Gas Utility Satisfaction Reaches All-Time High, J.D. Power Finds
COSTA MESA, Calif., Jan. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gas utility business customer satisfaction scores have reached their highest levels ever, as measured in the J.D. Power 2017 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study,(SM) released today. With an overall satisfaction score of 792 (on a 1,000-point scale), gas utility business customers are now the most satisfied among all utility customers surveyed by J.D. Power.
"Gas utilities have put huge efforts into customer safety preparedness during the past few years, and those efforts are starting to pay off in the form of record-high levels of satisfaction among business customers," said Carl Lepper, Director, Utility Practice at J.D. Power. "Since our 2015 study, we've seen 19% growth in customers' perceptions of gas utilities being very helpful with safety preparation, and that has been the biggest single contributor to the significant industry-wide improvement in customer satisfaction."
Following are some key findings of the study:
-- Record-high customer satisfaction scores: Overall satisfaction among gas
utility business customers reaches an all-time high of 792, the highest
overall satisfaction score among all utility customers surveyed by J.D.
Power. Among gas-only brands, that overall satisfaction score jumps to
801.
-- Safety preparation efforts significantly affect customer satisfaction:
Overall, 36% of business customers say their gas utility is "very
helpful" when it comes to preparation for safety issues, up from just
17% in 2015. Perceived helpfulness of the gas utility with safety
preparation is the most-influencing element in overall satisfaction,
associated with a 168-point gain in satisfaction.
-- Digital billing closes gap with paper statements: The gap between the
number of gas utility business customers receiving their bills on paper
and those receiving electronic statements has closed to just 6
percentage points, compared with 16 percentage points the previous year,
with 53% of customers receiving digital bills and 59% receiving paper
statements, remembering that some receive both.
-- Media perceptions matter: Positive media stories about a gas utility
have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. Communications
satisfaction among customers who recall a positive media story about
their utility is 872 vs. 653 among those who recall a negative story.
-- Larger companies have higher levels of satisfaction: Business customer
satisfaction scores increase along with the size of the company. For
example, companies with 1,000+ employees have an average overall
satisfaction score of 817, while those with four or fewer employees have
a score of 742. This is likely in response to larger companies receiving
dedicated account support and more proactive contacts from their gas
utility.
Study Rankings
The industry results for the 2017 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: DTE Energy
-- South: Alagasco
-- West: NW Natural (for the second consecutive year)
Now in its 13th year, the 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 61 brands included in the study serve more than 25,000 business customers, representing more than 4 million business customers in total. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining six factors (listed in order of importance): safety and reliability (25%); billing and payment (17%); corporate citizenship (15%); customer service (15%); price (15%); and communications (13%).
The study is based on responses from more than 10,000 online interviews with business customers who spend at least $150 monthly on gas. The study was fielded in two waves: February-June 2017 and July-November 2017.
To learn more about the Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-gas-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study.
See the online press release at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2018003.
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. J.D. Power is a portfolio company of XIO Group, a global alternative investments and private equity firm headquartered in London, and is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer.
Study Rankings
--------------
Overall Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
East Region
New Jersey Natural Gas 827
UGI 813
BGE 798
PSE&G 795
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania 794
PECO 791
Washington Gas 782
East Region Average 782
Con Edison 781
Eversource 778
Peoples 774
Philadelphia Gas Works 770
National Grid 766
Columbia Gas of Massachusetts 765
National Fuel Gas 762
NYSEG 757
Midwest Region
DTE Energy 813
Duke Energy 808
Atmos Energy-Midwest 807
MidAmerican Energy 805
Louisville Gas & Electric 801
Dominion Energy Ohio 797
Laclede Gas 797
Columbia Gas of Ohio 795
Vectren 794
Consumers Energy 793
Peoples Gas 793
CenterPoint Energy-Midwest 791
Xcel Energy-Midwest 789
Midwest Region Average 787
Black Hills Energy 786
Kansas Gas Service 786
Nicor Gas 777
Alliant Energy 769
Wisconsin Public Service 769
Missouri Gas 768
Ameren Illinois 764
We Energies 764
NIPSCO 762
South Region
Alagasco 837
TECO Peoples Gas 832
South Carolina Electric & Gas 829
Piedmont Natural Gas 826
Atmos Energy-South 822
CenterPoint Energy-South 821
South Region Average 820
Texas Gas Service 815
PSNC Energy 811
Oklahoma Natural Gas 801
West Region
NW Natural 819
Southwest Gas 807
Southern California Gas Company 804
San Diego Gas & Electric 800
Puget Sound Energy 797
Avista 794
Questar Gas 793
West Region Average 790
New Mexico Gas Company 771
Pacific Gas & Electric 770
Xcel Energy-West 752
Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com
John Roderick; St. James, N.Y.; 631-584-2200; john@jroderick.com
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/about-us/press-release-infohttp://www.jdpower.com/about/index.htm
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SOURCE J.D. Power
