Ambit Energy once again has been named a leading retail electric provider, based on an annual customer satisfaction study by J.D. Power.
The 2016 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study evaluates the 91 providers in nine competitive markets across the U.S. In all, 20,000 customers were queried to determine satisfaction in five key areas: price, communications, corporate citizenship, enrollment/renewal and customer service.
Breaking down the responses by state, J.D. Power reports that Ambit ranked highest among retail electric providers in Connecticut for the second consecutive year. The Dallas-based company scored 735 on a 1,000-point scale, with particularly high marks for communications and enrollment/renewal. In New Jersey, Ambit ranked second with a score of 687, and in Illinois the company was third with 644.
Overall, the study found that switching and renewal rates are falling as customers find fewer incentives to shop around. “Historically, the key differentiator between retail electric providers and regulated providers has been price, but that price gap has shrunk,” said Andrew Heath, Senior Director of J.D. Power’s utility and infrastructure practice.
Across the nine states included in the study, half of those J.D. Power labels delighted customers—with overall satisfaction scores of 900 or higher—say they “definitely will not” switch providers, as do 37 percent of pleased customers (750-899) and 25 percent of indifferent customers (550-749).
What would it take to win over the average customer? Those labeled indifferent said they would consider switching for a cost savings of $30 a month, while pleased customers would require $35 in monthly savings. Delighted customers are even more resistant, citing a level of $46 a month to consider switching.
