We are among 38 utility companies nationwide that received the “Most Trusted Brand” status in the recent 2021 Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™: Residential report from Escalent, a leading human behavior and analytics firm.
This elite group of utilities go beyond providing great service. They have built trusted brands that make a positive impact on their customers, communities and financials.
“Building trust with customers is something that develops over time by delivering safe and reliable services, clear and transparent communications and positive customer experiences,” says Aram Benyamin, chief executive officer. “We thank our customers for their trust and will continue to work hard every day to serve the Pikes Peak region.”
As the utility industry changes rapidly, we remain focused on serving our customers and balancing our focus areas of rates, reliability and relationships as identified in our strategic plan.
According to Escalent, customer trust in utilities has spiked to the highest score ever due to more communication about product options, environmental efforts and how they’ve partnered with customers on shared priorities during the pandemic.
Recent examples of how we have served our customers in these areas include:
- Support during the pandemic through a disconnection moratorium, flexible payment options and financial assistance programs.
- Adoption of a Sustainable Energy Plan to cut our carbon emissions 80% by 2030 and continue our industry-leading reliability and resiliency.
- Expansion of our product offerings to help customers adopt renewable energy and use energy and water efficiently. The most recent offering is the Green Power program, which allows customers an easy and affordable way to power their homes and businesses with renewable energy.
“Starting active conversations with customers on how their utility can partner with and support them throughout the challenges faced this past year has strongly positioned utilities as trusted energy advisers and great corporate citizens,” said Chris Oberle, senior vice president at Escalent. “Our research shows that nearly all utilities provide great service levels, but an elite group has been able to build trusted brands that empower customers with valuable offerings and value-added information.”
Escalent conducted surveys among 76,656 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 140 largest U.S. utility companies based on residential customer counts.
The brand trust scores are a composite based on consumer ratings across six factors: customer focus, community support, communications effectiveness, reliable quality, environmental dedication and company reputations. The scores reflect the amount of trust customers have with each utility.
