5.10a EMRUSR 11-12-2024Elk River Municipal Utilities
Customer Satisfaction Survey
Fall - 2024
Prepared for:
Fall 2024
October 2024
Prepared by:
Q MARKETS
RESEARCH
www.gmarketresearch.com
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Elk River Municipal Utilities
Customer Satisfaction Survey — Fall 2024
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 1,514 ERMU customers. Of them, 816 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 698 ERMU customers to complete the same survey from their computer or
mobile device.
No incentives were offered for participation.
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Data Collection
The Fall 2024 survey included 816 mailed surveys to ERMU customers and 698 emailed surveys to ERMU
customers. Both mail and email surveys were sent on Sept. 1, 2024, and data collection was closed on
October 1, 2024. 91 mail responses were received, and 35 email responses were received. In total, 126
responses were received (mail and email), at an overall 8.3% response rate (and are statistically valid at
a 95% confidence level to within +/- 9%). This is considered an average response rate for this type of
survey. Data collection is summarized below:
Medium Sent Returned Response rate
Email 698 35 5.0%
Mail 816 91 11.2%
Total 1514 126 8.3%
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Executive Summary: Fall 2024
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 5.8 for the efficiency
rebate programs. Scores have remained largely consistent over three years. It's worth noting that a
significant number of residents (nearly 60) made positive comments about customer service and overall
satisfaction.
Key Finding 2: The Net Promoter Score in Q3 2024 has jumped back into the "excellent"
range.
ERMU's Q3 2024 NIPS increased to 54.7 (scores above 50 are in the "excellent" range). This is up from
39.6 (scores 0-49.9 are in the "good" range) in Q1 2024. NIPS is a broadly recognized measure of overall
customer satisfaction. Based on customer comments in this report (see p. 8), most residents report
"zero issues," and like what they call friendly and dependable service. A small number were concerned
about rates and prices. Some customers (10) noted that ERMU was the only choice, partly as a matter of
fact, but some said that competition would bring down rates. Details in the report.
Key Finding 3: ERMU gets medium -strong grades for involvement in the community, and
the score is trending upward.
Respondents rated ERMU 7.8 out of 10 for efforts to be involved in the community in Q3 2024,
compared with 7.5 in Q1 2024, so the measure is up slightly.
Key Finding 4: The communications experience with ERMU is highly positive and has been
consistent overtime.
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 (range is 8.2- 8.5). Customer service staff are
characterized as knowledgeable and helpful by 22 written comments, with only 3 respondents
registering complaints. The customer newsletter, followed by the ERMU website and local newspaper,
are highly relied on by customers for information about ERMU. There was a moderate interest in adding
a text chat.
Key Finding 5: Satisfaction with ERMU staff remains consistently high.
Over the past 6 surveys (over 3 years), satisfaction with staff remains high, with Q3 2024 registering 8.6
out of 10, consistent with past trends. 21 residents lauded their experience with staff in open-ended
comments.
Key Finding 6: Value for the money has improved significantly since Q1 2024
Overall, customers rated ERMU's value for the money at 7.6 in Q3 2024, compared to 6.9 in Q1 2024.
Not only did residents rate value higher, but in comments half talked about rates as fair, reasonable and
competitive. This is a change from past surveys, which were critical of fees, except for Q1, 2022.
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.
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Detailed Findings
Satisfaction Indicators consistent and high
"Reliability of ERMU's Service" (6.5), "The ease of doing business with ERMU" (6.3), and "ERMU as my
utility provider overall" (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 5.8.
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, Q3 2023, Q1 2024 and Q3 2024.
Scores over time are generally consistent.
Satisfaction with ERMU
(1 is completely dissatisfied; 7 is completely satisfied)
Q1, 2022, Q3, 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023, Q1 2024, Q3 2024
The ease of doing business with ERMU
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
5.8
■ Q3, 2024 ■ Q1, 2024 Q3, 2023 ■ Q1, 2023 ■ Q3, 2022 ■ Q1, 2022
5
6.3
6.5
6.2
6.3
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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 (59) were positive! High costs are
of concern to small segment. Some Q3 2024 common responses include:
Number
Issue
Positive or
TypicalResponse
Negative
Responsesof
59
Satisfied with
Positive
--Everything works
customer service,
--Great garbage pickup
utility services
--Solar panel installation great
--Great customer service
--Great crew work
--Completely satisfied
3
Expensive, fees too
Negative
--Expensive
high
--Appalled at increased costs
--Customer charge is a joke
3
Service not good
Negative
--Asked for two recycling bins, not fulfilled
--Emphasis on rebates and environment is overkill
--No follow up on dead tree removal
--Rebate didn't apply
--Don't like power outages
Other:
--Be greener
Representative Quotes:
"Have had good, consistent service. Billing app is wonderful, easy to use and provides great info, e.g.
comparable usages year to year. Rebates are not as applicable to most people, but glad to have them. I
have never been able to get a rebate, bad timing I guess."
"Tree trimmed over power line promptly at Power restored promptly after a storm at
at another residence I own."
"We have always had excellent customer service each time we have ever called. All the staff is so
friendly... like talking to a friend."
All responses recorded at the end of the report.
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Net Promoter Score: "Excellent 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, 2024, the NPS for ERMU was 54.7, up from Q1 2024 of 39.6 and recovering back into the
"excellent" range, similar to Q3 2022. The NPS for ERMU for six consecutive quarters is shown in the
table below.
ERMU NPS SCORES
Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023, Q1 2024,
Q3 2024
60.0 52.0 54.7
50.0 42.5 44.2
39.0 39.6
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 ca1, 202 3 Q3, 2023 Q1, 2024 Q3, 2024
Net Promoter Score
Good Excellent
0-49 50-100
ERMU
54.7
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.
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Verbatims on Why NIPS Score is Given
Respondents were asked why they gave ERMU a particular NIPS score (promoter or detractor). A
significant 36 respondents wrote positive comments. Their full responses for Q3 2024 are at the end of
the report, but common responses were:
NumberPositive
or
•Response
of
Negative
Responses
36
No problems,
Positive
--Like service
satisfied
--Rates are fair
--Zero issues
--Friendly
--Dependable
--Power outages are taken care of
10
Only choice
Neutral or
--It's just a fact
negative
5
Expensive
Negative
--High cost of rates, fees
--Rates have been increasing
Other comments:
--I didn't want a smart meter, and I think the decision was forced.
--Rebates never seem to apply.
--Poor communication with customer service.
All verbatims for this question are at the end of the report.
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Efforts to be involved in the community has a stable rating
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 7.8 in Q3 2024, up slightly from 7.5 in Q1 2024. The
trend has been to recover somewhat upward, but steady, after a high measurement in Q1, 2022.
9
8.5
8.5
ERMU's Efforts to Be Involved
in Community
Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023, Q1 2024, Q3 2024
1 is low involvement and 10 is high involvement
(Average score)
8 7.8
7.6 7.5 7.5
7.5 7.3
7
6.5
Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q3, 2023 Q1, 2024 Q3, 2024
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Communication Experience with ERMU Past 12 Months
The communications experience is rated very high and remains consistent
54.6% of respondents had not communicated with ERMU in Q3 2024 and 45.4% had communicated. 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
2024, the average interaction score was 8.4 out of 10, up slightly from the Q1 2024 rating of 8.3.
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
8.4
8.35 8.3 8.3
8.3
8.25 8.2
8.2
8.15
8.1
8.05
Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q3, 2023 Q1, 2024 Q3, 2024
Verbatims on Interaction with ERMU
Respondents were asked to describe their interaction with ERMU. Responses were overwhelmingly
positive.
NumberPositive
TypicalResponse
of
Responses
22
Staff were helpful
Positive
--Helpful
and positive
--Fast
--Knowledgeable
--Friendly
--Good tree trimming
--Fast outage response
3
Staff or payment
Negative
--I had to pay for the water valve
issues
($350)
--Grouchy customer service person
--They didn't get back to me
10
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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 V,
Shown in the chart below, the customer newsletter is the most preferred way (with 63.6% of
respondents selecting this option), and the ERMU website comes in second (27.3%). "Local Newspaper"
and "Text" are nearly tied for the third preferred way. These preferences are mostly consistent across
five surveys.
Preferred Method of Communication from ERMU
Q1, 2022, Q3, 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023, Q1, 2024, Q3 2024
% of total response
167%fi. %
Customer newsletter
&"8Y.
ERMU website jjjjjj
Local newspaper
Text (not currently available)
Live chat (not currently available)
Social media
Z3:5%
5%
■ Q3, 2024 ■ Q1, 2024 ■ Q3, 2023 ■ Q1, 2023 ■ Q3, 2022 ■ Q1, 2022
Social media mentions Q3, 2024
Facebook, 4 mentions
Instagram, 1 mention
Nextdoor, 1 mention
Other mentions Q3, 2024
Email, 2 mentions
Phone call if needed, 3 mentions
Voicemail, 1 mention
In Person, 1 mention
Mail, 1 mention
Radio, TV, 1 mention
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Level of Satisfaction with ERMU Staff slightly up, but stable overall
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 2024 is 8.6, up slightly compared to 8.3 in Q1 2024.
Rating of Satisfaction with ERMU's Staff
1 = low satisfaction and 10 = high satisfaction
Q1 2022, Q3 2022, Q1 2023, Q3 2023, Q1 2024, Q3 2024
9 8.9
8.9 8.8
8.8 8.7
8.7 8.6 8.6
8.6
8.5
8.4 8.3
8.3
8.2
8.1
8
Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q2, 2023 Q1, 2024 Q3, 2024
■ Average score
Verbatims on "Satisfaction with ERMU Staff"
Respondents were asked why they gave this staff satisfaction rating in Q3 2024. The vast majority of
comments about staff were positive!
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Rating of ERMU's Value for the Money improves to 2022 levels
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 2024 was
7.6, up significantly from Q1 2024. This is a significant turnaround, with many residents mentioning that
the rates accurately reflect value.
7.7
7.2
Rating of ERMU's Value for the Money
1= low value and 10 = high value
Average score
7.4 7.4
7.2
7 6.9
6.8
6.6
6.4
Q1, 2022 Q3, 2022 Q1, 2023 Q3, 2023 Q1, 2024 Q3, 2024
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 similar number of respondents said they thought rates were
reasonable and fair!
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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, 2024. The high
response rate of customers ages 50 and older is typical for utility respondents, with lower responses
among younger customers. This Q3 2024 survey also had a high response rate in the ages 35-49
category.
RESPONDENT'S AGES
E R M U Q3 2024
18-34, 2.6%
2.070
50-64, 22.2%
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ERMU Q3 2024 Actual Survey
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END OF Q3 2024 REPORT
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