Charleston, W.Va., February 6, 2009 – JD Power and Associates’ 2009 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study today named Appalachian Power the third highest ranking utility in the eastern United States for customer satisfaction among business customers. A total of 24 companies appeared in the east region rankings.
Appalachian scored a 642, behind only Central Maine Power and Rochester Gas and Electric at 673 and 650 respectively. The east region average index score was 599.
“This is an honor,” said Dana Waldo, Appalachian president and COO. “With a tough economy, earning a top spot in the rankings was not easy.”
“The emergence of these brands [companies] is particularly impressive, considering the current state of the economy,” said Alan Destribats, vice president of the energy utility practice at JD Power and Associates. “Businesses are evaluating the value of the services they pay for with an increasingly critical eye, and these brands still managed to make strong showings, despite this close scrutiny.”
According to JD Power and Associates, overall customer satisfaction is measured by examining six factors: power quality and reliability; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; price; communications; and customer service.
The study suggests that companies who proactively communicate with customers on a frequent basis fare better than companies who do not. Likewise, customers are more likely to be satisfied if they are aware of a company’s charitable giving activities and role in community efforts. While Appalachian Power communicates in a number of ways with customers, the monthly bill insert “Consumer Circuit” addresses everything from conservation tips to the company’s philanthropic endeavors.
The study also suggests that business customers who buy power using optional rate plans, such as Appalachian’s green pricing plan, are better satisfied than customers with general rate plans. Customers with green energy rate plans are noted to be the most satisfied of all business rate payers.
A presence on the web is also essential for high business customer satisfaction marks. The study reports that customers are most satisfied when outage information is obtained from the company’s web site. Customer satisfaction is also higher among customers who are able to pay electric bills on the company’s web site as opposed to those who pay by mail or phone. Appalachian Power customers can report an outage, or pay bills on-line at www.AppalachianPower.com.
More than 15,400 US businesses that spend between $500 - $50,000 monthly on electricity were surveyed as part of the JD Power and Associates study. Ninety utility companies are included in the study’s findings.
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
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Phil Moye, corporate communications -WV
(304) 348-4188
pamoye@aep.com
Todd Burns, corporate communications - VA/TN
(540) 985-2912
tfburns@aep.com