20210512Avista to Staff 140 Attachment A.pdf

Avista Utilities—Voice of the Customer Tracking Page 1 of 10
Avista Utilities – Voice of the Customer Study
INTRODUCTION
(ASK FOR NAME ON LIST)
Hello, I’m from VuPoint Research, a national research company. Your electric company,
Avista utilities, has hired us to conduct customer satisfaction research based on the recent contact you
had with the company. Avista utilities would like your help to improve the service it provides to
customers like yourself.
(IF NECESSARY: This is only a research study, not telemarketing. Your name and the answers you give
will be completely confidential, and your participation will never result in any attempt to sell you
anything.)
SCREENERS
S1. We are asking for approximately eight minutes of your time to gather your opinions. Would
now be a good time to ask you a few questions?
1 Yes → GO TO S3
2 No → GO TO S2
3 Respondent not available → GO TO S2
4 No one in contact with Avista Utilities → THANK & TERMINATE
S2. When would be a good time to call back to conduct this brief survey? Thank you for your time.
[SET CALLBACK]
S3. Do you or does anyone in your household work in any of the following industries: Market
research, advertising, or for a utility company?
1 Yes → THANK &TERMINATE
2 No
S4. Just to verify, are you the person who was recently in contact with an Avista representative on
(INSERT DATE FROM SAMPLE)?
1 Yes
2 No → ASK TO SPEAK TO THE RIGHT PERSON
97 Don’t Know → TERMINATE & RECORD
98 Refused → TERMINATE & RECORD
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RECORD THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM LIST:

R1. (ENTER FROM SAMPLE) Type of customer:

1 Residential--RES
2 Commercial--COM

R2. (ENTER FROM SAMPLE) Type of sample:

1 Call Center/Customer Accounts: CC (n=200 randomly selected)
2 Construction/Operations: OPS (n=200 randomly selected,)—SKIP TO R4

(ASK R3 IF R2=1)
R3. (CC: ENTER FROM SAMPLE) And, was the reason for contact…(READ & SELECT APPROPRIATE
REASON CODE)?

1 A credit/collections issue
2 A non-credit/collections issue
97 (DON’T READ) Don’t Know
99 Other (SPECIFY)

INSERT FULL REASON LIST HERE (Q.4)

(R4 IF R2=2)
R4. (OPS: ENTER FROM SAMPLE) And, the reason for contact was: (READ & SELECT APPROPRIATE
REASON CODE)

1 A – Gas service work
2 C – Collection
3 D – Development
4 E – Electric immediate
5 G – Gas immediate
6 I – Electric work
7 J – Joint service
8 K – Gas work
9 L – Electric service work
10 M – Meter reading
11 O – Outage
12 P – Electric trouble
13 Q – Gas trouble
14 T – Tree work
15 X – Miscellaneous
97 (DON’T READ) Don’t Know
99 Other (SPECIFY)

R5. Enter Customer Account Key from sample:

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R6. Enter Revenue Class Code from sample:
1
21
98 Not listed

(R7-R9 IF R2=1)
R7A. (CC) Enter Call Center Rep ID from sample:
R7B. (CC) Enter Call Center Rep Initials from sample:
R9. (CC) Enter Avista Office Number/Service Center from sample:
21
22
27
23
24
25
26
28
29
30
31
32
40
42
46
48
50
55
57
70
73
76
78
90
92
94
95
96
608
609
623
624
625
626
627
630
631
Other (SPECIFY)
Not listed
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(R10-R11 IF R2=2)

R10. (OPS) Construction crew from sample:

R11. (OPS) Service Center: (QUOTA N=15 FOR EACH SERVICE CENTER)

R12. CCRN (CC) Enter Call Center Rep Name from sample:

ATTRIBUTE RATINGS (Ask Everyone)

I am going to ask you a series of questions and I would like you to answer on behalf of your (INSERT
FROM SAMPLE: HOUSEHOLD/BUSINESS). If I ask you about something that you are not familiar with, or
something that does not apply to your circumstances please let me know. I would like you to think
specifically of your most recent contact with Avista when answering each question.

Q1. Using a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 means “not important at all” and 4 means “very important,” I
would like for you to rate the importance of five attributes. How would you rate the importance
of…? (READ A-E SERIES; ROTATE)

1 Very unimportant
2 Unimportant
3 Important
4 Very Important
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

A. Being connected to a representative in a reasonable amount of time
B. The representative meeting your needs promptly
C. The representative being informed and knowledgeable
D. The representative giving you all of the information you needed in one call
E. The representative handling your call in a friendly, caring manner

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Q2. I am going to read the same list of attributes, and this time I would like you to rate your
satisfaction. Please use a scale where 1 means “very dissatisfied” and 4 means “very satisfied.”
How would you rate your satisfaction with…? (READ A-F SERIES; ROTATE; ALWAYS READ ITEM
“G” LAST)

1 Very unsatisfied
2 Unsatisfied
3 Satisfied
4 Very satisfied
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

A Being connected to a representative in a reasonable amount of time
B The representative meeting your needs promptly
C The representative being informed and knowledgeable
D The representative giving you all the information you needed in one call
E The representative handling your call in a friendly, caring manner
F And, the overall manner in which your call was handled
G (If Call Center Rep Initials = “IVR”) Avista’s automated voice response system

PROGRAMMER INSTRUCTIONS FOR REMAINDER OF SURVEY
CUSTOMERS CLASSIFIED AS CALL CENTER/CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS (R2=1)—SKIP TO Q3.
CUSTOMERS CLASSIFIED AS CONSTRUCTION/OPERATIONS ACCOUNTS (R2=2)—SKIP TO OP1

CONSTRUCTION/OPERATIONS (OP) Customers Only

OP1. Using the scale of 1 to 4, where 1 means “very unimportant” and 4 means “very important,” I
would like for you to rate the importance of a few attributes. How would you rate the
importance of…? (READ A-F SERIES; ROTATE).

1 Very unimportant
2 Unimportant
3 Important
4 Very Important
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

A Being connected to a construction representative in a reasonable amount of time
B The representative keeping you informed of the status of your job
C The representative or service crew being courteous and respectful
D The representative or service crew being informed and knowledgeable
E Leaving your property in the condition they found it
F Completing the work according to your expectations

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OP2. Now, I would like you to rate your satisfaction, using a scale where one means very unsatisfied
and four means very satisfied. How would you rate your satisfaction with…? (READ A-G SERIES;
ROTATE)

1 Very unsatisfied
2 Unsatisfied
3 Satisfied
4 Very satisfied
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

A Being connected to a construction representative in a reasonable amount of time
B The representative keeping you informed of the status of your job
C The representative or service crew being courteous and respectful
D The representative or service crew being informed and knowledgeable
E Leaving your property in the condition they found it
F Completing the work according to your expectations
G And, the overall quality of work performed by Avista Utilities

OP3. Did you have any difficulty reaching a construction representative?

1 Yes
2 No
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

OP4. Regarding the timeframe in which the work was performed, which of the following statements is
most correct?

1 The work was performed quicker than expected
2 The work was performed in about the time frame expected, or
3 The work took longer than I expected
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

OP5. Using a scale of 1 to 4, where one means “very unimportant” and four means “very important,”
how important would it have been for the construction representative to have told you the
exact date the work would be performed?

1 Very unimportant
2 Unimportant
3 Important
4 Very Important
5 (DON’T READ) Not applicable
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

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Q3. Using the scale of 1 to 4, where 1 means “very unsatisfied” and 4 means “very satisfied”, how
would you rate your overall satisfaction with the customer service that you received from Avista
Utilities?

1 Very unsatisfied
2 Unsatisfied
3 Satisfied → SKIP TO Q5
4 Very satisfied → SKIP TO Q5
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know → SKIP TO Q6
8 (DON’T READ) Refused → SKIP TO Q6

Q4. For what reasons did you rate your overall satisfaction with Avista Utilities as <Very unsatisfied
or unsatisfied (Q3)>? (PROBE WITH: What could Avista do to improve the quality of their
customer service? In what ways could Avista provide you with better service? (CLARIFY WITH:
Can you describe that in more detail? Can you please explain what you mean by that?) OPEN-
ENDED QUESTION, RECORD RESPONSE VERBATIM -- SKIP TO Q6

Q5. For what reasons did you rate your overall satisfaction with Avista Utilities as <Satisfied or Very
Satisfied (Q3)>? (CLARIFY WITH: Can you explain what you mean by that? Can you describe
that in more detail please?) OPEN-ENDED QUESTION, RECORD RESPONSE VERBATIM

Q6. Consider, if you would, a situation in which increasing competition in the energy business
reaches a level where you would have several choices about which company provided your
energy services. You would be able to select your electricity or gas provider the way you now
select your telephone long distance carrier.
Assume you were given a choice of energy providers, and they all charged the same rates that
you are now paying to Avista Utilities. What is the likelihood that you would stay with Avista
rather than switch to another energy provider? Please use a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning
“very unlikely” and 4 meaning “very likely” that you would stay with Avista.

VERIFY: How likely would you be to stay with Avista Utilities?

1 Very unlikely to stay with Avista Utilities
2 Unlikely
3 Likely
4 Very likely to stay with Avista Utilities
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know
8 (DON’T READ) Refused

Q7. How would you rate the overall reputation of Avista Utilities? Please use a scale of 1 to 4 with 1
meaning “poor” and 4 meaning “excellent.”

1 Poor
2 Two
3 Three → SKIP TO Q9
4 Excellent → SKIP TO Q9
7 (DON’T READ) Don’t know → SKIP TO Q10
8 (DON’T READ) Refused → SKIP TO OP1
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Q8. For what reasons do you believe Avista Utilities has a less than excellent reputation? (PROBE
WITH: What other factors contribute to Avista’s reputation? What else influenced the
reputation rating you provided?) (CLARIFY WITH: Can you provide an example of what you
mean? Can you describe this in more detail please? OPEN-ENDED QUESTION, RECORD
RESPONSE VERBATIM

Q9. In your opinion, what factors have contributed to the strong reputation of Avista Utilities?
(PROBE WITH: For what reasons do you believe Avista has a good reputation? What else
influences the reputation of Avista?) (CLARIFY WITH: Can you describe what you mean in more
detail? Can you provide me with an example?) OPEN-ENDED QUESTION, RECORD RESPONSE
VERBATIM

MESSAGING (Ask Everyone)

S1. Do you recall a message about…

A. natural gas safety, such as what to do should you smell gas or the importance of calling
before you dig?
B. staying safe around overhead power lines that used the phrase “look up and live”?
C. making sure to check for underground power lines before digging?

A B C
1 1 1 Yes
2 2 2 No
IF NO TO ALL, GO TO D1

S2. Where did you see or hear this message? (PROBE)

A B C
11 11 11 Radio
12 12 12 TV
13 13 13 Bill stuffer/insert
14 14 14 Newspaper
15 15 15 Magazine or other publication
16 16 16 Through child’s school
99 99 99 Other Specify
97 97 97 Don’t recall

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DEMOGRAPHICS (Ask Everyone)

D1. I have just a few more questions. May I ask your age please? (IF NECESSARY: Which of the
following categories includes your age?)

11 18 – 19
12 20 – 24
13 25 – 29
14 30 – 34
15 35 – 39
16 40 – 44
17 45 – 49
18 50 – 54
19 55 – 59
20 60 – 64
21 65 – 69
22 70 – 74
23 75 – 79
24 0 – 84
25 85 or older
97 Refused

(ASK D2 ONLY IF R1=1)
D2. Which of the following categories best describes your annual household income before taxes?
(READ LIST)

11 Under $10,000
12 $10,001 – $15,000
13 $15,001 – $25,000
14 $25,001 – $35,000
15 $35,001 – $50,000
16 $50,001 - $75,000
17 $75,001 - $100,000
18 $100,001 - $150,000
19 Over $150,000
98 (DON’T READ) Refused

D3. So that I may tell my supervisor I spoke with you, may I please get your first name only (ENTER
NAME)?

98 Refused

D4. Record gender by observation:

1 Male
2 Female

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NEW1. (IF Q3 = “Unsatisfied” or “Very unsatisfied”) May Avista contact you regarding your feedback
today?”

1 Yes
2 No → GO TO INT99

NEW2. What would be the best time for Avista to call you?

RECORD TIME

NEW3. Is this the best number to reach you at?

1 Yes → GO TO INT99
2 No

NEW4. What number should they call?

RECORD TIME

INT99. My supervisor may select your number to validate that this interview took place. Please be
assured that this is not a sales effort of any type. Validation is required to guarantee good
research practices. That concludes our survey. Thank you for participating in our study.

EMAIL: Send email to [e-mail] containing respondent name,
responses to Q3 & Q4, and sample info R2 (CC or OPS) and R5 (Customer Account Key).
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