Business Customers Rate 15 Utilities as Most Trusted Brands

Fifteen electric utilities are being recognized as Most Trusted Brands among business customers after scoring an average 32 points higher (775) than the overall industry score of 743 (on a 1,000-point maximum scale). These and other findings are part of Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Business, a Cogent Reports™ study by Market Strategies International.

“Brand Trust is essential to the utility industry’s ability to build effective innovation, energy management and environmental programs. Utilities that are perceived as trusted business partners are already more successful at gaining customer support for these programs,” said Chris Oberle, senior vice president at Market Strategies.

The study analyzes more than 50 consumption, environmental, service, digital and rate offerings. Most Trusted Brand utilities have higher usage of these offerings and higher demand for future usage of these programs.

“With so much industry product development being conducted on environmental issues, distributed resources, energy consumption and alternative rates, the time is now to build and maintain strong brand trust levels among business customers,” continued Oberle.

The study, now in its third year, provides brand tracking and benchmark performance of 60 electric utilities among 10,486 utility business customers. The Brand Trust index is based on 35 rating questions that relate to six factors: Customer Focus, Community Support, Reliable Quality, Communications Effectiveness, Environmental Dedication and Company Reputation & Advocacy.

The following are benchmark scores of the 60 electric utilities surveyed. Those achieving top-quartile performance on Brand Trust are designated Most Trusted Brands among business customers.

2017 Brand Trust Benchmark Performance Among Business Customers

Most Trusted Business Partners

 

Brand Trust Index

Georgia Power 795
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power 793
MidAmerican Energy 784
Con Edison 782
Idaho Power 781
Alabama Power 777
Pacific Power 777
Florida Power & Light 776
Puget Sound Energy 774
Southwestern Electric Power Company 771
Ameren Illinois 768
Entergy 765
PSE&G 762
Southern California Edison 761
KCP&L 760
 
 

Second Quartile Utilities

Brand Trust Index

Salt River Project 759
Duke Energy Florida 759
Portland General Electric 757
NYSEG 757
PG&E 755
PPL Electric Utilities 754
DTE Energy 753
CPS Energy 753
Dominion Energy Virginia 752
Louisville Gas & Electric 750
Xcel Energy- West 749
West Penn Power 748
SCE&G 747
Jersey Central Power & Light 744
Rocky Mountain Power 744
 
 

Third Quartile Utilities

Brand Trust Index

Duke Energy Midwest 742
Public Service Company of Oklahoma 741
NorthWestern Energy 740
Consumers Energy 739
BGE 739
SDG&E 737
OG&E 736
National Grid 732
PECO Energy 732
Duke Energy Progress 731
ComEd 730
Ohio Edison 730
Kentucky Utilities 730
Xcel Energy - Midwest 729
Ameren Missouri 727
 
 

Fourth Quartile Utilities

Brand Trust Index

TECO Tampa Electric 726
Gulf Power 724
Penelec 723
Wisconsin Public Service 722
Alliant Energy 719
APS 719
We Energies 718
NV Energy 716
Duke Energy Carolinas 714
Appalachian Power 710
NIPSCO 708
PSEG Long Island 705
AEP Ohio 690
Eversource 684
PNM 659
 

Scores above 500 indicate a positive level of brand trust

About the Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Business Report

Market Strategies conducted surveys among 10,486 business customers of 60 electric utility companies (based on business customer counts). Utilities within the same region 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.