. utility customers are served by a utility with a 100% carbon reduction target.³ Customers are nearly three times more likely to list “energy prices” than “environmental issues” as their most important energy-related issue.

“Electric utilities need buy-in from customers on sustainability targets to justify rate cases, garner support for infrastructure projects and drive the kind of consumer usage and behavioral changes needed to achieve sustainability goals,” said Andrew Heath, vice president of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “But the lack of awareness of these initiatives and the large amount of pessimism surrounding climate change is creating an uphill battle. If utilities are going to build the customer support and participation required to reach their goals, they need to find ways to effectively communicate the goals and benefits of their clean energy strategy.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2024 index:

• Awareness of sustainability efforts increases slowly: Overall, just 21%of electric utility customers are aware of whether their utility has declared a goal to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, up from 19% in 2023. The overall sustainability score for electric utilities evaluated in the study—which is based on customer awareness, engagement and advocacy for their local utility’s climate initiatives—is 32 (on a 100-point scale), up 5 points from 2023.
• Affordability outpaces sustainability as most important customer issue: When asked what the most important energy-related issue facing their family/business is, 18% of respondents say energy prices, compared with 6.4% who say environmental issues.
• Widespread pessimism about ability to address climate change: More customers are becoming pessimistic, with 21% now stating that either “nothing” or “very little” can be done to mitigate the problem. Meanwhile, fewer customers say climate change is “serious” or “very serious,” down to 51% from 53% in 2023.
• Customers skeptical that their utility will reach its clean energy goal: On average, only 28% of customer say their local electric utility will reach its clean energy goal. Most customers believe the goal will not be achieved and many say they don’t know. There also are large differences between utilities: top performers have more than 35% of customers stating the goal will be achieved, whereas some have less than 25%.
• Highest-scoring utilities: The L.A. Department of Water & Power (39) and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (39) each have the highest score. Other top performers include NextEra Energy (38) and Con Edison (38).

The JD Power Sustainability Index evaluates electric utility customer awareness, support, engagement and advocacy for their local utility’s climate sustainability programs and goals. The index applies to the 35 largest U.S. electric utility companies and cities, each serving 500,000 or more residential customers and is based on responses from 73,255 business and residential electric utility customers and was fielded from June 2023 through May 2024.

Following is the full list of electric utility companies and cities that were evaluated, along with their index score:

Utility	2024 Sustainability Index Score
L.A. Dept. of Water & Power	39
Sacramento Municipal Utility District	39
NextEra Energy	38
Con Edison	38
Edison International	37
Southern Company	37
DTE Energy	37
Salt River Project	36
Puget Energy	35
Portland General Electric	34
CPS Energy	34
Dominion	34
Exelon	34
Pacific Gas and Electric	33
CMS Energy	33
Duke Energy	33
Xcel Energy	32
Emera	32
Sempra Energy	32
Entergy	32
Pinnacle West	32
Ameren	31
Berkshire Hathaway Energy	31
PSEG	31
National Grid	31
Duquesne Light	30
PPL Corporation	29
Alliant Energy	29
OGE Energy Corp.	28
Evergy	28
Eversource	28
AEP	27
WEC Energy Group	27
FirstEnergy	25
Avangrid	24

For more information about the JD Power Sustainability Index, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/sustainability-certification-program.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Energy Prices for the United States https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/averageenergyprices_selectedareas_table.htm
²2024 NEADA Summer Cooling Outlook https://neada.org/#:~:text=The%20financial%20burden%20to%20families,and%20the%20Center%20for%20Energy
³SEPA Utility Carbon-Reduction Tracker™. Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). Retrieved July 25, 2024, from https://sepasandbox.wpengine.com/utility-transformation-challenge/utility-carbon-reduction-tracker

 

Secret to a Well-Managed Utility: Strong Brand Appeal, JD Power Finds

2024-07-23

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 24 July 2024 — Do customers like doing business with their local gas and electric utilities, or merely tolerate them? Increasingly, the answer to that question determines how well utilities perform on virtually every customer management success metric—from satisfaction and engagement, to trust and advocacy and support for rate increases. That’s the major takeaway from two studies that evaluate the overall brand appeal of 234 electric and gas utilities in the United States: the JD Power 2024 U.S. Electric Utility Brand Appeal Index Study ^SM and the JD Power 2024 U.S. Gas Utility Brand Appeal Index Study, ^SM both released today.

“Brand appeal has become a critical marker of a well-managed utility because it shows that the utility is going above and beyond to engage and connect with customers and, importantly, that their communications are aligning with the brand traits customers most value,” said Chris Oberle, managing director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “The best utilities recognize that there is far more to building a strong reputation in their communities than simply providing reliable service. From leading on industry innovation, service quality and proactive customer interactions to being engaged in the communities they serve, utilities that cultivate a strong brand presence in their customers’ lives are rewarded in several important ways.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2024 studies:

• High brand appeal has benefits:  Customers with strong brand appeal for their utility have an average overall satisfaction score that is more than 200 points higher (on a 1,000-point scale) than those with weak brand appeal. Utilities with appealing brands also enjoy higher customer loyalty; an increase in support for rate increases; and a significantly higher percentage of customers who believe the utility manages its financials well and are willing to advocate for the utility.
• Trust is high, but reputation still needs work: The customer trust score for electric utilities is 723 and for gas utilities is 751—both of which are up from a year ago. Despite these high scores for trust, however, company reputation scores for electric (655) and gas (674) utilities are the lowest of all factors evaluated in the study, suggesting that many utilities still have work to do building meaningful brands.
• Gas utility brand appeal is stronger than electric utility brand appeal: Gas utilities score an average of 717 on the overall Brand Appeal Index, an increase of 5 points from 2023. The average Brand Appeal Index score for electric utilities is 22 points lower at 695, a 2-point decline from a year ago.

Study Rankings

Highest-ranking electric utilities in brand appeal by region and category are as follows:

East: PSE&G (733)

Midwest: WPS (728)

South: EPB (773)

West: Clark Public Utilities (761)

Cooperatives: Walton EMC (769)

Highest-ranking gas utilities in brand appeal by region are as follows:

East: PSE&G (750)

Midwest: MidAmerican Energy (754)

South: Columbia Gas of Virginia (751) and TECO Peoples Gas (751) in a tie

West: Intermountain Gas Company (742)

The Electric Utility Brand Appeal Index Study and Gas Utility Brand Appeal Index Study are each in their second year but are in their first year of being award eligible. The studies analyze how well U.S. utilities relate to their customers, evaluating the specific actions that influence overall brand experience, including company reputation, marketing execution and customer trust, among 149 electric utilities and 85 gas utilities. The index applies to all U.S. electric and natural gas utilities profiled in the JD Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study^SM and the JD Power Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.^SM This year’s studies captured the responses of 116,914 utility customers and were fielded from July 2023 through May 2024.

For more information about the Utility Brand Appeal Index studies, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utility-brand-appeal-index.  

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Utility Digital Strategies Not Keeping Pace with Customer Expectations and Behaviors, JD Power Finds

2024-02-21

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 22 Feb. 2024 — Websites and mobile apps are the first places most customers turn when they want self-service, have questions or experience a problem with a product or service, and in many service industries—including wealth management, property and casualty insurance and retirement plans—they find what they need. However, this is not the case with America’s electric, natural gas and water utilities. According to the JD Power 2024 U.S. Utility Digital Experience Study,^SM released today, customer satisfaction with utility websites and mobile apps significantly lags that of other industries, and utilities do not appear to be doing enough to counter the trend.

Now in its seventh year, the study has been redesigned for 2024. It assesses how customers interact with the utility websites and mobile apps offered by the 44 largest electric, natural gas and water utilities in the United States.

“Digital is the first stop for utility customers when they experience a problem or need more information related to billing or special programs, but more often than not, their digital inquiries are leading to dead ends and phone calls to customer service,” said Jon Sundberg, director of digital solutions at JD Power. “At a time when many industries are focused on developing consumer websites and apps that are updated in near real-time, the static, reactive approach to digital being taken by utilities is falling far short of current customer expectations.”

Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:

• Missing the mark on customer expectations: Overall customer satisfaction with the utility digital experience is 594 (on a 1,000-point scale). That compares with an average satisfaction score of 718 for wealth management apps and websites; 702 for the property and casualty insurance industry; and 685 for retirement plans.
• Mobile apps show promise, but many utilities don’t offer them: Among digital channels evaluated, utility mobile apps consistently have the highest level of customer satisfaction, scoring 60 points higher than mobile websites and 38 points higher than websites accessed via desktop. Despite the better overall user experience offered by mobile apps, 27% of utilities evaluated in the study do not currently offer one.
• Surging usage: The percentages of utility customers using websites (35%) and mobile apps (17%) as a primary contact channel for their electric, natural gas and water utilities have grown steadily during the past seven years, up from 15% and 5%, respectively.[1] This suggests that utility efforts to enhance their digital offerings are becoming more recognized by customers.
• Missed opportunity to drive customer engagement: Slightly more than half (54%) of utility customers say they have received personalized information regarding their energy and/or water consumption, despite 49%, indicating that they would find such information helpful.

The 2024 U.S. Utility Digital Experience Study is based on evaluations from 11,619 customers of the 44 largest electric, natural gas and water utilities in the United States. To be included in the study, utilities must serve 1,000,000 or more residential customers. The study was fielded from November 2023 through January 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Utility Digital Experience Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/us-utility-digital-experience-study

See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2024010.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹JD Power 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study

 

Higher Monthly Bills Contribute to Decline in Customer Satisfaction with Electric Utilities, JD Power Finds

2023-12-12

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 13 Dec. 2023 — Overall satisfaction among electric utility residential customers declines 18 points to 713 (on a 1,000-point scale) from a year ago, marking the third consecutive year of decreasing satisfaction, according to the JD Power 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. More than half (58%) of electric utility customers say they were not aware of rate increases and as the average electric utility bill is up to $178 per month, satisfaction with price decreased 33 points to 627.

“Utilities need to communicate why a rate increase is necessary and what the benefit is to customers to help mitigate some of the negative perceptions behind the rising costs,” said John Hazen, managing director of utility intelligence at JD Power. “Energy efficiency awareness, reliability improvements, community outreach and participation in local events are the feel-good stories utility providers should lead with to help increase overall satisfaction.”

Study Results

The following utilities rank highest in customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East Large Segment: PSE&G for a second consecutive year
• East Midsize Segment: Delmarva Power for a second consecutive year
• Midwest Large Segment: MidAmerican Energy for a second consecutive year
• Midwest Midsize Segment: WPS
• South Large Segment: Georgia Power for a second consecutive year
• South Midsize Segment: EPB for an eighth consecutive year
• West Large Segment: SRP for a 22^nd consecutive year
• West Midsize Segment: Clark Public Utilities for a 16^th consecutive year
• Cooperatives Segment: Jackson EMC

The 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 104,801 online interviews conducted from January through November 2023 among residential customers of the 149 largest electric utility brands in the United States, which represent more than 105 million households.

For more information about the Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/electric-utility-residential-customer-satisfaction-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Gas Utility Residential Customers More Worried About Utility Bills Than Taxes, JD Power Finds

2023-11-28

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 29 Nov. 2023 — The average monthly residential gas utility bill increases by $31 from 2021 to $115 in 2023, according to the JD Power 2023 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, ^SM released today. When listing the most important issues facing study respondents and their families, the number one issue is the economy and jobs, followed by energy prices. Taxes and government spending is third. Overall customer satisfaction for residential gas customers declines 10 points (on a 1,000-point scale) to 740 in 2023 from 750 in 2022, mostly due to a 24-point decline in price satisfaction, which fell more than any of the six factors that compose the overall customer satisfaction index.

“One-fourth of our study respondents say they were able to get help managing their gas bill but the increase in prices is overshadowing these utility efforts,” said Mark Spalinger, director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “It is important for utility companies to not ignore the price increase, but effectively communicate to their customers what they’re doing to improve conservation and infrastructure and align value proposition in a way that helps customers see their money is being put to good use.”

Study Rankings

The following utilities rank highest in residential customer satisfaction in their respective segment:

• East Large Segment: New Jersey Natural Gas
• East Midsize Segment: Elizabethtown Gas (for a ninth consecutive year) 
• Midwest Large Segment: MidAmerican Energy
• Midwest Midsize Segment: Atmos Energy (for a second consecutive year)
• South Large Segment: Piedmont Natural Gas (for a second consecutive year)
• South Midsize Segment: TECO Peoples Gas (for an 11^th consecutive year) 
• West Large Segment: Southwest Gas (for a fourth consecutive year) 
• West Midsize Segment: Intermountain Gas Company 

The 2023 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 60,958 online interviews conducted from January through October 2023 among residential customers of the 85 largest gas utility brands across the United States, which represent more than 64.6 million households. 

For more information about the Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-gas-utility-residential-customer-satisfaction-study. 

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Electric Utilities Unable to Halt Slide in Business Customer Satisfaction as Costs Mount, JD Power Finds

2023-11-13

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 15 Nov. 2023 — Business customers are paying more than ever for their electricity, and they’re not satisfied with the steps utilities are taking to support their business needs. According to the JD Power 2023 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, overall business customer satisfaction with electric utilities has reached an all-time low of 754 (on a 1,000-point scale) driven by a combination of steadily rising prices and a perceived lack of concern for their needs, support and engagement.

“There is not a lot that electric utilities can do to reduce costs, but they can offset the negative sentiment their business customers are feeling by ramping up communications, delivering more personalized service and making sure customers are aware of infrastructure improvements,” said Adrian Chung, director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “Right now, far too many business customers are not receiving proactive outreach, including power outage updates. They are largely unaware of tree trimming and other infrastructure improvement projects and they have no dedicated service when they contact their utility for service. Utilities need to establish a stronger collaboration with these high-value customers.”

Following are some key findings of the 2023 study:

• Personalization and proactive outreach make a difference: Nearly three-fourths (71%) of business customers say their electric utility did not provide power outage-related updates. Among the 29% of customers who did receive an outage-related update, overall satisfaction is 62 points higher than among those who didn’t receive an update. Similarly, 42% of business customers say their typical contact method is the utility’s main telephone number. Just 15% of business customers say they have an assigned account representative.
• Awareness of infrastructure maintenance declines: The percentage of business customers who say their electric utility does a good job to maintain the infrastructure has declined 4 percentage points this year, while overall business customer satisfaction is down 20 points, while power quality and reliability satisfaction is down 13 points (786 vs. 799 in 2022).
• Can’t hide from higher prices: While overall business customer satisfaction with the price of electricity is down 38 points this year, the effect is less severe when customers receive advance notice to prepare for rate increases, the utility provides ways to reduce bills and there is awareness of budget billing options or assistance programs.
• EV charging ports help boost business customer satisfaction: Nearly one in five (19%) businesses currently have an EV charging station at their business location and 60% of businesses say it is “somewhat important” or “very important” to have EV charging available at their business. Price satisfaction among business with EV chargers is 93 points higher than among those with no chargers installed.

Study Rankings

Within each of the four U.S. geographic regions included in the study, utility providers are classified into one of two segments: large (serving 90,000 or more business customers) and midsize (serving 50,000-89,999 business customers).

The following utilities rank highest in business customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East Large: BGE (for a second consecutive year) and PSE&G (in a tie)
• East Midsize: Atlantic City Electric (for a second consecutive year)
• Midwest Large: MidAmerican Energy
• Midwest Midsize: Indiana Michigan Power
• South Large: Alabama Power 
• South Midsize: JEA
• West Large: SRP (for a third consecutive year)
• West Midsize: Seattle City Light (for a second consecutive year)

The Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 25^th year, measures satisfaction among business customers of 79 targeted U.S. electric utilities, each of which serves more than 50,000 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; price; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; customer contact; and communications.

The 2023 study is based on responses from 17,683 online interviews of business customers in decision-making roles related to their utility company. The study was fielded from February through October 2023.

For more information about the Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utilities/electric-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study.

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

 

Rising Gas Utility Business Prices Cause Lowest Overall Satisfaction in Five Years, JD Power Finds

2023-10-17

jillian.breska

TROY, Mich.: 18 Oct. 2023 — Satisfaction of businesses with their gas utility is 802 (on a 1,000-point scale), a decline of 6 points from 2022, the lowest satisfaction score since 2018, according to the JD Power 2023 U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. The rising of natural gas prices translates to rising costs for customers, as the average annual cost for gas utility businesses is $2,033, an increase of $37 from 2022, with the biggest increases in the West (+$439) and Midwest (+$149).

“Gas utility companies are not seizing the opportunity to increase satisfaction amid a declining economy,” said Ramah Vaughn, director of utilities intelligence at JD Power. “As prices continue to increase, this is an opportunity for these companies to provide better communications to customers. Customers need to see less about paperless billing and more about value such as infrastructure improvements, reliability, switching expensive metal pipes for more reliable plastic. Explaining to customers what they are getting in addition to their gas will help drive awareness to the work utility companies are doing and increase overall satisfaction.”

Study Rankings
The industry results for the 2023 study are reported across four U.S. geographic regions: East, Midwest, South and West. The following utilities rank highest in customer satisfaction in their respective region:

• East: New Jersey Natural Gas
• Midwest: MidAmerican Energy
• South: Spire
• West: Southwest Gas (for a fourth consecutive year)

Now in its 19th year, the U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study measures business customer satisfaction with gas utility companies in four regions: East, Midwest, South and West. Each of the 59 brands included in the study serve more than 25,000 business customers, representing more than 4.4 million business customers in total. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining six factors (listed in order of importance): safety and reliability (22%); billing and payment (17%); corporate citizenship (17%); price (16%); communications (14%); and customer contact (14%).

The study is based on responses from more than 8,890 online interviews of business customers in decision-making roles related to their utility company. The study was fielded from January through September 2023.

For more information about the U.S. Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utilities/gas-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study

About JD Power
JD Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, JD Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on JD Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

JD Power is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The JD Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, JD Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

About JD Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info