First-Ever Benchmark Study of Residential Customers' Satisfaction with Utility Call Centers Completed by Platts and The Response Center.

Business Editors

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 2002

A nationwide benchmark survey of residential customers' satisfaction with utility call centers has been completed by Platts Research & Consulting in partnership with The Response Center.

The survey was conducted to provide utility customer care executives and managers with direction on how to invest on future improvements, analyze key drivers of call center satisfaction and offer recommendations for improvement. Platts is the energy information, research, consulting and marketing services business of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP).

The study, conducted in spring 2002, measured, modeled and benchmarked satisfaction levels with call center service for three different types of calls: new service or transfer of service, electric outage and high bills. Eleven utilities representing several regions of the U.S. participated in this study.

The study found that there are different key drivers of satisfaction for different call types. The Customer Service Representative's (CSR) knowledge and soft skills are the primary drivers of satisfaction for some call types while satisfaction for other call types is primarily driven by technology and processes.

When looking at all 11 utilities that took part in the study, findings are that customers are very satisfied with the performance of CSRs and less satisfied with their interactions with IVR systems. In fact, only 53 percent of customers indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the ease of use of the IVR system.

Among those companies with completed surveys for all three call types, Public Service of New Mexico (PNM), South Carolina Electric & Gas Company and PSNC Energy (both SCANA businesses), and Wisconsin Public Service headquartered in Green Bay Wisconsin, rated highest in overall call satisfaction. These companies also scored extremely high on several key attributes related to the Customer Service Representative (CSR) as well as the Interactive Voice Response system (IVR).

"Unlike other industry benchmark data that looks at overall customer satisfaction, this study provides subscribers with an in-depth view of transaction satisfaction with particular types of calls. This helps customer care managers determine the best investments for improving service," said Tia Hensler, director of market research at Platts Research & Consulting.

"The results of this study reflect the investments that utility companies have made in training their call center employees, but it also points to the need to invest in improving the ease of use of their IVR systems," said Filomena Gogel, managing director of the E Source Utility Customer Care Service at Platts Research & Consulting.

Utilities that participated in the study received benchmark information on overall call satisfaction as well as feedback on each of the key factors that impact customers' perceptions of their particular call. According to Ed Kolodziej, Vice President of Energy & Utility Service with The Response Center, "This sophisticated analysis identifies what's working well as well as the opportunities for improvement. Call center managers can target their efforts and get the best results from the money they invest in the call centers."

Please visit http://www.esource.com/public/products/mcs_ucc.asp for more information.

Platts is the world's largest and most authoritative provider of energy information and marketing services, with 14 offices worldwide. Products range from real-time and Internet-based news and price assessment services to newsletters, market reports, databases, geospatial tools, magazines, conferences, research and consulting services and energy financial services. Platts offerings cover the oil, natural gas, electricity, nuclear power, coal, petrochemical and metals markets. Every day, more than $10 billion of trading activity and term contract sales are based on Platts' price assessments. Additional information is available at www.platts.com and www.plattsmetals.com.

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The corporation has more than 350 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2001 were $4.6 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

The Response Center is a full service market research firm with a dedicated research practice that is focused on the needs of energy industries. With offices in Philadelphia, New York, Washington and Chicago, The Response Center offers a comprehensive and fully integrated portfolio of sophisticated in-house data collection and processing services, supported by advanced analytics that bring considerable insight and clarity to your business decisions. Additional information is available at www.response-center.com.