Arizona Public Service, Ameren Illinois Utilities Earn Top Honors in Chartwell Best Practices Awards

October 12, 2009

The 2009 edition of the Chartwell Best Practices Awards for Customer Service and Marketing produced several firsts, including a sweep and three winners in two categories.

Arizona Public Service (APS) produced the first sweep in the history of the Chartwell awards program, winning the Best Practices Award for Customer Service and sharing top honors with the Ameren Illinois Utilities (AIU) in the Best Practices Award for Marketing. The winners were recognized Monday at EMACS 2009 - The Customer Experience Conference.

"Among the customer service entries, we had several quality programs submitted for consideration, but in the end the APS Web site and the utility's efforts to increase customer adoption of online services stood out as the clear winner," says Dennis Smith, Chartwell vice president of research and information delivery. "The level of customer service interactivity and functionality at aps.com is impressive to say the least.

"On the marketing side, it was a bit more difficult," adds Smith. "We had several strong entries, and after narrowing it down to the two winners our analysts deliberated for - literally - hours before deciding to recognize both APS for its renewable and energy efficiency promotion and Ameren Illinois Utilities for a far-reaching energy efficiency campaign. Both were high-profile campaigns, distinct in nature and goals yet similar in exhibiting creative and attractive marketing collateral that produced positive results for these utilities."       

APS added 11 new functions on its Web site - aps.com - to attract customers and encourage them to use the Web site for their service needs. In winning the Best Practices Award in Customer Service, the APS "Increasing Customer Site Usage through Interactivity" initiative launched features such as the rate wizard which allows customers to compare rate options online, an interactive bill, My Account Orientation and a carbon calculator. Web site traffic increased in both visits per user (up 16%) and pages per visit (up 47%).

In "A 2009 Green Success for APS!," its award-winning entry for Best Practices in Marketing, the Phoenix-based utility enlisted the help of NBA and Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash to promote its energy efficiency home improvements and green energy purchases. APS used a mix of traditional - Nash starred in a series of commercials encouraging customers to adopt green methods - and non-traditional, such as social media, channels in the campaign. The initiative led to an increase in solar rebates, Green Choice Rate enrollment, renewable installations, duct test and repair rebates, and CFL sales.

"Even in the toughest economic times, there are ways to reach customers," said Tammy McLeod, APS Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. "Innovative approaches can cut through the clutter and move people to action; we're most proud that APS customers directly benefited from taking energy efficient action." 

AIU earned a share of the Best Practices Award for its "Act on Energy" campaign, which educated customers and employees of the utility's energy efficiency initiatives. Launching the campaign in June 2008, AIU incorporated several channels to reach customers, including a Web site - www.ActOnEnergy.com - posting videos on YouTube, town hall employee sessions and an aggressive multi-media advertising campaign.  This initiative helped AIU to a 12-point improvement in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

"Engaging our more than 2,700 co-workers was critical to delivering a responsive and efficient education program," says Sean Vanslyke, Ameren Illinois Utilities' manager of community and public relations. "In a short time, many of our customers have proven they are ready and willing to take an active role in controlling their energy usage to help lower their bills. Given our nearly 44,000 square mile service territory and numerous media markets, it was important for our team to develop an integrated approach that relied on many channels and mediums, including good old fashioned community relations in our more than 1,200 communities that we serve. Our customers are learning and we are as well. That's exciting."

The Chartwell Best Practices Awards are presented throughout the year in several categories, with its largest award program - The Chartwell Best Practices Awards for Marketing and Customer Service - held annually in conjunction with EMACS - The Customer Experience Conference. Utilities that enter projects or programs for consideration must submit an entry form and supporting material. A panel of Chartwell researchers, who are subject matter experts in the areas under consideration, judges the entries.  Chartwell received 56 entries - 36 in marketing and 20 in customer service - for consideration this year. Past winners include Progress Energy, Salt River Project, PECO, LCEC, We Energies, Kansas City Power & Light, Duke Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Otter Tail Power, and BC Hydro.

About Arizona Public Service
Phoenix-based Arizona Public Service is the state's largest and longest serving electric utility. The Pinnacle West Capital Corp. serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of Arizona's 15 counties.

About Ameren Illinois Utilities
The Ameren Illinois Utilities - AmerenCILCO, AmerenCIPS and AmerenIP - are part of St. Louis-based Ameren Corp.  Combined, the three utilities serve approximately 1.2 million customers throughout the state of Illinois.

About Chartwell
Based in Atlanta, Chartwell Inc. is a specialized information provider that facilitates knowledge exchange among utility professionals responsible for management practices and technology solutions. Chartwell publishes best practices case studies, quantitative research and electronic newsletters, and hosts conferences and other events for utility professionals. For more information, visit www.chartwellinc.com.

Doris Yon, Chartwell Research Analyst
(404) 237-9099