E Source Announces Top Utilities in Account Management
E Source study finds nearly 40% of utilities are using Twitter to communicate with business customers.
- (1888PressRelease) September 14, 2011 - BOULDER, CO - Southern California Edison (SCE), Duke Energy Indiana, and Colorado Springs Utilities received the highest marks in the E Source Account Management Assessment 2011. This nationwide assessment analyzes how effectively utilities' internal processes, procedures, structures, and communication practices serve business customers.
E Source found that more than 80 percent of utilities surveyed have nonadministrative staff dedicated to supporting account representatives with rate analysis, engineering, and sales assistance. Almost half of the utility respondents engage their business customers through some form of social media, including blogs, webinars, and e-mail, and nearly 40 percent are using Twitter to communicate with business customers.
SCE's first-place ranking is attributed to effective account planning that includes gathering input from its business customers and the development of a business advisory panel that meets several times a year with senior company executives. Lisa Cagnolatti, vice president of SCE's Business Customer Division, says, "We've worked hard to provide solid value to our business customers over the years."
Duke Energy Indiana and Colorado Springs Utilities ranked second and third, respectively, for their adherence to best practices in business account management. Mike Hildebrand, director of E Source Business & Residential Market Services, says, "Utilities have made strides in business customer service. One area where there's room for improvement is for utilities to segment information on their websites by business type-only one-third of utilities do this."
The E Source Account Management Assessment is an internal review of utility account management practices that looks at the structure, communications, systems, processes, and strategic approaches used for managing business customers of all sizes. The 37 participating utilities received a score on a scale of 0 to 100 that reflected their adherence to best practices in these important areas. The E Source Account Management Assessment is conducted every two years. Participating utilities receive a customized Report Card comparing their practices against the industry average and best practices.
About E Source
E Source has been providing unbiased, objective energy business intelligence to over 300 utilities and large energy users for more than 20 years. Our benchmarking services are supported by the latest market research looking at what customers want from their utilities. Our research analysts and consultants are among the best minds in the business, delivering significant and timely research that equips our customers with the right information at the right time to make better, faster decisions. We predict and address trends, technologies, and problems related to energy efficiency, utility customer satisfaction, program design, marketing, customer management, and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.esource.com.
Public Relations Contact
For details about scheduling interviews with the research staff or product manager involved with this assessment, please contact:
Wendy Bloechle, Vice President of Marketing, E Source
wendy_bloechle ( @ ) esource dot com
303-345-9158
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