Eight Questions You Need to Ask in Your Next Consumer-Member Survey

Conducting a survey is a critical step to help utilities understand their consumer-members’ needs and preferences. This not only helps in improving service delivery but also in making strategic decisions. But what exactly should you ask? Start with these eight questions.

1. “Are you satisfied?”

Rating overall satisfaction gauges overall contentment and provides a general view of your consumer-members’ perception of the utility’s performance. It’s also a handy metric to track over time.

2. “How are we doing?”

Getting feedback on service helps you evaluate the effectiveness of the consumer-member service department and identify potential areas for training and development.

3. “Do you feel we’re reliable?”

Understanding how people view the consistency and dependability of the electricity, broadband or communication support you supply is key for identifying areas needing attention. Assess your consumer-members’ perception of your reliability. We have found this to be one of the top concerns for consumer-members.

4. “How would you rate our pricing?”

Measure pricing opinions in your survey. Members’ perceptions of pricing can greatly influence their overall satisfaction and loyalty. How do your prices compare to what your community uses as a reference for what is fair?

5. “Are you interested in ______?”

Gauge energy, broadband option interest to assesses consumer-members’ interest in new programs. For electric utilities, it can help you plan for alternative or sustainable energy solutions. Are members willing to pay more for green energy? Broadband providers can track interest in speed tiers and add-on services.

6. “What do you know about ______?”

Determine awareness and communication effectiveness by asking what your community members know about things that matter to your utility. Effective communication is essential, and this question helps you understand if your current communication methods are successful or if new strategies are needed. You can ask which channels they prefer (magazine, social media, website, radio, direct mail) or you can see which messages are hitting home by determining their awareness of:

• Energy efficiency, rate programs
• Broadband speed tiers and options
• The co-op business model
• Potential for rolling blackouts and planned outages
• Events and programs you offer

7. “We need to _______. How do you feel about [option A] versus [option B]?”

Explore community expectations for the future. Measure support for decisions your utility will be making, such as building a new office versus remodeling the current facility. Which direction do consumer-members prefer? You have plans; align them with what consumer-members want and need from you. This can take the form of a specific question about a proposal or as an open-ended question to explore community member opinions.

8. “How do you plan to use ____ in the next year? How about in five years?”

The best way to plan is to know what’s coming. Ask consumer-members about their future needs for:

• Energy: What plans might impact energy consumption?
• Internet: Are they planning to start working from home, add a significant volume of smart home devices or have additional security concerns?

How else can consumer behavior impact your programs? Ask now to help your team plan for reliable service in five to 10 years.

Craft A Shared Story

Through thoughtful member research, you not only understand your members better but also empower your decisions and communications with their input.

Actively gathering and analyzing member feedback is vital. This process not only gauges satisfaction levels but also highlights areas for improvement, ensuring that your members’ voices are heard and valued. Incorporating this feedback demonstrates a commitment to member-centric growth and service enhancement.

This collaborative approach to storytelling ensures that as you move forward, you do so as a unified organization poised for success and growth.