Customer satisfaction and channel preference in Australian utilities

An examination of residential customer satisfaction and how electricity and gas retailers compare with other service providers, whether utilities are delivering to expectations for new customers, and areas for improvements. Also examined is the extent to

Report Highlights
For overall customer service, electricity and gas suppliers received higher average ratings compared with our 2005 survey, and were rated ahead of banks, fixed-line telecoms, mobile telecoms and digital/cable TV providers. After switching electricity supp
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DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
METHODOLOGY 1
ANALYSIS 2
Rising levels of customer satisfaction in Australia electricity and gas sector 2
Electricity and gas retailer’s service rated higher relative to banks and telcos 2
Net improvement in service experienced 4
More switchers find customer service and savings above expectations 5
Highest levels of satisfaction are with staff 8
Key areas for improvement are pricing, supply reliability and green energy availability and cost 9
What prospects for driving customer service online? 12
Use of the internet is high for bill payment 14
Money talks - use of online would increase significantly with higher financial incentives 17
CONCLUSIONS 19
Improvements in customer service have been recognised 19
Potential to reduce cost to serve, but significant uptake is unlikely without incentives 19
APPENDIX 20
Further reading 20
Ask the analyst 20
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Table 1: Rating of overall customer service from electricity and gas retailers versus other service providers, 2007 4
Table 2: In the last 12 months, has the customer service provided by your electricity/mains gas retailer improved, stayed the same or got worse? 5
Table 3: Customer service improvements have been recognised more in Victoria, South Australia and NSW 5
Table 4: After switching electricity supplier 29% of switchers found customer service provided by new retailer to be above expectations 7
Table 5: Satisfaction ratings highest with staff courtesy 9
Table 6: Satisfaction ratings highest in New South Wales 9
Table 7: If one improvement could be made to your electricity utility's service offerings, what should it be? 11
Table 8: Australia has one of the highest rates of Internet access in the world 13
Table 9: The telephone is the over-riding preference for communicating with electricity suppliers 13
Table 10: Preference for internet use higher with younger age groups 14
Table 11: Propensity to use the internet for managing electricity or gas contracts 16
Table 12: Why do customers contact their electricity suppliers? 16
Table 13: If you could receive an annual discount on your electricity, would you be happy to receive & pay all bills online, submit meter readings online and only interact with your utility via the web/email? 17
Table 14: Incentives preferred by electricity spend 18
Table 15: Incentives preferred by age group 18

Figure 1: Rating of overall customer service from electricity and gas retailers versus other service providers, 2007 3
Figure 2: After switching electricity supplier 29% of switchers found customer service provided by new retailer to be above expectations 6
Figure 3: Satisfaction ratings highest with staff courtesy 8
Figure 4: If one improvement could be made to your electricity utility's service offerings, what should it be? 10
Figure 5: Australia has one of the highest rates of Internet access in the world 12
Figure 6: 44.5% of respondents always/almost always pay their electricity and gas bills online 15
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