The Nuts

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The Nuts Bolts of Creating Action Out of
Customer Satisfaction Data

• Presented by
• Phil Osborne Leanna Comer

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About Preston-Osborne

• Based in Lexington, KY
• Two operating divisionsmarketing communications
  research
• More than 30 years of public relations and
  marketing experience

• Research division celebrates its 20th anniversary
  this year
• Have worked with more than 75 cooperatives,
  including several TECA members

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Co-op Research

• Customer satisfactionresidential and CI
• Customer transaction
• Employee attitude
• End-use/saturation
• Program assessment
• Feasibility studies
• Readership studies

• Touchstone Energy awareness
• Communications research audits
• Energy-efficiency attitudes
• Focus groups

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Why Customer Satisfaction Research is Important

• Measuring perceptions, not realityand
  perceptions can actually be more important
• Captive audience, but they have choices

• Like storing nuts for the winter, utilities need
  to store up goodwill
• Employees who work for companies that value
  customers tend to be happier

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Comparison of Data Collection Methods
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Sample Size Margin of Error
Maximum margin of error (/-)
Sample Size
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Sample Size Considerations

• Budget
• Degree of accuracy that is acceptable
• How important are the decisions that will be made
  based on the data
• Sub-samples
• Data collection frequency

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Survey Frequency

• Ongoing data collection periodic reporting (3-4
  times a year)
• Quarterly data collection reporting
• Annual data collection reporting (recommend
  spring or fall)
• Periodic data collection reporting

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Topics to Include

• Overall satisfaction why
• Transactions
• Method of contact
• Reason
• Satisfaction, overall
• Satisfaction with employee, length of time, etc.
• Loyalty

• Service attribute ratings (expectations vs.
  performance)
• Awareness of co-op structure benefits
• Assessment of communications tools
• Suggestions for improvement

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Topics to Include

• Comparisons to previous providers
• Awareness of/ satisfaction with existing
  products, programs, services
• Interest in products, programs, services

• Basic end-use questions (may require a separate
  survey if extensive)
• Touchstone Energy awareness impact
• ACSI questions (if Touchstone member)
• Demographics

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Putting Research to Work

• EKPCAll-Seasons Comfort Home
• Focus groups
• Tracking research
• Kentucky Living
• Focus groups
• Readership study
• Ashland Oil
• Ad placement
• LCVB
• Marketing mix

• Nolin RECC
• Satisfaction tied to reliability
• Jackson Energy
• Member survey and focus groups on communications
  material
• Southwest Electric
• Viability of fiber optics and other services with
  price points

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Questions?