J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Residential Gas Utility Customers Willing to Pay More for Improvement in Service
Wednesday October 23, 8:29 am ET
New Jersey Natural Gas, CenterPoint Energy-Minnegasco, Consumers Energy, Alagasco, and Southern California Gas Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction in Their Respective Regions
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2002-- While residential customers are generally very satisfied with their local natural gas utility, 45 percent identify an area for potential improvement and many of them are willing to pay more to see it happen, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2002 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.
The inaugural study measures customer satisfaction performance among 50 of the largest local gas distribution companies in the country. The overall customer satisfaction measurement is based on five factors (in order of importance): company image, price and value, billing and payment, field service and customer service. Billing and payment and customer service are cited by respondents as areas that need the most improvement.
"Our research clearly indicates that as the gas utility industry grows, providers will need to better understand the impact of customer satisfaction and the services it makes available to customers, such as online billing and bill payment," said Alan Destribats, executive director of the utility practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "When customers say they are willing to pay more if it means they are offered better service, that's something a utility provider should take seriously. . ."
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