Overall we were pleased with the results of the customer survey conducted at the beginning of this year as they indicated that our customers view Clallam Public Utility District (PUD) favorably in electric/water quality, affordability of the services we provide, outage response time, and high marks for customer service. This latter item was especially good to see as it meant that the efforts that we implemented to reduce call wait time were successful.
There were some demographic differences. For example, rates were given more positive responses by residents who have lived here for ten years or less, compared to longer-term residents. This makes sense because long-term residents who have always known public power haven’t had anything else to compare it to. Newer residents are moving here from places where they likely had higher rates. The West End residents also experience longer outages.
Communication was rated highly with the website being the most-utilized resource. Facebook and our customer newsletter were also strong channels and the results will allow us to compare to industry standards and allocate our budget dollars accordingly.
We also wanted to measure your awareness of our services such as our payment methods, programs, and rebates/incentives. There is room to improve on awareness about programs such as our Budget Payment Plan, and SmartPay (prepaid service) so expect to hear more about that in the future. Also, while we receive positive feedback on our conservation articles that are featured here, there seemed to be a mismatch between that and awareness of our rebates. Likely that is because unless you are in the market for a new appliance, heating system or water heater, for example, our rebates just aren’t on your radar. We do know our participating installers are wonderful about connecting customers with us prior to making a purchase.
For a more philosophical approach, we asked about your familiarity with the benefits of being a public power customer, and also your feelings about whether you are prepared for an emergency, both concepts that impact us here in Clallam County. As the makeup of our county shifts over time and we get years further away from Initiative Number 1, it is important that newcomers and our younger residents understand the value of public power to Washingtonians and we need to continue to share the reasons why.
We were surprised that the majority of responses in regard to emergency preparedness felt that they were not prepared or were “unsure.” As first responders, preparedness is near and dear to our hearts. We have a continual cycle of communication messaging every year about electrical safety, outage preparation, and recognizing September as Preparedness Month. While our rural location makes for a beautiful and wild lifestyle, it is critical that all of us actively engage in preparation for everything from a power outage to a Cascadia earthquake-type event. We partner with Clallam County Emergency Management and other statewide agencies in helping to plan and share the message to all. We will continue to educate and boost our efforts. We understand that doing it all at once can be daunting but we have informational resources to help you create a plan and acquire resources over time so that you build your resilience.
Lastly, we had some future-looking questions about investment in broadband, electric vehicles, and resiliency projects. While it was agreed that these could all be beneficial, the results of the survey indicated that the majority of customers are not as willing to pay more at this time for these projects. As a result, the District continues to look for grant funding for opportunities and we will initiate conversations with you going forward to glean a clearer understanding of your perspectives.