In our connected world, organizations work at knowing their customers and understanding their experiences. Sure, there’s always the hope of a glowing review. But even without five stars, the feedback is useful not only for improving customer service, but also making adjustments and fixing problems.
Clark Public Utilities is no different and has been tracking its customer satisfaction for decades in order to identify areas for improvement and ensure that programs are successful. That’s true across the organization, including the Energy Services Energy Counselors.
“Each energy counselor customer visit is followed up with a customer survey to tell us how well the energy review went,” said Amber Hall, Clark Public Utilities energy counselor.
For heat pump and weatherization installations, customers receive a quick survey with 10 questions. Five cover the experience with the utility’s Contractor Network installer, and five more the support from the utility. The easy-to-fill-out questionnaire asks if the customer got a bid, whether the vendor made the process understandable, and the customer’s experience with the installer. The questions about the utility gather feedback related to the services and information that Clark Public Utilities provided during the process. Hall collects each survey, files the original and sends a copy to the vendor so they can also benefit from the insights.
“Contractors of all sizes — owner-operators, small local businesses, and national corporations — are screened by the utility in order to be included in the Contractor Network and have the work be eligible for utility rebates and incentives,” Hall said.
“When contractors come to us, we conduct a new contractor orientation meeting,” said DuWayne Dunham, the utility’s Energy Services supervisor who’s responsible for evaluating contractors. While inclusion in the Contractor Network does not imply a recommendation or approval by the utility, Dunham does confirm that all participating contractors are licensed, bonded, and insured with the state and understand the program processes and requirements. The utility checks the contractor’s status with the state each month.
When approved, contractors sign an agreement with the utility to meet its standards for professionalism, to set timelines for finishing work, and to clarify expectations of customer service. They also sign a performance bond with the utility. Heat pump contractors must have Performance Tested Comfort System certification.
“PTCS qualification is great for our customers because a third party oversees all heat pump installations and duct sealing,” said Dunham. “And, under the PTCS program, a third party also does an on-site inspection of 10 percent of the installs every year.”
Weatherization projects are inspected too, by the utility. The three energy counselors check all the weatherization and window replacement projects once the contractor has completed the work.
“Customers seeking a heat pump or weatherization contractor can visit the utility and review our contractor survey files to see contractors’ recent service levels,” Hall said. “They can select as many contractors as they want and ask for a free, no pressure estimate regarding the project from each and then choose one they feel comfortable working with.”
Clark Public Utilities requires participating contractors to attend a new contractor meeting before doing any work. Additionally, all approved contractors must attend an annual session for any program, rebate or incentive updates.
In the future, the utility hopes to offer customers access to these survey results online. “We’re working to further streamline our process and create an online solution for both contractors and customers to view feedback,” Hall said. “The goal, as with all our changes, is to make the process easier and more useful for customers. And to encourage customers to make improvements to their homes that cut down on energy use and increase comfort.”
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
