Dec 11, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Cogent Reports: 33 Utilities Named 2018 Customer Champions

Thirty-three utilities have been designated 2018 Customer Champions among residential customers, an annual honor given to gas, electric and combination utilities that exhibit exceptional performance in Brand Trust, Service Satisfaction and Product Experience. These three categories compose the Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) index, which provides a holistic measurement of the entire utility customer experience. This year’s Customer Champions rate an average of 41 points higher than industry peers.

Overall, this year’s results are marked by a decline in ECR scoring by 15 points to 713 (on a 1,000-point scale), primarily due to a 27-point decline on the Product Experience index. Customer Champions were able to mitigate this decline with high levels of Brand Trust. These and other findings can be found in 2018 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Residential™, a Cogent Reports™ study by Market Strategies International-Morpace.

Customer expectations for value-added programs are increasing rapidly, and compared with 2017, utility customers are less likely to view their utility’s product and service offerings as beneficial. Additionally, despite efforts by utilities to expand consumption management programs, customer perception has declined for some of the most important benefits, such as “lowering utility costs” and “helping customers become more energy-conscious.”

“The industry-wide decline in Product Experience highlights the need for consumer education on value-added offerings as utilities seek to replace declining revenues from traditional operations,” said Chris Oberle, senior vice president at Market Strategies International-Morpace. “Customer Champion utilities are the most trusted providers that can appeal to customers with offerings they understand and value.”

Congratulations to the 33 Customer Champions that have established strong connections with their customers and are poised to deliver more of what customers and regulators expect from a 21st century utility.

 
2018 Residential Customer Champion Utility Companies
AEP Ohio       Florida City Gas Company       Philadelphia Gas Works
Atlantic City Electric Florida Power & Light PPL Electric Utilities
BGE Georgia Power PSE&G
CenterPoint Energy – Midwest Gulf Power PSNC Energy
CenterPoint Energy – South JEA Puget Sound Energy
Columbia Gas of Ohio MidAmerican Energy Salt River Project
Con Edison National Fuel Gas SEMCO Energy Gas Company
CPS Energy New Jersey Natural Gas SMUD
Dayton Power & Light NW Natural Southwest Gas
Dominion Energy West Ohio Edison TECO Peoples Gas
DTE Energy OUC Washington Gas

Below you will find all utility benchmark scores by region:

 
    Engaged Customer    
East Region Utility Brands     Relationship index     Service type
Con Edison 747 Combination
PSE&G 729 Combination
BGE 727 Combination
PECO Energy 715 Combination
Delmarva Power 714 Combination
National Grid 714 Combination
NYSEG 685 Combination
RG&E 678 Combination
Eversource Energy 676 Combination
PPL Electric Utilities 728 Electric
Atlantic City Electric 714 Electric
Duquesne Light Company 699 Electric
Pepco 699 Electric
Penelec 697 Electric
PSEG Long Island 687 Electric
West Penn Power 673 Electric
Potomac Edison 671 Electric
Penn Power 669 Electric
Monongahela Power 666 Electric
Appalachian Power 647 Electric
Met-Ed 641 Electric
Central Maine Power 631 Electric
Jersey Central Power & Light 628 Electric
New Jersey Natural Gas 754 Natural Gas
National Fuel Gas 753 Natural Gas
Washington Gas 739 Natural Gas
Philadelphia Gas Works 736 Natural Gas
Columbia Gas - East 734 Natural Gas
UGI Utilities 727 Natural Gas
Peoples Natural Gas 724 Natural Gas
South Jersey Gas Company 714 Natural Gas
Elizabethtown Gas 709 Natural Gas
 
    Engaged Customer    
Midwest Region Utility Brands     Relationship index     Service type
DTE Energy 762 Combination
MidAmerican Energy 748 Combination
Black Hills Energy – Midwest 735 Combination
Duke Energy Midwest 733 Combination
NIPSCO 733 Combination
Xcel Energy – Midwest 732 Combination
Alliant Energy 721 Combination
We Energies 719 Combination
Consumers Energy 718 Combination
Wisconsin Public Service 718 Combination
Vectren 715 Combination
Ameren Illinois 714 Combination
AEP Ohio 733 Electric
Ohio Edison 727 Electric
Dayton Power & Light 723 Electric
KCP&L 710 Electric
Toledo Edison 710 Electric
Indiana Michigan Power 709 Electric
ComEd 706 Electric
Ameren Missouri 705 Electric
OPPD 704 Electric
The Illuminating Company 673 Electric
Westar Energy 672 Electric
Indianapolis Power & Light 662 Electric
Columbia Gas of Ohio 751 Natural Gas
CenterPoint Energy - Midwest 737 Natural Gas
SEMCO Energy Gas Company 733 Natural Gas
Nicor Gas 728 Natural Gas
Dominion Energy Ohio 721 Natural Gas
Peoples Gas 720 Natural Gas
Atmos Energy - Midwest 716 Natural Gas
Citizens Energy 713 Natural Gas
Kansas Gas Service 712 Natural Gas
Spire Missouri - East 681 Natural Gas
Spire Missouri - West 670 Natural Gas
 
    Engaged Customer    
South Region Utility Brands     Relationship index    

Service type

CPS Energy 724 Combination
Louisville Gas & Electric 703 Combination
SCE&G 668 Combination
MLGW 650 Combination
OUC 750 Electric
Georgia Power 749 Electric
JEA 739 Electric
Florida Power & Light 737 Electric
Gulf Power 731 Electric
Southwestern Electric Power Company 729 Electric
Kentucky Utilities 728 Electric
Mississippi Power 725 Electric
Entergy 724 Electric
Dominion Energy Virginia 721 Electric
Nashville Electric Service 718 Electric
Xcel Energy – South 717 Electric
OG&E 713 Electric
Duke Energy Progress 708 Electric
Public Service Company of Oklahoma 708 Electric
Duke Energy Carolinas 705 Electric
Alabama Power 702 Electric
Duke Energy Florida 694 Electric
TECO Tampa Electric 694 Electric
Austin Energy 688 Electric
El Paso Electric 652 Electric
Kentucky Power 615 Electric
TECO Peoples Gas 803 Natural Gas
Florida City Gas Company 754 Natural Gas
PSNC Energy 753 Natural Gas
CenterPoint Energy - South 752 Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas 746 Natural Gas
Atmos Energy - South 744 Natural Gas
Oklahoma Natural Gas 740 Natural Gas
Texas Gas Service 737 Natural Gas
Virginia Natural Gas 734 Natural Gas
Chattanooga Gas Company 727 Natural Gas
Columbia Gas - South 727 Natural Gas
Spire - South 720 Natural Gas
 
    Engaged Customer    
West Region Utility Brands     Relationship index     Service type
Puget Sound Energy 721 Combination
Xcel Energy – West 710 Combination
PG&E 701 Combination
NorthWestern Energy 693 Combination
SDG&E 690 Combination
Avista 674 Combination
Black Hills Energy – West 656 Combination
Salt River Project 761 Electric
SMUD 750 Electric
Tucson Electric Power 740 Electric
Portland General Electric 727 Electric
Southern California Edison 726 Electric
Idaho Power 723 Electric
Rocky Mountain Power 717 Electric
NV Energy 711 Electric
Pacific Power 706 Electric
APS 683 Electric
Seattle City Light 680 Electric
PNM 676 Electric
LADWP 666 Electric
NW Natural 761 Natural Gas
Southwest Gas 754 Natural Gas
Dominion Energy - West 743 Natural Gas
Intermountain Gas Company 739 Natural Gas
Cascade Natural Gas 738 Natural Gas
SoCalGas 711 Natural Gas
New Mexico Gas Company 703 Natural Gas
 

About Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Residential

Market Strategies-Morpace conducted surveys among 59,621 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 132 largest US utility companies (based on residential customer counts). The sample design uses a combination of quotas and weighting based on US census data to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility’s customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity. Utilities within the same region and of the same type (e.g., electric-only providers) are given equal weight in order to balance the influence of each utility’s customers on survey results. Market Strategies-Morpace will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.

About Market Strategies International-Morpace

Leading market research firms Market Strategies International and Morpace bring clients closer to their customers through exceptional insights. The firms specialize in brand, customer experience, product development and segmentation research, and are known for blending primary research with data from syndicated, benchmarking and self-funded studies to help clients succeed. They have earned the trust of many of the world’s top brands across the automotive, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, health, technology and telecommunications industries. Market Strategies and Morpace are combining into one firm, as part of an acquisition of both firms by STG, and will be rebranded under a new name to be announced in 2019. With more than 450 research professionals, the collective firm is now the 15th largest market research firm in the US and top 25 globally.