Gas Utility Earns Top Honors for Customer Satisfaction in J.D.
Power and Associates Study
PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Northwest Natural Gas Company, dba NW Natural (NYSE:NWN), has
earned the highest overall score in the Western U.S. among large
utilities according to the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Gas Utility
Residential Customer StudySM. NW Natural also received the
highest score in the nation.
The study, now in its ninth year, measures residential customer
satisfaction among 75 gas-only and combination utilities nationwide
across six factors (listed in order of importance): billing and payment;
price; corporate citizenship; communications; customer service; and
field service. According to the study, driving increases in satisfaction
among customers are improvements in the areas of communications, price
and corporate citizenship.
NW Natural improved its overall performance in the 2010 study 18 points
over 2009.
Earlier this year, NW Natural also received top honors from business
customers, ranking highest in the West region in the J.D. Power and
Associates 2010 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to receive this positive feedback from our
customers, and we pledge to continue and work hard to exceed their
expectations,” said Gregg Kantor, NW Natural President and CEO.
“Consistently ranking among the best in our industry for customer
satisfaction is a tremendous source of pride for us and underscores the
diligence of our employees.”
About the J.D. Power and AssociatesStudy
The 2010 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study ranks 75
gas-only and gas-and-electric utilities regionally serving between
224,000 and 5 million residential customers. The study is based on more
than 61,000 responses from residential customers.
The rankings encompass large and midsize utility companies in four
geographic regions: East, Midwest, South and West. Companies in the
midsize utility segments serve between 165,000 and 399,999 residential
customers, while companies in the large utility segment serve 400,000 or
more residential customers. These utilities serve more than 54 million
households. The study was fielded between September 2009 and July 2010.
About NW Natural
NW Natural is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and serves about 670,000
residential and business customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
It is the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific
Northwest. For more information about NW Natural, please visit nwnatural.com.
Source: Northwest Natural Gas Company
Contact:
NW Natural
Jenna Cooper-Gross, 503-721-2440
Pager: 503-818-9845
jcg@nwnatural.com