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SECO Energy Ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction for the Third Straight Year by J.D. Power

SECO Energy ranks highest in customer satisfaction among all electric cooperatives nationally according to the J.D. Power 2017 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study released yesterday.

 

This latest J.D. Power award is the third consecutive J.D. Power award for the not-for-profit electric cooperative that serves seven counties in Central Florida. In 2015, SECO was ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Midsize Utilities in the South.” This year and in 2016, SECO Energy was named “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Cooperatives.”

 

The J.D. Power study measures customer satisfaction with electric utility companies by examining six factors: power quality and reliability; price; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; communications; and customer service.

 

CEO Jim Duncan stated, “SECO Energy employees are the best of the best – our employees are the true winners of any award the cooperative receives. A special thank you to our employees, senior leadership and the Board of Trustees. Our people are the heart of SECO, and they make a difference for our members. This year’s J.D. Power award is a tangible representation of how SECO members feel about the cooperative as a whole. I am beyond delighted with our company’s Triple Crown. I am grateful and humbled by the praise and goodwill from our members.”

 

The Board of Trustees President, Ray Vick is proud to be a long-time Board member. Vick stated, “Member satisfaction is a top priority at SECO. On behalf of the Board, I extend my heartfelt thanks to the employees for their dedication to our members and the cooperative. We couldn’t be prouder of you and your accomplishments.”

 

This third J.D. Power award culminates a decade-long effort to increase reliability, maintain low rates and provide world-class customer service. SECO’s score of 789 is a 20-point increase over its 2016 ranking. SECO is proud to retain its title as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Cooperatives.”

 

Learn more about SECO Energy on our About SECO page. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Recovers from Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew’s bands of high wind and rain passed through SECO Energy’s service territory on Friday afternoon. Lake County bore the brunt of the damage. Winds reached the eastern portion of Marion County and Citrus County sustained some utility damage as well.

 

As expected with tropical storm wind gusts, poles and lines went down. Big trees fell. Restoration began in the wee hours Friday morning when the very first storm related outage occurred and continues into the overnight hours on Friday. Hundreds of line and tree trimming contractors and hundreds of SECO employees supporting the restoration effort were prepared to brave the storm when duty called.

 

SECO Energy Recovers from Hurricane Matthew, downed trees on power lines

 

The contractors had been arranged in advance and were staged at SECO’s headquarters throughout the day on Thursday. This was a key component in a speedy restoration effort. As of Friday at 6 pm, less than 5,000 members remain without power. Line and tree personnel continue to work in the dark to get the lights back on for those still without power. The members who remain without power can rest assure work will continue diligently until all service is restored.

 

SECO Energy CEO Jim Duncan stated, “I commend the SECO employees who worked hard to prepare for Hurricane Matthew and execute an extremely comprehensive emergency response plan. I also must commend Governor Scott for being fully engaged in arranging assistance and removing roadblocks to serving the public.” SECO Energy is a two-time J.D. Power award winner for Highest in Customer Satisfaction in its segment in 2015 and 2016.

 

Providing reliable, low-cost power to members with outstanding customer service is SECO’s highest priority. The company’s internal employee battle cry is “Every moment is meaningful. Every member matters. Every minute counts.” The company rallied behind the battle cry in Hurricane Matthew as it did with Hurricane Hermine in September.

 

If a member is unsure SECO is aware of an outage, it’s easy to report it using a smartphone or tablet at the Storm Center application. Members can contact SECO via Facebook and Twitter and read outage details. For members less tech savvy, call and talk to a member service rep (or use the prompts to report the outage by phone at 800-732-6141. SECO’s System Operations Center is manned 24/7, and SECO’s call center will remain manned 24/7 until all hurricane related outages are restored. The Lake County Emergency Operations Center remains open as do shelters. The EOC’s contact number is 352-343-9420.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is dedicated to being members’ first source for accurate storm information.