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5.09a ERMUSR 11-14-2023Elk River Municipal Utilities Customer Satisfaction Survey Quarter 3 - 2023 Prepared for: Quarter 3, 2023 October 2023 Prepared by: Q MARKET RESEARCH www.gmarketresearch.com 106 Elk River Municipal Utilities Customer Satisfaction Survey — Quarter 3, 2023 Background Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU) is seeking to obtain feedback from their residential customers to measure overall levels of satisfaction with services and programs provided, as well as capture needs and perceptions regarding communication satisfaction and community involvement. As part of this study, Elk River Municipal Utilities will focus on these key areas: 1. Net Promoter Score (likely to recommend) 2. ERMU as a utility provider overall 3. Reliability of the utility services received from ERMU 4. Ease of doing business with ERMU 5. ERMU's efforts to be environmentally friendly 6. ERMU's efficiency rebate programs 7. ERMU's ability to handle customer requests 8. ERMU's efforts to be involved in the community 9. Overall satisfaction with ERMU staff 10. Overall value for the money with ERMU 11. Preferred contact methods with ERMU 12. Customer demographics Survey Methodology The survey was sent to a total of 2,435 ERMU customers. Of them, 1,250 ERMU customers received a mail survey. This list of randomly selected customers was provided by ERMU. The mailed survey provided a postage -paid, return envelope addressed to Q Market Research. The survey also contained a web link and QR code to allow the respondent to complete the survey on a computer or mobile device. An email invite was also sent to 1,185 ERMU customers to complete the same survey from their computer or mobile device. No incentives were offered for participation. Pi 107 Data Collection The Q3 2023 survey included 1,250 mailed surveys to ERMU customers and 1,250 emailed surveys to ERMU customers. Both mail and email surveys were sent on September 19, 2023, and data collection was closed on October 19, 2023. 123 mail responses were received, and 173 email responses were received. In total, 296 responses were received (mail and email), at an overall 11.8% response rate (and are statistically valid at a 95% confidence level to within +/- 5.7%). This is considered an above average response rate for this type of survey. Data collection is summarized below: Medium Sent Returned Response rate Email 1185 173 14.6% Mail 1250 123 9.8% Total 2435 296 12.2% 3 a Executive Summary Key Finding 1: Overall satisfaction with ERMU is generally high. ERMU gets a 6.3 for overall satisfaction out of 7 by customers, largely based on high scores for reliability and ease of doing business. The lowest score among the satisfaction ratings is 5.4 for the efficiency rebate programs. Scores have remained largely consistent over two years. It's worth noting that a significant number of residents are concerned about the rebate program(s), saying the program is not well known or understood, difficult to access and qualify for, and not promoting the right things. Key Finding 2: The Net Promoter Score in Q3 2023 for ERMU is 44.2, which is in the high "good" range, and up from Q1 2023. ERMU's Q3 2023 NIPS increased to 44.2, up from 39.0 in Q1 2023. It is solidly in the "good" range (which is a score of 0-50). NIPS is a broadly recognized measure of overall customer satisfaction. Based on customer comments in this report, the Q3 2023 score was strong because customers appreciate ERMU's reliability and good customer service, and customers have a general sense that rates are fair (though some see rates as expensive). Many customers noted that ERMU was the only choice, more as a matter of fact than as a complaint. Details in the report. Key Finding 3: ERMU gets medium -strong grades for involvement in the community, but the score is trending slightly downward. Respondents rated ERMU 7.3 in Q3 2022 for efforts to be involved in the community, out of a 1-10 rating choice. The rating was 8.5 in Q1 2022, and it has dropped slightly each quarter. Key Finding 4: The communications experience with ERMU is highly positive and has increased slightly in Q3 2023. Overall, customers rated communications with ERMU through customer service staff at 8.4 out of 10, which is high, and very consistent over the past 2 years. While customer service staff are characterized as prompt and helpful by 43 written comments, 7 respondents mentioned that some staff were not friendly. Yet in another overall measure of all staff (not just customer service staff), respondents rated their satisfaction as 8.7, even higher than they rated customer service staff. The customer newsletter, followed by the ERMU website, is highly relied on by customers for information about ERMU. There was a moderate interest in adding a text chat. Key Finding 5: Value for the money was lower than other scores, but still high on an absolute basis. Overall, customers rated ERMU's value for the money at 7.2 in Q3 2023. This is lower than other value ratings and represents a drop in the value rating from 7.7 in Q1 2022. It is still high on a 1 to 10 rating scale in absolute terms. Demographics are included at the end of the report. All verbatims are included at the end of the report, organized by question. A list of customers who want to be contacted by ERMU is provided separately. rd 109 Detailed Findings Satisfaction Indicators consistent and high "Reliability of ERMU's Service" (6.6), "ERMU as my utility provider overall" (6.3) and "The ease of doing business with ERMU" (6.3) were the highest scoring satisfaction measures, out of a possible 1 to 7 score, where 7 is completely satisfied. The lowest satisfaction measure was "ERMU's efficiency rebate programs" at 5.4. The factors measured were: 1. Ease of doing business with ERMU 2. Reliability of the power, water and other services you receive from ERMU 3. ERMU's efforts to be environmentally friendly 4. ERMU's efficiency rebate programs 5. ERMU as my utility provider overall The graph below compares the values for Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023 and Q3 2023. Reliability is rated highest at 6.6 out of 7. Other scores are consistent with previous quarters. Satisfaction with ERMU (1 is completely dissatisfied; 7 is completely satisfied) Q1, 2022 vs. Q3, 2022 vs. Q1 2023 vs. Q3 2023 6.3 The ease of doing business with ERMU 6.3 6.4 6.0 The reliability of the power, water and other services ERMU's efforts to be environmentally friendly ERMU's efficiency rebate programs ERMU as my utility provider overall 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.4 Q3, 2023 ■ Q1, 2023 ■ Q3, 2022 ■ Q1, 2022 6.6 6.6 6.5 5.9 5.9 6.0 ;.7 6.3 6.2 6.2 .9 110 Verbatims on Overall Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction Respondents were then asked, "Why did you give us these satisfaction ratings." Respondents answered with both positive and negative comments. The majority of responses (97) were positive! Some Q3 2023 common responses include: NumberPositive or Typical Response Negative Responsesof 97 Satisfied with Positive --Generally satisfied customer service, --Patient with payments utility services --High integrity --Friendly --Reliable --Great customer service --Fewer power outages 22 Not aware of rebate Negative --What efficiency rebate program? programs --Better communicate about rebate programs --Difficult to access --Requirements to strict --No AC rebates --Takes too long --Should promote solar power, door and window replacement 21 Expensive, fees too Negative --Expensive high --No budget plan --No financial support a.4 Poor customer Negative --Unfriendly service --Left holes in wall when replacing meter --Hard to get the info I need 8 Trash service Negative --Don't like Republic and merging trash and utility services --Too infrequent recycling service --Expensive --Took away compost bin service Other: --Power outages seemed to increase (3) --Not sure where you stand on being environmentally friendly (3) --I like that you let me buy power from wind/solar (2) --Be more aggressive in incenting off -hour usage (2) --Offer home energy audits --ERMU should look for ways to generate their own power --Meter reading and bill don't match All responses recorded at the end of the report. 111 Net Promoter Score: "High Good Range" Respondents were asked: 'How likely is it that you would recommend ERMU as a utility provider, even though we are the only local electric and water utility?' Using the results from the question, the Net Promoter Score was calculated. Scores can range from -100 to +100. A score of 0 to 49.9 is considered good and a score of 50 or above is considered excellent. In Q3, 2023, the NPS for ERMU was 44.2, up from Q1 2023 and now in the high "good" range. The NPS for ERMU for four quarters is shown in the table below. ERMU NPS SCORES Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023 60.0 52.0 50.0 42.5 44.2 39.0 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q3, 2023 Net Promoter Score oor Goo Excellent -50 to 0 0 to 49 50 to 100 ERMU 44.2 The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is calculated by taking the percentage of those who respond that are the most satisfied (rated a 9 or 10, or promoters) and subtracting the percent of those who are the least satisfied (rated a 0 to 6, or detractors). Those scoring a 7 or 8 are considered "neutral." The NPS is a widely used benchmark. 7 112 Verbatims on Why NPS Score is Given Respondents were asked why they gave ERMU a particular NPS score (promoter or detractor). A significant 77 respondents wrote positive comments. Their full responses for Q3 2023 are at the end of the report, but common responses were: NumberPositive or Typical Response Negative Responsesof 77 No problems, Positive --Like service satisfied --Rates are fair --Well managed --Easy to work with --Customer service is great 0 Only choice Neutral --No other choice --It's just a fact which makes this question irrelevant z. 2 Expensive Negative --High cost of rates, fees, customer charge --Taxes too high 5 Only choice Negative --Wish there were more options and competition Other comments: --Work crews are professional --Appreciate payment flexibility on my overdue bill --A negative customer service experience --Water was purple for a week All verbatims for this question are at the end of the report. E3 113 Efforts to be involved in the community trending slightly down Respondents to the survey were asked: "Please rate ERMU's efforts to be involved in the community" where 1 is low involvement and 10 is high involvement. The average scores are shown in the chart below. The average score for this measure was 7.3 in Q3 2023, down slightly from 7.5 in Q1 2023. The trend has been somewhat downward since measurement began in Q1, 2022. ERMU's Efforts to Be Involved in Community Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023 vs. Q3 2023 1 is low involvement and 10 is high involvement (Average score) 9 8.5 8.5 $ 7: 7.5 7.5 7.3 7 1 0 Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q3, 2023 9 114 Communication Experience with ERMU Past 12 Months The communications experience is rated very high If customers had interacted, they were asked to rate their satisfaction with the interaction on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is satisfied and 1 is dissatisfied. Their responses are shown in the chart below. In Q3 2023, the average interaction score was 8.4 out of 10, up slightly from the Q1 2023 rating. In Q3, 2023, 43 of 53 total written responses to this question (81%) say staff were helpful and positive. Rating of Satisfaction with ERMU Communications 1 = Dissatisfied and 10 = Satisfied Average Score 8.55 8.5 8.5 8.45 8.4 8.4 8.35 8.3 8.3 8.25 8.2 8.2 8.15 8.1 8.05 Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q3, 2023 Verbatims on Interaction with ERMU Respondents were asked to describe their interaction with ERMU. About 80% of verbatim comments were positive. @Ulm :: 43 Staff were helpful and Positive --Helpful positive --Kind --Reasonable --Great communication skills --Awesome --Top notch 10 115 --Quick --Liked open house 7 Poor service Negative --Rigid about payment --Rude --Hard to find right contact person --On hold a long time --Poor policies --Follow-up not the best --Not helpful Other comments: --Water and electricity are too expensive --Please post outage info online --Website is not intuitive 11 116 ERMU customer newsletter is the most preferred method of communication Respondents were asked: "How would you like ERMU to communicate with you? Check your top I" Shown in the chart below, the customer newsletter is the most preferred way, and the ERMU website comes in second. "Text" is the third preferred way. These preferences are consistent across three surveys (although "local newspaper" has fallen in ranking this quarter). Preferred Method of Communication from ERMU Q1, 2022, Q3, 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023 % of total response Customer newsletter RA 0 ERMU website Text (not currently available) 27.0% Local newspaper 20.3% Social media 1 .9% Live chat (not currently available) 7.4% Q3, 2023 ■ Q1, 2023 ■ Q3, 2022 ■ Q1, 2022 Social media mentions Q3, 2023 Facebook, 22 mentions Instagram, 2 mentions Other mentions Q3, 2023: Email, 30 mentions Phone call if needed, 6 mentions Mail, 2 mentions Personal letter, 1 mention WCCO TV or radio, 1 mention Smart Hub, 1 mention 12 60.5% 117 Level of Satisfaction with ERMU Staff Customers were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with ERMU's staff, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is high satisfaction and 1 is low satisfaction. Their responses are shown in the chart below. The average staff satisfaction score in Q3 2023 was 8.7, up slightly from 8.6 in Q1 2023. Rating of Satisfaction with ERMU's Staff 1= low satisfaction and 10 = high satisfaction Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023 8.95 8.9 8.9 8.85 8.8 8.8 8.75 8.7 8.7 8.65 8.6 8.6 8.55 8.5 8.45 Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 ■ Average score Verbatims on "Satisfaction with ERMU Staff" Respondents were asked why they gave this staff satisfaction rating in Q3, 2023. The vast majority of comments about staff were positive! 27 Staff helpful Positive --Kind --Non-judgmental --Responsive --Professional --Nice --Sincere --Friendly --Helpful --Competent 13 3 Dissatisfied with Negative --I see field workers sitting idly interaction --The app billed me twice and the office staff couldn't do anything about it 14 119 Rating of ERMU's Value for the Money moderately high Customers were asked to rate ERMU's value for the money on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is high value and 1 is low value. Their responses are shown in the chart below. The average score for Q3 2023 was 7.2, down slightly from 7.4 in Q1 2023, but still moderately high. The satisfaction trend for value is, however, decreasing. 7.8 7.7 7.7 7.6 7.5 7.4 7.3 7.2 7.1 7 6.9 Q1, 2022 Rating of ERMU's Value for the Money 1 = low value and 10 = high value Average score 7.4 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 � Average Score ......••• Linear (Average Score) 7.2 Q3, 2023 Verbatims on "Value for the Money" Respondents were asked why they gave this rating around value for the money. Responses were mixed. While many said rates were too high, a significant number of respondents said they honestly didn't know how to evaluate the cost or thought rates were reasonable. M L& 1111111 18 Rates too high Negative --Prices high --Expensive --Spending too much on buildings 10 Not sure how to assess Neutral --Not sure what constitutes good value value --Can't compare --It's not a competitive service 9 Rates are reasonable Positive --Seems competitive --Reasonable --Great value 15 120 --They try to control costs --Fair --Excellent service for the price Other responses: --2 said water prices are too high --2 said they don't have a say in who provides utilities, so it's a moot point --1 said ERMU cares about the town, not like a corporation --1 said outages rare --1 said to give us a dividend check like a cooperative --1 said the off-peak EV charges are fantastic W. 121 Demographics Age: High participation across age groups, with largest participation ages 65+ The chart below breaks down the percentages of respondents to the survey by age in Q3 2023. The high response rate of customers ages 50 and older is typical for utility respondents, with lower responses among younger customers. 65+, 50.4% RESPONDENT'S AGES ERMU Q3 2023 17 18-34, 10.1 35-49, 20.9% 18.7 122 ERMU Q3 2023 Actual Survey We want to hear ""P--, U','. from you! At Elk Rher Municipal UtiUties IERMU), a tap pdw" is1M satbfxtian of our elecbicmd wetwcustamers. You have been randomly selected to give feedback Your response is Impodant and helps us provide exceptional service aril value to you n oW —plete this survey oaliaet Go to http://surveys.gmarketaM .mm/,3/ER Ug323 ,v this 011 [ode with your-1ph— ❑. Please return this survey by Thursday, October 19. in the postage paid envelope. v rind. please rate your level of satisfaction with ERMU in the following areas: anxkmeappropiate bow CampkWy $B45rM Nmh eaesfae Sareahei SwsM1ee Sa'afeew, M sfiee SaieMai bsseu9'eE Mmtly Oasaezfiaf Cugydey WseesfiM Theease of tloing buvness with ERMU ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ The —binty of the power . and other cervices you rve from ERMU ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ EaMorrU'sNM6to be ' nwrrGUY fderdly ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ERMUsefficiency rebate programs 11 ❑ ❑ ❑ D El ❑ ERMU pa At" provideravea8 ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ why did you give 0wse ra[vgs? 2. How likely is it that you would recommend ERMU as an electric and water utility provider? Pope cimb:(mldYlike!/) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (pLeply") Why did yw give this r UN? Please see other side! END OF Q3 2023 REPORT 34 3. Please rate ERMU's efforts to t>e involvetl in the community: Pleesecircleanumber. (IaeknoNwnvt) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (high involvemenp 4. Have you communkated with ERMU in the past a months? ❑ Y. ❑ No Nres.law:adaNea were yav wim [ne irdera[don? Measecircleanumber (highlyda NOW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (hig*.Il hetl, Vft did you give this ratirg? 5. How would you like ERMU to communicate with you? (check top 3) ❑ ERMUwebdte ❑ Soclalrretlia(which do you-1 ❑ CUAOmer newsletter ❑ Local newspaper ❑ 7e#ywy ,sntlYovuAade) ❑ uve chazymtcurmndya�wwer ❑ array 6. Please ate your level of satsfaclion with ERMU staff: pleasecircleanumber (Iva sehbckcn) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 P*seximAnn) Why - you give this r Airg? 7. Please ate MMU's value for the money Pleaseckcleanumber. (l ,Aoe) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 W.W) Why did you give Nis ratirg? 8. Please tell us a little about yourself. As.: ❑ 19-M ❑ 3549 ❑ 50-64 ❑ 65a 9. Would you Uke PJMU to contact you regaweng your comments In the survey? Yes: ❑ No: ❑ ffye¢, please pmvitleywr name, errwland phone number'. Punt Led Name Nerre Email ❑❑❑ - ❑❑❑ - ❑❑❑❑ nadreaa Phone Nance 123