For the fifth consecutive year, EPB has been ranked as the best midsize electric utility in the South by its residential customers, according to the J.D. Power 2020 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
“It’s quite an accomplishment to win in a normal year, but even more so during this pandemic year and for the 5th year in a row is something special,” said John Hazen, manager director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power.
The J.D. Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study measures residential customer satisfaction with large and midsize electric utility companies in four U.S. regions: East, Midwest, South and West. The study examines satisfaction across six factors: Power Quality and Reliability; Price; Billing and Payment; Communications; Corporate Citizenship; and Customer Care.
“Open and frequent communication about policies and assistance programs has proven to be key in maintaining high customer satisfaction, especially during the pandemic,” said Mr. Hazen. “These satisfaction scores are evidence that kindness and being a good corporate citizen during challenging times is worth all the effort and communication that goes with it.”
When the COVID-19 crisis and the April tornadoes hit that caused the most damage in EPB history, EPB suspended cutoffs, offered late payment forgiveness, waived charges and fees, worked out repayment plans, referred customers to assistance programs and supported community initiatives, by raising more than $500,000 for the United Way of Chattanooga Restore Hope Fund.
The EPB Fiber Optic Smart Grid also reduced or avoided 60,000,000 customer outage minutes.
"Everything we do is focused on serving our customers and our community as a whole," said David Wade, president and CEO of EPB. "I am so proud of the hard work our employees have done in the face of so many challenges in 2020."
The J.D. Power 2020 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 96,546 online interviews conducted from January through November 2020 among residential customers of the 143 largest electric utility brands across the United States, which represent more than 102 million households.