Performance Score of 75 Considered ‘Top of Class’
Community Electric Cooperative’s member-owners strongly believe that CEC’s performance merits recommending it a friend or colleague, according to the findings of an independent customer satisfaction survey conducted in the spring. CEC’s “Net Promoter Score” (NPS) stood at 75, according to the survey conducted by Inside Information Inc. of Smithville, Mo. That is 12 points higher than the average NPS for rural electric cooperatives nationally. It also is one point higher than Community Electric’s NPS one year ago, and 19 points higher than the score CEC received in 2023.
The NPS measures attitudes regarding co-op services, and the 75 result is considered “Top of Class,” Inside Information states. The service aspects for which Community Electric received especially high marks from members are:
- Reliable service
- Quick response to issues
- Friendly and helpful service, and
- Clear and accurate billing
CEC President and CEO Steven A. Harmon said he is pleased that the cooperative’s members hold it in high regard.
“Our entire team works hard each and every day to fulfill our mission serving our member-owners,” Harmon said. “I am pleased that their efforts are recognized, and I am even more pleased that our members feel that, overall, they are receiving services at the level they deserve. These are challenging times in the electric sector, and that means we must be up to the task of providing quality service safely, reliably and affordably.”
Members providing lower marks in the survey were particularly concerned about “high energy costs.” In the same vein, when asked what CEC can do to gain their recommendation, members most commonly replied “provide more programs to save money/energy.”
Harmon acknowledged concerns about the rising cost of energy.
“The affordability of the electric service that we provide to our members is of paramount concern to all of us at Community Electric,” Harmon said. “I fully understand that, as this latest survey confirms, it is a top concern to our members. We are committed to keeping costs manageable and helping our members identify ways to conserve energy.”
The 2025 satisfaction survey was sent to all residential accounts with emails, and a total of 440 members responded. Results of this survey have a margin of error of +/-4.58 percent at a 95 percent degree of probability, so for any given statistic, there is a 95 percent chance that the result does not vary by more than 4.58 percent in the actual total membership.
The survey found that members prefer to be notified by text (79 percent) and email (46 percent) about power outage information.
“Quite simply, we are working on this,” CEC Manager of Communications Jessica Parr said with regard to outage notifications. “With our ever-growing territory and system changes, we need to verify that our system recognizes our mapping so our members get correct and accurate notifications. We are determined to make this happen, and we are equally determined to implement any and all new processes effectively.”
With regard to energy costs and savings, Parr said CEC is working with its partners and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative – the nonprofit generation and transmission entity that supplies CEC with power – to hold down costs and enhance conservation programs.
“We are constantly on the lookout for rebate and other efficiency-upgrade programs that can allow members to reduce their outlays for energy services. We also encourage members, if they haven’t done so already, to download the SmartHub app to make it easier to monitor their energy usage on a daily basis if they desire. Our website has some energy-saving tips as well,” Parr said. “Bottom line – please engage with us so we can serve you and address your concerns even better.”
