2008 J.D. Power and Associates Award
"Highest Customer Satisfaction with Business Electric Service in the Western U.S., 2 years in a row."
For the second year in a row, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has been awarded top honors in the Western region in business customer satisfaction and scored highest nationwide, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study. The study surveyed customers from the nation’s 58 largest electric utilities.
Overall satisfaction scores are based on six factors: Power Quality and Reliability, Customer Service, Company Image, Billing and Payment, Price, and Communications. According to the study, SMUD’s Company Image and Power Quality and Reliability were the areas with the greatest improvement.
When compared with 14 other utilities in the Western region, SMUD maintained the top position and increased its overall score by 15points over last year.
“What an honor to be recognized by our customers two years in a row for exceptional service,” said SMUD Board President Larry Carr. “We are committed to keeping our customers happy and are always looking for ways to improve our level of service to all of our customers.”
SMUD leads the study in several key performance areas, with business customers reporting particularly high rates of outage call-backs, receipt of electronic billing statements, contact with members of the utility’s senior management and awareness of SMUD’s energy conservation and efficiency programs, according to J.D. Power and Associates.
J.D. Power and Associates surveyed approximately 13,500 commercial customers with average monthly electric bills ranging from $500 or about 20 kilowatts a month to $50,000 or about 1,000 kilowatts per month. Surveys were conducted between September and December 2007.
As the nation’s sixth largest customer owned utility, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity for over 60 years to Sacramento County (and a small portion of Placer County). SMUD is a recognized leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies, and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment.
Visit jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/ for more information about the J.D. Power electric utility business study.
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SMUD received the highest numerical score among electric utility providers in Western U.S. in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2007-2008 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM. Study based on responses from 13,588 interviews with U.S. business electric customers measuring 13 utilities in the West (AZ, CA, ID, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY). Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of customers surveyed September-December 2007. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.