Brand Trust Spikes as Utilities Spend More on Communication
Customer trust in utility companies spiked to the highest score ever on the Escalent utility Brand Trust Index (706 on a 1,000-point scale) due to spending roughly 16% more to communicate about product options, environmental efforts, and how they partnered with customers on shared priorities during the pandemic. The communications were well received by utility customers, as the Communications Effectiveness metric posted the highest average score (738) among the six factors that compose Brand Trust. This information is part of the 2021 Cogent Syndicated Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagementtm: Residential study from Escalent, a top human behavior and analytics advisory firm.
The Brand Trust Index is a composite score of utility performance on customer focus, community support, communications effectiveness, reliable quality, environmental dedication and company reputation. Among these six factors, Customer Focus has increased the most during the year (13 points) followed by Company Reputation (12 points) and Community Support (11 points).
"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. The most trusted utility brands include utilities that are making a positive impact on their customers, communities and financials."
Key findings from the study include:
- Customers with high brand trust use an average of nine enhanced utility offerings compared with only four for customers with low trust levels.
- Two in three (62%) of those with high brand trust use utility digital options.
- High brand trust increases customer acceptance of utility rate changes by 23%.
- Customer trust is built over time, as new customers give lower Brand Trust scores than those who've been customers longer.
- The utility industry should focus on low-income customers ($25K or less annual household income), as they post lower Brand Trust scores than customers with higher income levels.
- High brand trust minimizes the negative-perception impacts from outage, safety and other critical events, while increasing customer advocacy and loyalty.
Escalent congratulates the 2021 Most Trusted Brands among utilities. These 38 utilities have developed industry-leading customer trust levels.
Cogent Syndicated 2021 Most Trusted Utility Brands |
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Avista |
Intermountain Gas Company |
PSE&G |
Cascade Natural Gas |
Kentucky Utilities |
RG&E |
CenterPoint Energy ? Midwest |
New Jersey Natural Gas |
Rocky Mountain Power |
Colorado Springs Utilities |
Nicor Gas |
Salt River Project |
Columbia Gas ? South |
NW Natural |
SMUD |
Columbia Gas of Ohio |
Oklahoma Natural Gas |
TECO Peoples Gas |
CPS Energy |
OPPD |
Toledo Edison |
DTE Energy |
OUC |
Tucson Electric Power |
Elizabethtown Gas |
PECO |
UGI Utilities |
Florida Power & Light |
Peoples Gas |
Washington Gas |
Georgia Power |
Pepco |
Wisconsin Public Service |
Green Mountain Power |
Portland General Electric |
Xcel Energy ? West |
Idaho Power |
PPL Electric Utilities |
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The following tables reflect regional peer benchmark Brand Trust scores among the 140 utilities surveyed. These scores reflect the amount of trust customers have with each utility.
East Region Utilities Brand Trust Performance |
|
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Utility brand name |
Service provided |
Brand trust score |
|
PECO |
Combination |
733 |
|
PSE&G |
Combination |
726 |
|
RG&E |
Combination |
716 |
|
Con Edison |
Combination |
708 |
|
Delmarva Power |
Combination |
708 |
|
National Grid |
Combination |
706 |
|
BGE |
Combination |
685 |
|
NYSEG |
Combination |
653 |
|
Eversource Energy |
Combination |
636 |
|
Pepco |
Electric |
742 |
|
Green Mountain Power |
Electric |
741 |
|
PPL Electric Utilities |
Electric |
736 |
|
Penn Power |
Electric |
708 |
|
Duquesne Light |
Electric |
700 |
|
Met-Ed |
Electric |
696 |
|
Penelec |
Electric |
690 |
|
West Penn Power |
Electric |
687 |
|
Potomac Edison |
Electric |
683 |
|
Atlantic City Electric |
Electric |
679 |
|
Appalachian Power |
Electric |
670 |
|
Mon Power |
Electric |
663 |
|
Jersey Central Power & Light |
Electric |
627 |
|
PSEG Long Island |
Electric |
625 |
|
Central Maine Power |
Electric |
623 |
|
Elizabethtown Gas |
Natural Gas |
751 |
|
Washington Gas |
Natural Gas |
749 |
|
UGI Utilities |
Natural Gas |
742 |
|
New Jersey Natural Gas |
Natural Gas |
738 |
|
National Fuel Gas |
Natural Gas |
723 |
|
Peoples |
Natural Gas |
722 |
|
South Jersey Gas Company |
Natural Gas |
716 |
|
Philadelphia Gas Works |
Natural Gas |
714 |
|
Midwest Region Utilities Brand Trust Performance |
|
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Utility brand name |
Service provided |
Brand trust score |
|
DTE Energy |
Combination |
758 |
|
Wisconsin Public Service |
Combination |
755 |
|
Black Hills Energy - Midwest |
Combination |
736 |
|
Montana Dakota Utilities |
Combination |
736 |
|
Xcel Energy ? Midwest |
Combination |
730 |
|
Ameren Illinois |
Combination |
726 |
|
Consumers Energy |
Combination |
722 |
|
MidAmerican Energy |
Combination |
719 |
|
Duke Energy Midwest |
Combination |
718 |
|
Alliant Energy |
Combination |
717 |
|
NIPSCO |
Combination |
686 |
|
We Energies |
Combination |
674 |
|
Vectren |
Combination |
666 |
|
Toledo Edison |
Electric |
713 |
|
OPPD |
Electric |
709 |
|
The Illuminating Company |
Electric |
693 |
|
AEP Ohio |
Electric |
692 |
|
Ohio Edison |
Electric |
692 |
|
ComEd |
Electric |
690 |
|
AES Ohio |
Electric |
689 |
|
Ameren Missouri |
Electric |
684 |
|
AES Indiana |
Electric |
680 |
|
Indiana Michigan Power |
Electric |
680 |
|
Evergy |
Electric |
671 |
|
Columbia Gas of Ohio |
Natural Gas |
737 |
|
Peoples Gas |
Natural Gas |
724 |
|
Nicor Gas |
Natural Gas |
723 |
|
CenterPoint Energy ? Midwest |
Natural Gas |
720 |
|
Spire Missouri ? East |
Natural Gas |
715 |
|
Dominion Energy Ohio |
Natural Gas |
712 |
|
Atmos Energy ? Midwest |
Natural Gas |
708 |
|
Kansas Gas Service |
Natural Gas |
705 |
|
Citizens Energy |
Natural Gas |
697 |
|
Spire Missouri ? West |
Natural Gas |
694 |
|
South Region Utilities Brand Trust Performance |
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Utility brand name |
Service provided |
Brand trust score |
|
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CPS Energy |
Combination |
714 |
|
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Louisville Gas & Electric |
Combination |
688 |
|
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Dominion Energy South Carolina |
Combination |
682 |
|
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MLGW |
Combination |
644 |
|
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Kentucky Utilities |
Electric |
745 |
|
|||||
OUC |
Electric |
742 |
|
|||||
Florida Power & Light |
Electric |
739 |
|
|||||
Georgia Power |
Electric |
733 |
|
|||||
Entergy Texas |
Electric |
723 |
|
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Entergy Mississippi |
Electric |
721 |
|
|||||
Entergy Arkansas |
Electric |
716 |
|
|||||
TECO Tampa Electric |
Electric |
716 |
|
|||||
Alabama Power |
Electric |
713 |
|
|||||
Dominion Energy Virginia |
Electric |
711 |
|
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Entergy Louisiana |
Electric |
711 |
|
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Mississippi Power |
Electric |
710 |
|
|||||
Nashville Electric Service |
Electric |
710 |
|
|||||
OG&E |
Electric |
710 |
|
|||||
Southwest Electric Power Company |
Electric |
708 |
|
|||||
Xcel Energy ? South |
Electric |
706 |
|
|||||
Public Service Company of Oklahoma |
Electric |
703 |
|
|||||
El Paso Electric |
Electric |
701 |
|
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Duke Energy Florida |
Electric |
697 |
|
|||||
Duke Energy Carolinas |
Electric |
695 |
|
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Gulf Power |
Electric |
692 |
|
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JEA |
Electric |
684 |
|
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Austin Energy |
Electric |
682 |
|
|||||
Duke Energy Progress |
Electric |
664 |
|
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Entergy New Orleans |
Electric |
662 |
|
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Kentucky Power |
Electric |
656 |
|
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Columbia Gas ? South |
Natural Gas |
768 |
|
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TECO Peoples Gas |
Natural Gas |
760 |
|
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Oklahoma Natural Gas |
Natural Gas |
746 |
|
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Piedmont Natural Gas |
Natural Gas |
740 |
|
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Florida City Gas Company |
Natural Gas |
739 |
|
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CenterPoint Energy ? South |
Natural Gas |
733 |
|
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Virginia Natural Gas |
Natural Gas |
729 |
|
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Dominion Energy North Carolina |
Natural Gas |
727 |
|
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Spire Alabama |
Natural Gas |
724 |
|
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Texas Gas Service |
Natural Gas |
724 |
|
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Atmos Energy ? South |
Natural Gas |
721 |
|
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Spire Mississippi |
Natural Gas |
716 |
|
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Chattanooga Gas Company |
Natural Gas |
708 |
|
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Spire Gulf Coast |
Natural Gas |
656 |
|
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|
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West Region Utilities Brand Trust Performance |
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Utility brand name |
Service provided |
Brand trust score |
|
|||||
Xcel Energy ? West |
Combination |
734 |
|
|||||
Avista |
Combination |
726 |
|
|||||
Colorado Springs Utilities |
Combination |
721 |
|
|||||
NorthWestern Energy |
Combination |
705 |
|
|||||
Puget Sound Energy |
Combination |
697 |
|
|||||
SDG&E |
Combination |
688 |
|
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Black Hills Energy ? West |
Combination |
658 |
|
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PG&E |
Combination |
626 |
|
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Salt River Project |
Electric |
740 |
|
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Idaho Power |
Electric |
736 |
|
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Portland General Electric |
Electric |
730 |
|
|||||
SMUD |
Electric |
726 |
|
|||||
Tucson Electric Power |
Electric |
726 |
|
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Rocky Mountain Power |
Electric |
720 |
|
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Seattle City Light |
Electric |
717 |
|
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Southern California Edison |
Electric |
701 |
|
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Pacific Power |
Electric |
694 |
|
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NV Energy |
Electric |
676 |
|
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Los Angeles Department of Water & Power |
Electric |
666 |
|
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PNM |
Electric |
665 |
|
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APS |
Electric |
641 |
|
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Cascade Natural Gas |
Natural Gas |
760 |
|
|||||
Intermountain Gas Company |
Natural Gas |
759 |
|
|||||
NW Natural |
Natural Gas |
751 |
|
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SoCalGas |
Natural Gas |
735 |
|
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Dominion Energy West |
Natural Gas |
714 |
|
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Southwest Gas |
Natural Gas |
704 |
|
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New Mexico Gas Company |
Natural Gas |
702 |
|
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About Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagementtm: Residential
Escalent conducted surveys among 76,656 residential electric, natural gas and combination utility customers of the 140 largest US utility companies (based on residential customer counts). The sample design uses a combination of quotas and weighting based on US census data to ensure a demographically balanced sample of each evaluated utility's customers based on age, gender, income, race and ethnicity. Utilities within the same region and of the same type (e.g., electric-only providers) are given equal weight to balance the influence of each utility's customers on survey results. The Brand Trust index score is a composite based upon consumer ratings across six factors. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
About Escalent
Escalent is a top human behavior and analytics advisory firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, we transform data and insight into a profound understanding of what drives human beings. And we help businesses turn those drivers into actions that build brands, enhance customer experiences and inspire product innovation. Visit escalent.co to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.
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