Study shows satisfaction with Southwest Gas rising among business customers

Local natural-gas utility Southwest Gas made big strides in satisfaction among business customers, according to a national research firm that evaluates client care.

J.D. Power & Associates released its fourth annual Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study today, and the newest edition of the report catapulted Southwest Gas from No. 3 in the West region last year to No. 1 in the West today.

Oregon’s Northwest Natural came in second, and Southern California Gas Co. ranked third.

J.D. Power doesn’t compare natural-gas companies nationwide, but it did note that Southwest earned the highest overall score in its entire study.

The study examined six factors: billing and payment; corporate citizenship; price; communications; customer service; and field service.

Corporate citizenship, in particular, paid big dividends in business-customer happiness, the report noted. Half of all business customers said they were aware of at least one of their utility’s citizenship initiatives, including charitable contributions and conservation programs, and average satisfaction scores were significantly higher among customers who knew about such activities.

The study was based on Internet interviews with representatives of more than 7,600 businesses that spend $200 to $50,000 a month on natural gas. The report examined more than 40 utility brands, each serving more than 32,000 business customers.