While customer service for electric power companies generally revolves around keeping the lights on and prices low, for businesses with high energy needs the issue grows more complicated. Nevertheless, the latest annual survey from J.D. Power and Associates of businesses around the country found rising satisfaction with utility customer service.
The J.D. Power survey questioned more than 24,300 businesses and sought to rank utility companies on the basis of six different factors, ranging from price and reliability to billing and effective communication. These factors are then combined into a 1,000-point scale.
In all, businesses proved more positive than last year, with the average rating rising to 657 from 642 last year. This number rose even higher to 666 for the largest energy consumers, those businesses spending at least $50,000 per month, though smaller businesses averaged a substantially lower 645 rating.
"Utilities already do a good job of understanding the needs and preferences of larger businesses, and have adapted their communications and operations to best suit the needs of these customers," John Hazen, senior director of the energy utility practice at J.D. Power, said in a statement. "However, there is an opportunity to focus on satisfying smaller businesses."
More information on the electric utility industry can be found at PennEnergy's Research area.
