Investor Owned Utilities

Investor Owned Utilities Market Research

For over four decades, GreatBlue has been conducting comprehensive qualitative and quantitative investor owned utilities market research in the from of customer and employee studies. Our time tested and constantly refined research processes, coupled with our deep understanding of the diverse and complicated utilities space, provides our clients the opportunity to understand their customers and employees with extreme detail.

GreatBlue provides reliable, actionable research and analytics to help organizations make data validated decisions. Having collected, analyzed and reported on insights from hundreds of thousands of investor owned utility customers, our team is well equipped to assist utility clients with understanding and utilizing data to strategically move forward.

We work closely with utility organizations of all shapes, sizes and geographic locations. From the small, local utility serving one town to joint action agencies overseeing multiple members and millions of customers, GreatBlue approaches each and every project with the same level of detail and attention.

Pre- and Post- Marketing and Advertisement Effectiveness

These studies evaluate awareness and strategic effectiveness of a company’s marketing, advertising, and communication before a campaign begins and after it ends. Utilizing visual illustrations, respondents have the ability to assess photos, language, and audio. By conducting this research, investor owned utility companies have the ability to compare, contrast, and measure how their efforts have impacted resonance, penetration, and recall among the target audience.

Journey Mapping

This is a comprehensive, detailed assessment analyzing sequential “touch points” customers have when interacting with an organization. A journey mapping study takes an in-depth approach utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Potential journeys to uncover may include – bill pay, customer service, product purchase, service signup, and communication preferences. The research gauges customer attitudes and satisfaction levels at every step throughout the process of interacting with an organization from start to finish. Additionally, relative employee assessments are conducted to further understand processes and where gaps exist within specific departments and teams. The end results provide detailed insights of customer/employee processes, experiences, and interactions so utilities can make decisions and develop future strategy.

Customer Assessment (Satisfaction, Perception, and Awareness)

Customer assessments analyze various perspectives towards a company’s products, services, and operations. The research findings help companies make data validated, strategic decisions to address customer demands and improve on company operations. Our team has collected, analyzed, and reported on data from residential, commercial, and key account customers across the United States. Every customer assessment is developed custom to meet each organization’s specific goals and objectives. Historical topics have included: 

  • Demand or support for a new product or service
  • Overall satisfaction with the service provided, online platforms, customer service, rates, etc.
  • Preferred communication methods
  • Awareness of a new product, service, program, online platform, etc. 
  • Attitudes surrounding green energy initiatives
  • Perception regarding reliability of service
  • Rate structures (i.e. Time of use rates)

Customer Contact Studies

Contact studies focus on collecting customer feedback immediately following an interaction with an organization. The goal is to measure the effectiveness and quality of the interaction (timeliness, resolution, value, etc.) and ensure the customer is receiving the desired/expected experience. These studies address overall opinions and satisfaction with customer service, field service, sales, and self-service platforms. Typically these studies are conducted on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis to understand areas in need of improvement, make changes, and track continuous progress in a timely manner.

Website and Mobile Application Testing

Website and mobile application assessments (“UX Testing”) are conducted to help guide companies in building, revising, or overhauling their digital platforms. These studies are employed to uncover perspectives on ease of navigation, aesthetics, functionality, usefulness and quality of graphics, and overall presentation of information. Ultimately, the research findings help companies ensure their changes, developments, and expenditures are in line with user wants and needs prior to full scale launch of the website or application.

Customer Segmentation

Customer segmentation studies are an in-depth assessment of customer demographics and psychographics (behaviors, attitudes, and interests). Findings are utilized to develop targeted messaging, products, and services based on the needs of a specific customer segment or segment groups. Utility companies are equipped with the customer information needed to provide better service to all customer groups through understanding their audience more holistically.

Employee Assessment

As an unbiased third party, GreatBlue gathers employee opinions, feedback, and satisfaction surrounding a variety of pertinent topics. All responses are kept anonymous so employees feel comfortable providing open and honest feedback. The topics uncovered with employee studies typically address job satisfaction, attitudes, communication methods, leadership and department ratings, and areas in need of improvement. The findings guide organizational changes for creating a healthy and productive workplace environment and allows management to strategize and move the company forward based on direct feedback from their employees.

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