Utility Customer Engagement Grows as the Industry Focuses on ESG Principles
The utility industry’s focus on its customers, communities and the environment throughout the pandemic has elevated its customer engagement, a critical factor in growing company value and influencing energy customer behaviors. Escalent’s ECR (engaged customer relationship) Index, a comprehensive customer relationship measurement used by utility management to assess customer engagement, has grown a significant eight points since pre-pandemic levels in 2019 to a strong 721 (on a 1,000-point maximum scale). ECR has improved as a result of utilities’ increasing support for environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts. These findings are based upon data from the 2021 Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential study by top human behavior and analytics advisory firm Escalent.
Essential to the ECR scoring improvement is proactive outreach. The study shows a 23% increase in utility communication spending since 2019. About three in four (73%) communication topics are focused on ESG. And the communication has paid off, as more than one in three customers (36%) is now highly engaged with his or her utility, 33% use energy-efficiency offerings, 63% use digital or smart energy offerings and 16% use revenue-generating home services offerings.
“What makes the gains in customer engagement most impressive is it strengthened despite increasing bill amounts as service satisfaction metrics remained similar to prior years,” said Chris Oberle, senior vice president, Escalent. “Utilities have ramped up their outreach and ESG focus during the pandemic and the positive impact on their customer relationships was almost immediate. The nation’s best utilities are strong and engaging brands customers look to as trusted energy advisers.”
One area of focus for continued growth in customer engagement is more effective communication in suburban and rural areas. While urban areas have grown customer engagement by a large 19 points since 2019 and now have an average ECR score of 745, suburban (711) and rural (705) customers score their utilities much lower.
Based upon the study, which surveyed customers of 140 electric and natural gas utilities nationwide, we are pleased to name 45 utilities as 2021 Customer Champions. These utilities are the industry’s best at engaging customers in meaningful and profitable ways.
Escalent 2021 Customer Champions |
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AEP Ohio |
Florida City Gas Company |
Pepco |
Ameren Illinois |
Florida Power & Light |
Philadelphia Gas Works |
Ameren Missouri |
Georgia Power |
Piedmont Natural Gas |
Avista |
Green Mountain Power |
PPL Electric Utilities |
BGE |
Idaho Power |
PSE&G |
Black Hills Energy – Midwest |
Intermountain Gas Company |
Public Service Company of Oklahoma |
Cascade Natural Gas |
Kentucky Utilities |
RG&E |
Columbia Gas – South |
MidAmerican Energy |
Salt River Project |
Columbia Gas of Ohio |
Montana-Dakota Utilities |
SMUD |
Con Edison |
New Jersey Natural Gas |
Spire Mississippi |
Consumers Energy |
Nicor Gas |
TECO Peoples Gas |
Delmarva Power |
NW Natural |
UGI Utilities |
Dominion Energy South Carolina |
Oklahoma Natural Gas |
Washington Gas |
DTE Energy |
OPPD |
Wisconsin Public Service |
Elizabethtown Gas |
OUC |
Xcel Energy – West |
EAST REGION: Customer Engagement Benchmark Performance
Utility brand name |
ECR score |
Utility type |
Con Edison |
734 |
Combination |
Delmarva Power |
733 |
Combination |
BGE |
732 |
Combination |
PSE&G |
731 |
Combination |
National Grid |
721 |
Combination |
RG&E |
721 |
Combination |
PECO |
712 |
Combination |
Eversource |
664 |
Combination |
NYSEG |
664 |
Combination |
PPL Electric Utilities |
742 |
Electric |
Green Mountain Power |
741 |
Electric |
Pepco |
734 |
Electric |
Duquesne Light Company |
717 |
Electric |
Penn Power |
713 |
Electric |
Met-Ed |
708 |
Electric |
West Penn Power |
707 |
Electric |
Penelec |
706 |
Electric |
Potomac Edison |
695 |
Electric |
Atlantic City Electric |
692 |
Electric |
Appalachian Power |
680 |
Electric |
Mon Power |
679 |
Electric |
PSEG Long Island |
663 |
Electric |
Jersey Central Power & Light |
653 |
Electric |
Central Maine Power |
646 |
Electric |
Washington Gas |
770 |
Natural Gas |
Elizabethtown Gas |
763 |
Natural Gas |
UGI Utilities |
763 |
Natural Gas |
Philadelphia Gas Works |
755 |
Natural Gas |
New Jersey Natural Gas |
752 |
Natural Gas |
National Fuel Gas |
748 |
Natural Gas |
South Jersey Gas Company |
737 |
Natural Gas |
Peoples |
723 |
Natural Gas |
Columbia Gas – East |
702 |
Natural Gas |
MIDWEST REGION: Customer Engagement Benchmark Performance
Utility brand name |
ECR score |
Utility type |
Consumers Energy |
758 |
Combination |
Wisconsin Public Service |
758 |
Combination |
Black Hills Energy – Midwest |
751 |
Combination |
Montana-Dakota Utilities |
747 |
Combination |
Ameren Illinois |
742 |
Combination |
DTE Energy |
741 |
Combination |
MidAmerican Energy |
740 |
Combination |
Xcel Energy – Midwest |
729 |
Combination |
Alliant Energy |
726 |
Combination |
NIPSCO |
713 |
Combination |
Duke Energy Midwest |
712 |
Combination |
We Energies |
700 |
Combination |
Vectren |
659 |
Combination |
AEP Ohio |
725 |
Electric |
OPPD |
724 |
Electric |
Ameren Missouri |
721 |
Electric |
Toledo Edison |
718 |
Electric |
ComEd |
711 |
Electric |
Indiana Michigan Power |
706 |
Electric |
Ohio Edison |
697 |
Electric |
The Illuminating Company |
692 |
Electric |
Evergy |
690 |
Electric |
AES Indiana |
683 |
Electric |
AES Ohio |
657 |
Electric |
Columbia Gas of Ohio |
757 |
Natural Gas |
Nicor Gas |
737 |
Natural Gas |
Peoples Gas |
736 |
Natural Gas |
CenterPoint Energy – Midwest |
732 |
Natural Gas |
Spire Missouri – East |
725 |
Natural Gas |
Atmos Energy – Midwest |
724 |
Natural Gas |
Dominion Energy Ohio |
718 |
Natural Gas |
Kansas Gas Service |
717 |
Natural Gas |
Spire Missouri – West |
714 |
Natural Gas |
Citizens Energy |
685 |
Natural Gas |
SOUTH REGION: Customer Engagement Benchmark Performance
Utility brand name |
ECR score |
Utility type |
Dominion Energy South Carolina |
709 |
Combination |
Louisville Gas & Electric |
702 |
Combination |
CPS Energy |
694 |
Combination |
MLGW |
662 |
Combination |
OUC |
762 |
Electric |
Kentucky Utilities |
754 |
Electric |
Florida Power & Light |
751 |
Electric |
Public Service Company of Oklahoma |
748 |
Electric |
Georgia Power |
747 |
Electric |
Mississippi Power |
736 |
Electric |
Duke Energy Progress |
732 |
Electric |
Entergy Mississippi |
730 |
Electric |
TECO Tampa Electric |
728 |
Electric |
Entergy Arkansas |
727 |
Electric |
Dominion Energy Virginia |
726 |
Electric |
OG&E |
724 |
Electric |
Nashville Electric Service |
720 |
Electric |
El Paso Electric |
717 |
Electric |
Xcel Energy – South |
717 |
Electric |
Alabama Power |
715 |
Electric |
Entergy Texas |
714 |
Electric |
Duke Energy Carolinas |
713 |
Electric |
Duke Energy Florida |
713 |
Electric |
JEA |
713 |
Electric |
Southwestern Electric Power Company |
709 |
Electric |
Entergy Louisiana |
708 |
Electric |
Gulf Power |
702 |
Electric |
Austin Energy |
679 |
Electric |
Entergy New Orleans |
664 |
Electric |
Kentucky Power |
662 |
Electric |
Florida City Gas Company |
784 |
Natural Gas |
Columbia Gas – South |
775 |
Natural Gas |
Piedmont Natural Gas |
772 |
Natural Gas |
TECO Peoples Gas |
771 |
Natural Gas |
Oklahoma Natural Gas |
759 |
Natural Gas |
Spire Mississippi |
759 |
Natural Gas |
Dominion Energy North Carolina |
750 |
Natural Gas |
CenterPoint Energy – South |
749 |
Natural Gas |
Virginia Natural Gas |
740 |
Natural Gas |
Spire Alabama |
739 |
Natural Gas |
Atmos Energy – South |
734 |
Natural Gas |
Texas Gas Service |
734 |
Natural Gas |
Chattanooga Gas Company |
724 |
Natural Gas |
Spire Gulf Coast |
695 |
Natural Gas |
WEST REGION: Customer Engagement Benchmark Performance
Utility brand name |
ECR score |
Utility type |
Xcel Energy – West |
747 |
Combination |
Avista |
734 |
Combination |
Colorado Springs Utilities |
720 |
Combination |
SDG&E |
707 |
Combination |
NorthWestern Energy |
706 |
Combination |
Puget Sound Energy |
705 |
Combination |
Black Hills Energy – West |
700 |
Combination |
PG&E |
666 |
Combination |
Salt River Project |
754 |
Electric |
Idaho Power |
747 |
Electric |
SMUD |
746 |
Electric |
Portland General Electric |
728 |
Electric |
Tucson Electric Power |
727 |
Electric |
Seattle City Light |
723 |
Electric |
Pacific Power |
715 |
Electric |
Southern California Edison |
712 |
Electric |
NV Energy |
701 |
Electric |
Rocky Mountain Power |
701 |
Electric |
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power |
700 |
Electric |
PNM |
695 |
Electric |
APS |
690 |
Electric |
Cascade Natural Gas |
766 |
Natural Gas |
Intermountain Gas Company |
765 |
Natural Gas |
NW Natural |
761 |
Natural Gas |
Dominion Energy – West |
745 |
Natural Gas |
SoCalGas |
740 |
Natural Gas |
Southwest Gas |
723 |
Natural Gas |
New Mexico Gas Company |
700 |
Natural Gas |
About Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential
Escalent conducted surveys among 78,710 residential electric and natural gas utility customers of the 140 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 to balance the influence of each utility’s customers on survey results. The Engaged Customer Relationship (ECR) index is a composite score based upon a 360-degree consumer review of how engaged customers are with their energy utility provider. Scores are composed of ratings across service satisfaction, brand and product experiences. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
About Escalent
Escalent is a top human behavior and analytics advisory firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, we transform data and insight into a profound understanding of what drives human beings. And we help businesses turn those drivers into actions that build brands, enhance customer experiences and inspire product innovation. Visit escalent.co to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.
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