5.2 ERMUSR 06-04-2024��i
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Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Tony Mauren — Governance & Communications Manager
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
June 4, 2024
5.2
SUBJECT:
Customer Satisfaction Survey
ACTION REQUESTED:
Receive the Customer Satisfaction Survey Report — Q1— 2024
BACKGROUND:
In December of 2019, the Commission voted to replace the customer satisfaction survey
component of the Utilities Performance Metric and Incentive Compensation (UPMIC) scorecard
due to low response rates from ERMU's internal efforts for data. As an organization, ERMU
places high value on customer feedback, so staff researched and pursued alternative
approaches to track satisfaction.
In December of 2021, ERMU entered into a contract with Q Market Research (QMR) to survey
ERMU's residential customers, seeking to measure overall satisfaction with services and
programs. The survey also focused on key topics including reliability, value, ease of doing
business, quality, customer concerns, and communications. Initially QMR was contracted to
distribute two rounds of 1,000 surveys in 2022, each consisting of 500 emails and 500 letters.
With a goal of reaching as many customers as possible prior to the implementation of
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), that distribution was increased to two rounds of
about 2,500 surveys in 2023 and two rounds in 2024, again evenly divided between emails and
letters.
DISCUSSION:
Surveys were sent on April 9 to a total of 2258 residential customers, receiving 256 responses,
for a response rate of 11.3%. This distribution was the first in 2024 and the second to last in
ERMU's efforts to reach our approximately 12,500 residential customers prior to AMI
implementation. As the number of unreached residential customers has decreased, it has
become necessary to select individuals throughout the service territory rather than more
definable regions as before.
Key findings in this round include that overall satisfaction with ERMU is generally high, scoring
6.2 out of 7; ERMU's Net Promoter Score (NPS) remains in the "Good" range, 39.6 out of 50;
ERMU gets medium -strong grades for community involvement, 7.5 out of 10; the
communications experience with ERMU is highly positive and consistent over time, 8.3 out of
10; value for the money was lower than other scores, 6.9 out of 10.
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As a follow up to this report, staff engaged QMR on the results and received the following
context based on the eight municipal utilities they provide services for.
Concern over rates is standard across the other utilities' results. Staff at QMR believe
that the population broadly is experiencing financial pressure due to inflation, so any
opportunity to comment on living expenses brings many other factors to the surface. As
a reminder, ERMU had 0% electric and 2% water rate increases for 2024.
o ERMU Actions: Staff has reviewed rates coMpainisoin frori: otlheir
u„u.. ,i Il tie ,, and looks to publish ERMU's own flyer based on annual data from the
Competitive Rates Policy.
A low level of awareness about rebates is also standard. QMR recently worked with a
large public utility to rewrite its survey questions to get to the bottom of this issue.
o ERMU Actions: Over the last year staff has implemented new outreach initiatives
including billboards, newspaper ads, as well as adapting the newsletter sidebar
and website homepage to highlight rebates. It is important to note there was a
delay in rebate communications this year as our programs and flyers underwent
a major overhaul in partnering with Frontier Energy. Future efforts will include
partnering with appliance retailers to display ERMU's program information.
Customers tend to conflate the services that ERMU bills for with the services it provides.
Many respondents expressed frustration with garbage service though the survey
identifies ERMU as an electric and water provider. The open-ended questions leave
room for those sentiments to make it into the results.
o ERMU Actions: ERMU staff regularly provides customer service coordination in
garbage issues, so the nuance can be understandably vague. In 2020 staff
undertook a bill redesign that itemizes the service and its provider, nevertheless
there is consistent confusion between ERMU, the City, and the garbage service
provider. Developing clarity remains an ongoing effort for customer service
representatives and the communications department.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
$4,625 for this distribution and analysis of surveys, a budgeted item.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Customer Satisfaction Survey Report — Q1— 2024
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