Utilities continue to struggle to get digital right. According to the J.D. Power 2019 Utility Digital Experience Study released recently, there has been an improvement in overall satisfaction from last year but utilities still lag behind other industries in delivering a satisfying digital customer experience and need to further improve their services.
Now in its second year, the study assesses how customers interact with their utility based on their perceptions of the available websites and mobile apps as well as the social, email, chat and text functions of the 67 largest electric, natural gas and water utilities in the United States. A mobile channel is necessary to be ranked in this study. Centric Digital, a leader measuring digital intelligence, collaborated on this study by contributing a Digital Intelligence Benchmark powered by its DIMENSIONS platform, that includes digital experience analysis and cross-industry insights.
“Utilities that remain digital laggards are passing up a prime opportunity to make their operations more efficient and to reduce costs,” said Jon Sundberg, senior digital manager at J.D. Power. “Customers will choose the option that resolves their problems quickly, which in many cases, will be via an online site or an app. Connecting with a utility representative via phone shouldn’t be a default, but it can often become one when digital capabilities aren’t strong. That can raise costs.”
Following are some of the key findings of the 2019 study:
Study Results
The Salt River Project (SRP) ranks highest in overall satisfaction with a score of 882. American Electric Power (AEP, 877) ranks second and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD, 876) ranks third. The industry average is 844.
The 2019 Utility Digital Experience Study is based on evaluations from 15,894 customers of the 67 largest electric, natural gas and water utilities. To be included in the study, utilities must serve 540,000 or more customers. The study was fielded in November-December 2018.