For the past twenty years, DDG has been collecting data for a massive, multi-utility customer satisfaction study. Because many of these utilities service residential customers in geographies that are heavily rural, where Internet access is not a guarantee, this study has heretofore been conducted using a telephone data collection methodology. However, as TCPA restrictions on the use of predictive dialers, decreasing penetration of land lines, and flagging telephone response rates have made meeting monthly targets more and more challenging, DDG undertook a significant redesign of the study to allow for multimode data collection. For the first time, online interviews would supplant some of the telephone interviews.

After attending the 2013 EMACS and my 5th Chartwell conference, the trending strategies for utilities is becoming clear: Listen. Connect. Understand. Participants at the conference show us how they're doing this: Listening leads to better business.

We just get back from the 2013 Chartwell Utility Market Research Summit in sunny Phoenix, AZ.

In the last 5 years, green energy programs and products have become a popular option for utility companies as they monitor expanding grid use and make the switch from fossil fuels to more sustainable (and often money-saving) practices.

This was my first EMACS conference and I came away impressed with all the initiatives to help energy customers be more engaged and save money, and the drive to make customer experience the number one focus for utility companies.

Custom online panels are very popular with market researchers within electric utilities. Designed and used properly, they are powerful assets in the research department and throughout the entire electric utility organization.

For most electric utilities, their JD Power customer satisfaction ranking is the critical measure of their success. There are many reasons why these scores and rankings matter.

FGI Research and Chartwell release new power quality and reliability (PQR) satisfaction simulator When it comes to electric utility companies, customer satisfaction is an extremely high priority. In many circles, the satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power are the coin of the realm for electric utilities and their regional “competitors.” And when it comes to customer satisfaction, power quality and reliability (PQR) is a key driver for any electric utility. In response to tremendous demand for more insights and actions that directly improve customer satisfaction ratings, FGI Research and Chartwell have created the PQR Satisfaction Simulator™.